Protests mark Guantanamo anniversary

Human rights activists will stage demonstrations in Dublin today to mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the US detention…

Human rights activists will stage demonstrations in Dublin today to mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.

Amnesty International said its members will stand apart, dressed in the military prison's uniforms, in "solitary" protests throughout the capital.

Most spend at least 22 hours a day in total isolation. Three inmates have taken their own lives, and dozens have made repeated suicide attempts
Kieran Clifford, campaigns manager for Amnsety International's Irish Section

Kieran Clifford, campaigns manager for the organisation's Irish Section, said the demonstrations will feed into major rallies planned worldwide, including Washington DC and London.

Mr Clifford said Amnesty members will demonstrate at O'Connell Street, Leinster House and St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Other protests take place at the IFSC, Phibsborough Shopping Centre and at Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's constituency office in Drumcondra.

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"In the six years that Guantanamo has been in operation only one of the almost 800 men who have been detained there has been convicted," he said. "Approximately a quarter of the nearly 300 detainees still held in Guantanamo have been declared eligible for release or transfer by US authorities.

"Many of these prisoners, held without charges, without trial, often without any access to legal representation, have been subject to extremely harsh prison conditions.

"Most spend at least 22 hours a day in total isolation. Three inmates have taken their own lives, and dozens have made repeated suicide attempts."