On May 8 in Miami, Florida, Amnesty International will launch its national tour of a life-size Guantanamo prison cell replica.

To read about the harsh conditions at Guantanamo Bay is one thing; to experience them is another. People will be able to enter the cell, experience the isolation and record a video message to President Bush in order to convey their concerns and call for Guantanamo to be closed.

Guantanamo Bay represents a wide array of human rights violations, including: torture, extraordinary rendition, arbitrary (and therefore illegal) detention, denial of fair trials and the right to challenge detainment (habeas corpus). In the process, Guantanamo Bay deprives individuals of their humanity by subjecting them to cruel and degrading punishment.

The Cell serves to underscore the plight of Guantanamo detainees (270 remain there at present) by offering people in the United States a glimpse into their world. Many detainees have been held in a cell such as this one without charge or a trial for more than 6 years. Words cannot describe that which the Cell conveys – a profound sense of loss and unmitigated despair.

Amnesty International Australia (AIA) first launched the Cell in Sydney and we have no doubt that it will have as great an impact in the United States as it did here at home. Without AIA members’ and the public’s help and support, the Cell would never have become the international success it is today. It is our sincere hope that through collective action, Guantanamo Bay will soon be closed permanently.

Find out more

• Join our call for detainees to be charged and given fair trials or released by tearing down a pixel of Guantanamo.
• Watch a panoramic photo from inside the cell to get an idea of what it's like.
• Check out more photos of the cell on Flickr
• Visit the Amnesty International USA website

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• What are these?

Efforts to combat terrorism do not need to come at the cost of human rights. A secure community is one where human rights are respected. Yet the 'war on terror' has been used by the US and its allies as an excuse to condone torture.

© David Herthnek.

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