Two Arrested After Guantanamo Torture Protest Near Cheney's House

The peaceful demonstration took place near the house of former US Vice President Dick Cheney in Virginia. Two protesters were arrested after approaching the fenced property of the politician, who defended harsh interrogation practices at Guantanamo Bay.

MOSCOW, January 11 (Sputnik) — Two peace activists were arrested in Virginia, US on trespassing charges after having illegally crossed the fenced property of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who supported harsh interrogation measures at Guantanamo Bay, CNN reported on Sunday.

"Police asked them to leave or face trespassing charges," the US police representative Roger Henriquez said. "Two refused to leave the premises."

The peaceful demonstration took place with regard to the recent US Senate torture report that revealed harsh interrogation methods and cruel torture techniques used by CIA officers against  detainees at Guantanamo Bay. According to the report, inmates were subject to waterboarding, sleep deprivation and death threats, which led to serious psychological problems such as “hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation.”

About 20 activists associated with ‘Code Pink’ and ‘Witness Against Torture’ anti-war groups participated in the demonstration, dressed in orange prison jumpsuits similar to those worn by detainees at the U.S. military prison. The demonstrators approached Cheney’s house before police arrived and asked them to leave. Two activists said they would not leave and were arrested on trespassing charges, Henriquez said, cited by Reuters.

However, one of the Code Pink leaders, Medea Benjamin refuted the police statement. “The police asked us to move to the street, so we did. And they arbitrarily arrested two of us," he told CNN.

The two activists, identified as Tighe Barry, 57, and Eve Tetaz, 83, are reportedly associated with ‘Code Pink’ and ‘Witness Against Torture’ anti-war groups. The first group deals with such issues as gun control and social justice, while the second one calls on the US authorities to close Guantanamo Bay prison and stop inhuman torture practices against its prisoners.