Protests mark Guantanamo six years
![1_237545_1_5.jpg](http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/images/2008/1/11/1_237545_1_5.jpg)
For six years, groups around the world have called for Guantanamo to be shut down [AFP]
Activists around the world have begun a day of protests against Guantanamo Bay, to mark the infamous US detention centre's sixth anniversary. Protests got under way in the Philippines and Australia on Friday, with demonstrators dressed in white masks and orange boiler suits rallying outside the US embassy in Sydney.
Many rights groups have called for the closure of the US camp in Cuba. Irene Khan, the secretary-general of Amnesty International, said in a statement: "Guantanamo is an anomaly that must immediately be corrected and the only way to do so is by closing it down."
Protests are expected in many other countries, including Britain and the US. Nearly 800 people from over 20 different countries have been held in the Guantanamo Bay facility since 2002.
"Vicious terrorists"
The US has suggested it wants to close Guantanamo, but about 275 detainees remain there, including about 60 who US military panels have cleared for release or transfer. Sami al-Haj, an Al Jazeera cameraman, is among those still imprisoned. Zachary Katznelson, senior counsel at Reprieve - an organisation that provides legal assistance to prisoners - said the US approach to those imprisoned in Guantanamo is inconsistent
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