Thursday, January 11, 2007

Lest we forget ...

A surreal moment for a former Guantanamo Bay prison inmate ...

Mr Begg is standing in front of the US embassy in Grosvenor Square in central London on a grey January day as more than 300 demonstrators play out the mock Guantánamo Bay camp scenario to mark the the fifth anniversary of the arrival of the first detainees to the US naval base in Cuba.

Other protests are being held across the globe, from Brisbane to Washington DC and from Hungary to Cuba itself. Mr Begg, a British citizen, was held for four years before finally gaining his freedom after pressure from the US government. In total, 780 detainees have been held at the camp. More than 400 of those there today have had no contact with their families throughout their detention. Many are without access to lawyers, and none has been charged.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

an amazing photo and story; thanks for sharing.

Di Mackey said...

I loved that some people got out and remembered those who can't speak for themselves. Maybe some are guilty, maybe some are innocent but all should have a fair trial ... democracy and all that.