January 11, 2014 is the 12th anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo.
The Bush regime filled the off-shore prison at Guantanamo Bay by rendering men seized from around the globe into indefinite captivity, employing and legally justifying a program of torture they called “enhanced interrogation.”
Even Bush’s team slowly began to release hundreds of prisoners for whom no case could be fabricated to justify prison. When Barack Obama was elected, he quickly promised to close it within a year… five years ago. It’s still open, with new infrastructure added, and more personnel than ever. Most people in the U.S. have no idea there are still 82 prisoners there who were cleared for release years ago; 45 who the President says will never be charged or released; and “military commissions” trials are designed to cover the torture inflicted on the prisoners, depriving of them rights the U.S. has claimed to cherish.
Close Guantanamo Now Protest at the White House January 11th at 12pm
Sponsoring Organizations: Amnesty International, Blue Lantern Project, Center for Constitutional Rights, CloseGuantanamo.org, CODEPINK: Women For Peace, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, The World Can’t Wait, Witness Against Torture
Miami protest: Close Guantanamo Bay Now! January 11th at 2pm
At SOUTHCOM; Sponsored by People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), CODEPINK – Miami, World Can’t Wait, Veterans for Peace – Miami, Amnesty International – Chapter 248, Miami for Peace and Justice, Progressive Democrats of America – Miami, Green Party- Broward and Miami-Dade, Students for Justice in Palestine at FAU
Santa Monica: Close Guantanamo Now January 11th at 3pm
Endorsers/Co-Sponsors/Sponsors: Addicted to War * American Civil Liberties Union–So CA * Amnesty International USA * Anti-Racist Action-LA * Bill of Rights Defense Committee * Café Intifada * Center for Constitutional Rights * CODEPINK LA * Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) * ImaginAction * LA Laborfest * LA No More Jails * LA-Palestine Labor Solidarity Committee * LA Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (LARRCAT) * Law Offices of Michael S. Rapkin * MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles * Muslim Public Affairs Committee * National Lawyers Guild – LA * National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) * Office of the Americas * Out Against War * Pax Christi–LA & So CA * The Peace Center of United University Church * Program for Torture Victims–LA * Revolution Books * Shura Council of So CA * School of the Americas Watch–LA * Spiritual Youth for Justice and Peace * St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care * Topanga Peace Alliance * The WE Project * World Can’t Wait -LA
Chicago: 12 Years Too Many! Protest January 10th at 4:30pm
Organized by the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo (World Can’t Wait Chicago, Witness Against Torture, White Rose Catholic Worker, Illinois Coalition Against Torture, Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban Five) Endorsed by: 8th Day Center for Justice, Amnesty International, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, Vets for Peace Chicago, Neighbors for Peace, Chicago Cuba Coalition. Our witness is most powerful with you!
Chicago: Guantanamo – 12 Years Too Many! January 11th at 6:30pm
We will begin the evening with visual art projects related to the movement to close Guantanamo Bay Prison and end torture and indefinite detention(more details to come soon!). At 7:00 pm we present discussion with 3 panelist on the current legal and political situation at Guantanamo Bay, followed by Q&A: Candace Gorman, a U.S. attorney for 2 men detained at Guantanamo (one has been released, the other remains in prison), Mario Venegas, an activist and torture survivor from Chile, and Dr. Antonio Martinez from the Institute for Survivors of Torture and Human Rights Abuses and a co-founder of the Marjorie Kovler Center here in Chicago.
London (UK): 12 Years Detained – Close Guantanamo NOW! 2-4pm
Organized by the London Against Guantanamo Campaign
Honolulu: Shut Down Guantanamo NOW! – Waikiki 6-7:30pm
Organized by World Can’t Wait Hawai’i
Why, as Obama says the “war on terror” is winding down, will this government not close Guantanamo? And what is our responsibility to see that it does?