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Guantánamo Protesters Arrested on Capitol Steps

Twenty-eight people protesting President Barack Obama’s “broken promise— to close detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, were arrested at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday for unlawful assembly on the Capitol steps, according to the Capitol Police.As they congregated on the Capitol’s east steps, the protesters were wearing orange prison jumpsuits and black hoods similar to those worn by Guantánamo detainees. They wielded a large black banner reading “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied— and handed out flyers prominently displaying the words “Close Guantanamo.— Protesting on the steps is prohibited, according to police.The protesters are members of the group Witness Against Torture and are engaged in a 12-day liquid-only fast slated to run through Friday, according to the flyers.The group’s Web site says that today’s Capitol demonstration was part of “A Day of Action to Close Guantanamo and Bagram and End Torture,— which included a silent march that started at about 10 a.m. at the White House and proceeded to the Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol.The group’s Flickr page shows photos of members walking solemnly through the Hart Senate Office Building today as part of a “ghost walk.— The page also shows them standing in front of the White House and the Capitol.Sixty-one protesters from the same group were arrested for protesting in front of the White House last April, according to news reports.Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said the group will be processed and misdemeanor citations will be issued on an individual basis.

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