Afghans Demand Guantanamo Bay Shutdown

Hundreds of Afghans protested in Kabul Saturday to demand the United States close its military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

“Guantanamo is a black spot on humanity's face,” protesters chanted.

Some of the demonstrators wore orange prison-style uniforms, while others carried a banner reading, “close Guantanamo.”

One of the protesters, former Guantanamo detainee Sharifullah Sherzada described conditions in the prison as “barbaric.”

“Prisoners would be beaten up, tortured and bitten by dogs and other tactics which I cannot even say in public,” Sherzada told Pajhwok, an Afghan independent news agency. The news outlet reported Sherzada said he had no links with the Taliban or al-Qaida.

Another protester, Omar Khan, said his son was detained by U.S. forces without explanation almost a decade ago.

“Our demand is that the prison should be closed,” he told Pajhwok.

OPINION: Close Guantanamo and Return It to Cuba

Guantanamo Bay's controversial detention camp was opened in 2002, initially as a site to allegedly hold al-Qaida and Taliban detainees. However, many of those detained had no connection to either group, and the detention camp has been widely condemned internationally by human rights and activist groups.

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