Amnesty International activists march from the White House to the Capitol on the 10 year anniversary of Guantanammo Bay (c) AIUSA
160,000 voices call on President Obama to close Guantanamo
Today we’re delivering to the White House an impressive 164,058 signatures from Amnesty International supporters around the world demanding an end to detentions at Guantanamo Bay.
11 January this year marked exactly 10 years since the first 25 prisoners arrived shackled, hooded and masked at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.
From Washington DC to Tripoli, Chicago, Paris, Dallas, London, and Stockholm, people marked the day by demanding that the US government end illegal detentions at the facility once and for all.
Check out photos, video and news articles: Washington Post story and slideshow; Amnesty International USA’s Facebook photos; Amnesty International France’s Statue of Liberty stunt; Amnesty InternationaI’s Spain’s demonstration in front of the US embassy in Madrid; and Witness Against Torture’s Live Stream.
It’s been three years since both Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, pledged to close Guantanamo while they were on the campaign trail. Yet today, 171 detainees remain there, with a number of them subject to trials by unlawful military commissions.
This year was not just another anniversary. Just a few weeks ago, Obama rang in the new year by signing in the frightening new National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), that paved the way for laws authorising indefinite detention issued by him or any future President.
Tomorrow President Obama will give his annual State of the Union Address. He and other politicians are unlikely to address the state of human rights in the USA - but the people will.
Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to this amazing global effort.
Comments
mthornberry | Posted on 31 January 2012, 12:53PM | Report comment
Free them all! Why is it taking more than three years!
Gerard O'Neill | Posted on 24 January 2012, 09:05PM | Report comment
How many times must great people of history be called upon to be remembered to have just one of them follow through?
Unfortunately, in six thousand years across an entire planet the number is so small that most of them are known by name as well as deed.
Sadly for the world, the majority who are called to take responsibility, fail to achieve what they were placed in this world to do. And even more, when they take the mantle of responsibility mistake it for the hammer of power and use it for evil. Or worse still, allow others to dictate to them what they do.
As a wise man once said, to give up your freedom for security, means you don’t deserve either.
Your nation will continue to rot while the sore is left unattended.
Attend to it.
Chris Sibley | Posted on 24 January 2012, 09:01PM | Report comment
Grow a pair! Shut it down.
Bev McPhee | Posted on 24 January 2012, 09:00PM | Report comment
Please close Guantanamo, and end this blight on western society and those who have been caught up in this most disgraceful situation.
Let’s have some justice for ALL human beings and put an end to all this unlawful, barbaric behaviour.
Free all 171 detainees.