Looking for 173 people to stand up and be counted!173 people remain at Guantánamo. 173 readers of this message are needed to make a donation before Wednesday – at any level – and stand with this movement fighting to end torture and indefinite detention. |
By Debra Sweet
Protests are planned around the country Tuesday to mark the beginning of the tenth year of the US detention center at Guantánamo, from which, it appears, some men will never leave.
Come to one or many of the events and protests –
Whether or not you can be there in person, DONATE
A detainee who had been there for 9 years, Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed, was forcibly removed to Algeria last week, in spite of ongoing legal efforts to prevent his return. Psychologist Jeff Kaye explains the outrage in Obama’s “Stealth Transfer” Of Guantanamo Prisoner; Algerian Forcibly Repatriated:
The Obama administration has shown a blatant disregard for international treaties and basic human in its second forcible deportation from Guantánamo of an Algerian national in the last six months. On January 6, the administration secretly and forcibly repatriated 48-year-old Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed to Algeria, which he reportedly fled in the 1990s, trying to escape threats from Islamic extremists. In a press release from Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the deportation, CCR noted that “Mr. Mohammed has long been cleared of any connection with terrorism…”
9 years since Rumsfeld announced "the worst of the worst" would be locked away, there are 173 men still behind Guantánamo’s walls, including 90 set for release, most of whom even the Bush regime admitted had done nothing criminal.
173 people STILL sitting in of Guantánamo two years after President Obama said it would close. Now Congress is set to keep it open. Guantánamo is a vivid symbol of a harrowing crime — and not of what happened on 9/11. It crystallizes so much of the torture state’s depravity, the Bush administration’s codification of torture and the Obama adminstration’s moving that agenda forward while forcing the public’s gaze elsewhere.
There are 173 voices and stories not heard by most of the people in whose name they are detained. The government has done a very good job of changing the conversation, of suppressing the truth and reality of these 173 men. World Can’t Wait is committed to re-focusing the lens on the crimes of this government, crimes we know that only the people can stop. We will not be okay with indefinite detention. We will not allow 173 lives to be on hold in the name of “our national security.”
On this ominous anniversary let’s re-commit ourselves to closing Guantánamo & holding those responsible accountable. Let’s listen to the stories of these men, and let’s challenge others to confront this reality and to make our resistance visible. World Can’t Wait is working hard to turn public attention to the fact that despite what you hoped for, Guantánamo is still open. We don’t need silent prayers but public outcry.
We are making the silent and invisible seen and heard through sharing the names and stories of the 173 people still in Guantánamo at events throughout the country and through important civil resistance in D.C. And by bringing author and Guantánamo expert Andy Worthington to the U.S. to show his film Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo, to speak to people at public events, and bring out the truth about torture at Guantánamo to light. This is precious stuff – and we can only do it with your support.
Watch Andy Worthington interviewed on Democracy Now! Friday, Jan. 9th
I’ve been getting interesting queries lately from people who are thinking about what one person can do to help change the political climate and challenge other people to think. Emma B., 19 yrs. old, writes:
Being an American citizen in 2011 I often question among millions of others what we can do to put a positive dent in our country’s misbehavior that is going on right now. How is it that the media gets to focus only on what it wants us to hear or see? Doesn’t that allow our attention to go elsewhere and forget what we should be standing and fighting for? Shouldn’t they keep the public informed of updates of the inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning? This is not an issue the American public should forget so quickly. This is how our goverment is treating a US citizen.
We entrust our money into our country when it gets used for such things as the ammount of money used to operate and run multiple fighter helicopters armed heavly and create an airstrike in Yemen resulting in tragic deaths and the injuring of children. But the goverment never told us. That’s how our goverment is it’s US citizens. What small steps can we take to put a stop to this? If we stopped shopping corprate would that help? If we stopped watching the media all together and did our own research about what’s really going on would they notice? Can we trust the goverment is always going to do things for the citizens best intrest? No, and that’s why we can’t wait any longer to start making small steps.
Emma B. and Debra S. would like to hear from you. What do you think? Email me.
Support World Can’t Wait’s work to Close Guantánamo and Stop the Bush era torture regime!
Donate $173, $1 for every prisoner still sitting in Guantánamo.
Or sustain World Can’t Wait at $17.30 until Guantánamo is closed.
No matter where you are, you can be a part of the movement to close Guantánamo (click for Facebook event)
Stay tuned to the World Can’t Wait Facebook page for live updates from D.C., S.F. & L.A. protests. Change your profile pic, your status, & invite your friends to join you. More info here.
Earmark a donation to support Andy’s visit during the Guantanamo protests of $50 or more, and receive a copy of his book The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison.