Tuesday January 11 4:00 – 6:00 pm
New York Public Library steps, 5th Avenue @ 41st Street
Facebook event: organizations invited to sign on.
Initiated by World Can’t Wait. Co-sponsored by War Criminals Watch, NYC War Resisters League, Witness Against Torture, NYC-DSA Anti-War Working, Brooklyn for Peace, Granny Peace Brigade NYC and Peace Action New York State Group. (list in formation).
Confirmed Speakers: Guantanamo attorney Nancy Hollander; Seth Farber, attorney & writer; Debra Sweet for World Can’t Wait; Jeremy Varon, Activist & Professor of History.
U.S. actions at this camp are war crimes in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law.
On Tuesday January 11, the heinous – and some felt unthinkable – 20th anniversary will leave 39 men, 13 of whom have been approved for release, some for many years, still imprisoned. Another 14 are “forever” prisoners, without charge or path to trial. Only 12 have charges out of 779 men imprisoned. Nine of those died, three of suspicious “suicides.”
List of additional events happening:
Guantanamo 20 Years On
Saturday, Janurary 8, 2022 1:30pm EST / 6:30pm UK Time
Free online event host by CAGE: Click Here to Register.
In January 2002, the US government opened Guantánamo Bay camp to imprison Muslim men without charge or trial. The U.S. military has officially acknowledged holding 779 prisoners in the camp, aged between 13 and 87. Guantanamo has been called “the gulag of our times”, a “stain on US history”, and an “island outside the law”. To this day, Guantanamo is still open, and remains a symbol of torture, kidnap and indefinite unjust imprisonment. Since 2003, CAGE has conducted in-depth interviews with prisoners, families and lawyers, carried out ground-breaking research and advocated for redress in mainstream media, governments and international organisations. To mark the 20th anniversary of Guantanamo’s opening, we will hold a unique event online with some very special guests, and invite you to what is set to be one of the largest gathering of former Guantanamo prisoners. Join men who have not only survived Guantanamo, but also continue to embody faith and resilience.
In this event, you will hear about:
- Unique experiences and stories from within Guantanamo
- The first survivor-led 8-point plan to close Guantanamo
- CAGE’s new website “Humans of Guantanamo”
A conversation between Mansoor Adayfi and James Yee
What: Remembering Guantanamo: Reflections from a Former Muslim Prisoner & the Former Muslim Chaplain, moderated by Dr. Maha Hilal
When: Sunday January 9 at 4 pm ET, 10 pm Serbia time.
Mansoor Adayfi was a prisoner in Guantanamo when U.S. Army Captain James Yee, one of the first Muslim chaplains, became a victim of the same Islamophobia the prisoners were subjected to. Imprisoned on unsubstantiated charges of terrorism, James ultimately received an honorable discharge. James only recently learned of the men’s solidarity with him, when Mansoor sent him the support letter written in 2004 (which was never mailed by the military, but was returned to Mansoor when he was transferred to Serbia). This promises to be a powerful, moving event.
Link to register: Adayfi/Yee Conversation
WAT Stay-at-home Fast for Justice with two Zoom gatherings
When: We will fast from Friday January 7 through Monday Jan 10. We’ll meet by Zoom on Friday and on Monday. To join us, email witnesstorture@gmail.com with subject line “Fast Jan 2022” to get more information and the Zoom link.
What: We have WAT stalwarts in our midst who have fasted every Friday for years, in a Ramadan-style fast, not eating from before sundown until after sunset. However, for most of us this will be a liquids-only fast. Choose what’s best for you, in this year when we are each fasting alone. (And this is a WAT fast: you don’t have to fast to join us!)
Where will we be on January 11? We’ll be all over the place!
Yes! The 20th year of the War on Terror demands a reckoning. On January 11, Witness Against Torture will stand with the 39 Muslim men still in locked in Guantanamo, and we’ll stand from coast to coast (Click here or see events listed below). Stalwarts from Maine to Orcas Island off the Washington coast will witness in orange jump suits in their communities.
- Send us information NOW about YOUR local action (with or without jump suits!) to witnesstorture@gmail.com (subject line: Jan 11 Event in [your town]) and we’ll post it.
- Send us photos during your event (witnesstorture@gmailcom) and we’ll post them. On J11, follow us on social media for photos of local actions around the country.
- And wherever you are, please be vaccinated and wear a mask.
The White House in Washington DC
What: Close Guantanamo Rally to Mark 20 Years
Who: Witness Against Torture (co-sponsored by many more)
When: Tuesday January 11 noon to 1 pm ET (gather at 11:30)
Where: In front of the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. Bring your orange jump suit and hood; we’ll have more. Omicron is currently spiking in DC, so we are not encouraging folks to come from out-of-town. And we ask all who come to be vaccinated and wear a mask. We’ll livestream the rally for everyone who can’t be there. We’ve cancelled our recent plans to gather afterwards in the spacious NY Ave Presbyterian Church sanctuary (to watch the afternoon virtual vigils online).
Augusta, Maine
What: Vigil and walk to mark the 20th year since the opening of the Guantánamo Bay
Who: Pax Christi Maine
When: Tuesday, January 11 at noon ET
Where: We will vigil in front of the Augusta National Guard Armory, at the intersection of Route 202 and Armory Street, and then process to the Capitol.
Tiffin, Ohio
What: Close Guantanamo Rally: 20 years – Still No Justice
Who: Tiffin Area Pax Christi
When: Friday, January 7 from 3 to 4 pm ET
Where: Seneca County Courthouse, 103 E. Market St., Tiffin, OH 44883
Los Angeles, CA (2 events)
1. What: Annual Close Guantanamo Now Rally. In-person & streamed. Speakers: Mohammad Tajsar, ACLU; Jim Lafferty, National Lawyers Guild; Carley Towne, Code Pink; Shane Que Hew, Out Against War; Shakeel Syed, American Muslims for Palestine; Estee Chandler, Jewish Voice for Peace.
Who: Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP), co-sponsored by WAT
When: Tuesday January 11 at noon PT
Where: Downtown Los Angeles Federal Building, 300 N. Los Angeles St. 90012 (in front)
2. What: Online panel discussion featuring film maker Philippe Diaz, Guantanamo Bar member Michael Rapkin, and Marcy Winograd of Code Pink
When: Tuesday Jan 11 at 5 pm PT
Raleigh, North Carolina
What: Close Guantanamo Vigil to commemorate 20 years since the opening of Guantánamo prison
Who: North Carolina Stop Torture Now
When: Tuesday, January 11 from 1 to 2 pm ET
Where: The Federal Building at New Bern Avenue and Person St in Raleigh. Please bring a mask to wear. If you have a black hood, that’s even better. Orange jumpsuits are also very welcome. Please come and bring family and friends.
Orcas Island, Washington
What: Activists in a remote town on Orcas Island, a stones-throw from Canada, will witness in orange jump suits against the injustice of Guantanamo. Watch the WAT Facebook page on J11 for photos of this and other local actions around the country!
When: Tuesday, January 11
Where: Eastsound WA, on the roadside, in synch with ferry arrival traffic, or at the main street intersection.
20th Anniversary 2 pm Virtual Rally
What: Disrupt, Confront, and Close Guantánamo This virtual rally is a call for all of us to disrupt and confront the status quo that has kept Guantánamo open and to imagine and chart a path toward finally ending and abolishing the prison and all that it represents.
Who: WAT, CCR
When: Tuesday, January 11, at 2 pm ET
National Religious Campaign Against Torture Webinar
What: Guantanamo 20 Years on: A Religious Perspective
Hosted by The Episcopal Church and National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Speakers: Dr. Shaun Casey, Georgetown University; The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate, Episcopal Church; Matt Hawthorne, NRCAT
When: Tuesday, January 11, 3 pm ET
New York City
What: In-person rally Close Guantanamo Now! 20 Years Too Long!
Who: Organized by The World Can’t Wait, co-sponsored by WAT
When: Tuesday January 11, from 4 to 6 pm ET
Where: New York Public Library steps, 5th Avenue @ 41st Street
And many more Close Guantanamo events in January
Reparations Now and Onwards: Voices of Survivors, Advocates, and Next Steps
What: Online panel on Guantanamo as an extra-legal prison. The panel observes 20 years of Guantánamo as an extra-legal prison and the 7 years since the passage of the Jon Burge reparations ordinance. Survivors of Chicago police torture have received reparations in Chicago; reparations for Guantanamo torture survivors will be discussed.
Who: DePaul Art Museum with The Tea Project
When: Saturday, January 8 from 11 am to 1 pm CST
Exhibition at DePaul Art Museum
What: Tea, Torture, & Reparations/Chicago to Guantanamo The exhibition highlights connections between policing and incarceration in Chicago and the human rights violations of the “Global War on Terror.” It celebrates the struggle for survival, justice, and reparations by imprisoned people, activists, and artists. Exhibition catalogue will include testimony from CCR and photos from WAT events.
When: March 10–August 7, 2022
CAGE: International Witness Campaign (IWC)
What: IWC has gathered partners around the globe to commemorate 2 decades of the War on Terror and remember the millions of people affected across the globe, with four demands and in-person and online events around the world.
When: Through January 11, 2022
Amnesty International Multiple Educational and Action Events
What: Outreach to members, especially youth: Call-in to White House (Members will be sent link to leave message); Poster contest for youth; Quiz for young people
When: Tuesday January 11, 2022
DC Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Clarification of Thought
What: The Crime of Guantanamo: Session by Attorney Mark Maher, who works with Reprieve, is counsel to 6 men in Guantanamo Prison, and worked on Reprieve US’s death penalty casework.
When: Friday, January 7 at 7:30 pm ET
Where: 503 Rock Creek Church Rd NW, Washington DC 20010, 202 882 9649
European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) Webinar
What: Rupture and Reckoning: 20 years of Guantánamo Anthology and Digital Art Exhibition Launch
Panelists: Mohamedou Ould Slahi, former Guantánamo detainee; Katherine Gallagher, CCR; Wolfgang Kaleck, ECCHR. ECCHR will be launching a digital art exhibition and anthology, which includes contributions from current and former detainees, lawyers, advocates, and artists.
When: Tuesday January 11, 11 am to 1 pm ET
Center for Constitutional Rights Webinar
What: Guantánamo, Off the Record: 20 Years in the Fight
Speakers: Aliya Hussain, Advocacy Program Manager; Katherine Gallagher, Omar Farah, and Wells Dixon, Senior Staff Attorneys; Moderated by Vincent Warren, Executive Director. Candid reflections on two decades of work: Lawyers and advocates will share stories that didn’t always make the headlines, but that helped define the ongoing struggle to close the forever prison.
When: Wednesday, January 12, from 3 to 4:30 pm ET
A conversation between Mansoor Adayfi and James Yee
What: Remembering Guantanamo: Reflections from a Former Muslim Prisoner & the Former Muslim Chaplain, moderated by Dr. Maha Hilal
When: Sunday January 9 at 4 pm ET, 10 pm Serbia time.
Mansoor Adayfi was a prisoner in Guantanamo when U.S. Army Captain James Yee, one of the first Muslim chaplains, became a victim of the same Islamophobia the prisoners were subjected to. Imprisoned on unsubstantiated charges of terrorism, James ultimately received an honorable discharge. James only recently learned of the men’s solidarity with him, when Mansoor sent him the support letter written in 2004 (which was never mailed by the military, but was returned to Mansoor when he was transferred to Serbia). This promises to be a powerful, moving event.
Link to register: Adayfi/Yee Conversation