Protesters Demand Closure of Guantanamo on Anniversary

Protesters outside the White House wore orange jumpsuits and plastic shackles [Reuters]

Demonstrators gathered outside the White House in Washington DC, demanding the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detainee facility.

The protests Monday, on the 14th anniversary of the opening of the prison in Cuba, come a day after the US administration once again vowed to shut down the controversial detention site before President Barack Obama’s term ends this year.

The group included a coalition of human rights activists, torture survivors and attorneys.

There are still 103 detainees currently being held at the Guantanamo Bay.

Since the prison opened in January 2002, nine prisoners have died there.

Protesters outside the White House wore orange jumpsuits and plastic shackles. Some of them deployed a large inflatable doll meant to represent former prisoner Shaker Aamer, the Saudi national who was suspected by US authorities of being associated with al-Qaeda but was never charged with any crime.