Guantanamo Bay, 10 years on

Protests held worldwide demanding an end to the U.S. detention centre.

Members of the organization Witness Against Torture wear orange prison jump suits with handcuffs and a hood over their heads during a demonstration urging the government to close down Guantanamo Bay outside the White House January 11, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Astrid Riecken/Getty Images)

Jan 11 marks 10 years since the opening of the U.S. military’s detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Established following 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the facility has become a symbol of America’s so-called “war on terror.”

Close to 800 men have been detained since the first 20 prisoners arrived in January 2002, and 171 remain. Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have been highly critical of U.S. government’s policy of indefinite detentions without charge or trial.

During the 2008 U.S. elections, President Barack Obama pledged to close the facility, also known as Gitmo.

Civil liberties groups staged demonstrations demanding an end to the detention centre, and many voiced their views online using the hashtags #Guantanamo, #Gitmo and #CloseGitmo.

These are some highlights of the conversation around the web: