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Independence Day vigil

26 August 2005, 11:25AM

Amnesty International Australia (AIA) members and supporters will be holding a vigil outside the Unites States Embassy in Canberra on American Independence Day, Monday 4 July.

Guests attending the US Embassy's Independence Day celebration will be encouraged by AIA members and supporters to ask the host, William A. Stanton, Charge d'Affaires ad interim, to clarify how the US government reconciles its founding principles and ideals with its illegal practices of rendition and detention of terrorist suspects.

Attendees will also be encouraged to ask Mr Stanton to talk about what kind of justice permits an Australian citizen, David Hicks, to be detained by the US government for more than three years, denied his rights and allegedly subjected to physical and psychological torture at Guantánamo Bay.

While the threat of terrorism is a global concern, the right to a fair trial is a universal right and AIA believes that those responsible for acts of terrorism must be held accountable. Without fair trials innocent people are exposed to the risk of unjust punishment.

AIA views the US Military Commission at Guantánamo Bay as unfair and believes detainees should either receive a genuinely fair trial or be released.

4th July is the day Americans celebrate the founding of their republic, the constitution and the bill of rights. The vigil is intended to highlight the discrepancy between the values associated with Independence Day, such as respect for human rights and the rule of law, and the Bush Administration's failure to live up to these values through the denial of prisoner-of-war status to detainees held at Guantánamo Bay.

There can be no security without justice. There can be no justice without a fair trial.

The vigil begins at noon on Monday 4 July at the US Embassy, Moonah Place, Yarralumla. For further details and to arrange photo opportunities
contact Derk Swieringa on 0418 633 315

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