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AIUSA: Speak Out Against Five Years of Lawlessness

On January 11, 2002, the US transferred the first detainees to the US Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Five years later, despite widespread international condemnation, hundreds of people of more than 30 nationalities remain there. We will mark Thursday, January 11, 2007 as a day to show our opposition to the prolonged indefinite and arbitrary detention of those held at the prison facilities in Guantánamo Bay.

There are lots of ways you can get involved. We are asking individuals and groups to plan a vigil or rally at a highly visible location such as in front of your local or federal courthouse, a town square or college campus to educate the public, gather signatures on the America I Believe In pledge, and demand that the US government close the facilities in Guantánamo Bay. Already, we know that groups in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco are mobilizing to protest the harsh conditions of confinement, lack of due process and indefinite detentions.

To make things easy, we have provided you with a guide (PDF) for planning your events. The Close Guantánamo Action Guide includes guidelines for event planning, fact sheets, a sample flyer and actions you can use to mark five years of unlawful detentions.

In addition to events all across the country and around the world, we will hold a press conference and rally in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC demanding access to justice and human dignity for all.

Don’t have time to rally or attend a vigil? Then sign the America I Believe In pledge and write a letter to the editor. The voice of human rights activists in local media is critical to building a movement opposed to the conditions at Guantánamo Bay. Find out how to write your letter so that there’s a better chance of having it published.

Visit our Denounce Torture page to stay connected to upcoming actions and events. Because the America we believe in would close Guantánamo Bay.

Please make sure to let us know if you are planning an event as it will assist us in keeping track of all the amazing events and ensure that our message to Close Guantanamo are heard by many. Thank you for your continued participation!

Sincerely,

Suha Dabbouseh
Project Manager
Denounce Torture Initiative

P.S. Amnesty International USA will be featured on Gather.com's politics page, and will be hosting a discussion on Guantanamo Bay. Join this conversation, post your questions, and Advocacy Director Jumana Musa will respond on January 11th.

posted by Annamarie at 8:39 PM