[JURIST] A group of 35 members of anti-war activism organization Witness Against Torture [advocacy website] appeared in a DC Superior Court Tuesday. The 35 were arrested at a protest [JURIST report] in front of the US Supreme Court in January, where they were demonstrating for the closure of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive], and were indicted on charges of violating an ordinance barring demonstrations on court grounds. Prosecutors had offered to drop the charges, but the protesters have insisted on appearing in court. The Washington Post has more.

At their court appearance, protesters wore orange jumpsuits similar to the ones worn by Guantanamo detainees and some identified themselves using the names of detainees as a way to "symbolically grant the Guantanamo prisoners their day in court" [advocacy press release]. The January 11 protest took place on the sixth anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba.