More than 150 people are on a liquid-only fast to demand the closure of the United States-run prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. The fast also demands an end to the practice of torture and for all detainees held by the US to be granted full protection under US law.
The fast began on January 11 to coincide with the eight-year anniversary of the camp, which has been heavily criticised for human rights abuses committed against detainees held there without trial.
It will continue until January 22, which marks exactly one year since US President Barack Obama promised to close the camp within a year.
The fast has been organised by the US-based organisation Witness Against Torture. As part of the protest, a vigil is being held outside the White House in Washington for the duration of the fast.
Witnesstorture.org reported on January 11 that the first day of the fast was marked by 100 people protesting in front of the White House. Many dressed in orange jumpsuits and wore black hoods.
Aloysia Brookes, an Australian participant in the fast, told Green Left Weekly: "I refuse to stand back and silently observe the destruction of the human spirit or the needless destruction of human life.
"I stand in solidarity with the men, women and children who are the victims of US torture, illegal imprisonment and continued injustice.
"The painful scars left from the act of torture do not disappear the day the torture stops; it stains the spirit for the rest of the survivor's days. We cannot let this happen for one day longer, in our name, or the name of 'freedom and democracy'."
Brookes said she "remained hopeful that Obama's decisions and actions will be guided by principles of peace and justice".
[For more information, visit www.witnesstorture.org.]