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Photographers have been granted access to the world's most notorious prison: Guantanamo Bay. The prison was opened twelve years ago to hold Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners who were captured after 9/11.
A new series of photos reveal daily life in Guantanamo, set on the eastern tip of Cuba. Leased by Theodore Roosevelt for USD $2,000 in 1903, a U.S. naval base has been established at this location, which has become famously known for its torture of all inmates held in charge or trial.
Guantanamo is allegedly one of the best real estate deals in the history of the U.S. and has cost almost $4000 a year. But some of the photos depict a darker side to this slice of U.S. history.
Photos juxtapose Camp X-Ray, where inmates where bound and gagged on the floor, with images that portray the facility as a working military base and prison.
In the images inmates wear bright orange uniforms contrasting the grim prison background. Other images show the two groups of inmates, the compliant and non compliant ones, who live in different camps.
Since the detention center opened in 2002 more than 779 prisoners have been housed there, many of them tortured by special CIA agents trained in the technique. Nine of current inmates have been charged with crimes or convicted and 24 are considered eligible for prosecution, where 86 have been cleared for transfer or release. 47 are seen as too dangerous to release but not facing prosecution.
Although President Obama promised to close the base, it has remained open.
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