Guantanamo Bay Celebrates 10 Years

WASHINGTON – America’s anti-terrorist jail in Cuba is celebrating its 10 years anniversary since it housed its first prisoner.

Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. marine base and prison, was opened after the September 11 2001 attack on the twin towers in New York.

On January 11 2002, the first 20 suspected terrorists who were captured in Afghanistan, were brought to the prison. Afterwards hundreds more accused terrorists from around the world were jailed at Guantanamo Bay.

Guantanamo Bay has always been shrouded in stories of prisoners being mistreated and even tortured.

Several former detainees have come forth saying they were forced to use drugs, sexually embarrassed and tortured.

One torture practice that allegedly took place at the Cuban based prison is ‘waterboarding’, an interrogation technique that makes the prisoner feel like drowning.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, was subjected 183 times to waterboarding.

Allegedly Guatanamo Bay also housed under aged prisoners.

In July 2002, 15 year old Omar Ahmed Khadr was jailed in Cuba and spent the following eight years at the prison until he was finally condemned by a special military commission to 40 years behind bars for war crimes.

Khadr however was one of the few prisoners fortunate enough to have a trial. Most of the inmates at Guatanamo Bay were allegedly never officially charged and thus never had a trial.

At present, the notorious prison still houses just under 200 inmates. Some of them have been there for almost 10 years already and their fate in uncertain.

President Barack Obama had promised during his 2008 election campaign that he would close Guantanamo Bay in 2009. Once elected, Obama commanded that the prison would be shutdown within one year.

But 3 years after the Chief’s orders, the detention center is still operational.

On Monday the White House reported that Mr. Obama still wants to shut down the notorious prison.

READ:
 Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Law

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