November, 30 2010, 02:44pm EDT
Call to Action - Join Us January 11th, 2011 - No Torture, No Gitmo, No Bagram, No More
WASHINGTON
This January 11, the prison at Guantanamo will enter its 10th year
of operation. The prison is both a site and symbol of a legacy that
includes rendition, extralegal detention, and torture. This legacy
endures, despite the promise of President Obama to close Guantanamo and
break with Bush-era policies. With President Obama's continued betrayal
of his promise and with the Republican gains in Congress, the nightmare
draws closer: that the prison at Guantanamo will become permanent.
We can't let this happen! We demand that Guantanamo be closed
immediately and that those who designed and carried out torture policies
be held to account.
On January 11, 2011 we will gather at the White House
for an 11am press conference with a coalition of human rights and
grassroots groups and then proceed in a "prisoner procession" to the
Department of Justice, where we will engage in nonviolent direct action.
There are 174 men still imprisoned at Guantanamo, and we hope to have
at least that many people as part of our procession (sign up here). From January 11-22, we will remain in DC and fast, (sign up here)
holding daily vigils and demonstrations throughout Washington, haunting
the sites of power with the specter of Guantanamo and the stories of
the men who remain there.
We invite you to come to Washington and participate, or else join or plan an event in your own community.
January 11 - January 22, 2010
Daily Vigil and Fast for Justice
- SIGN-UP or ENDORSE Witness Against Torture's January 2011 activities
- RSVP for Jan 11th Event on Facebook
- SIGN-ON organizationally or individually to a letter that will be used in our lobbying, outreach, and education efforts
- READ about Witness Against Torture's recent interactions with the Department of Justice
- DOWNLOAD a flier for the fast
Additional information will be posted in the coming weeks at www.witnesstorture.org. You can also direct questions to fast@witnesstorture.org.
Trapped in Guantanamo
Read Frida Berrigan's article in Foreign Policy in Focus
about Djamel Ameziane, a man who has been trapped in Guantanamo since
February 2002, making him one of the earliest prisoners held at the
notorious facility.
WHO WE ARE
In December 2005, Witness Against Torture drew international attention
after it walked to Guantanamo to visit the prisoners. Since its return,
the group has organized vigils, marches, nonviolent direct actions, and
educational events to expose and decry the administration's lawlessness,
build awareness about torture and indefinite detention, and forge human
ties with the prisoners at Guantanamo and their families. Last January
Witness Against Torture organized the Fast and Vigil to Close Guantanamo with the support of Center for Constitutional Rights, No More Guantanamos, Pax Christi USA, School of the Americas Watch, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International, United for Peace and Justice, the War Resisters League, World Can't Wait and many others.
SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN
- Buy a Witness Against Torture T-Shirt or Book.
- Donate online or send a check made out to "Witness Against Torture" to Mary House Catholic Worker, 55 E. Third Street, New York, NY 10003.
- Post your local community's anti-torture event to our calendar.
- Spread the word! Forward this e-mail, learn more, or put a button on your website.
- FACEBOOK: Join our cause and group.
Witness Against Torture is a grassroots movement that came into being in December 2005 when 24 activists walked to Guantanamo to visit the prisoners and condemn torture policies. Since then, it has engaged in public education, community outreach, and non-violent direct action. For the first 100 days of the Obama administration, the group held a daily vigil at the White House, encouraging the new President to uphold his commitments to shut down Guantanamo.
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