Friends,
Here is an updated list of actions you can take to help end the human rights crisis carried out in our names at Guantanamo.
As you know, the situation there is dire. The military has now admitted that over 100 of the 166 detainees are on hunger strike. (Defense lawyers say all of the detainees are in fact on strike.) A number are being force fed, including Shaker Aamer, who has been cleared to leave since 2007 but remains held without charge after 11 years despite the UK government calling for him to be free with his wife and children in London. He is one of dozens who have been cleared to leave but remain in limbo. We have to do more to end this human rights tragedy.
What are we asking for?
>President Obama must restart transfers of cleared detainees (this can happen under current law) and keep his promise to close the prison
>Congress must repeal and not renew its restrictions on transfer of detainees to the US mainland for trial in federal court or its conditions on transfers to other countries.
How will my action make a difference?
>We use the power of collective action - each of us doing a small part - to convince President Obama and Congress to respect human rights. Each call, letter, email and demonstration is like putting money in the bank - it may not seem like much, but over time our investment grows as we educate, raise awareness and recruit more people to our effort. We will get Guantanamo closed! It took about 15 years to get the infamous Tamms Supermax prison in Illinois closed, but activists got it done!
1) Take Action Online
>E-Mail President Obama: www.amnestyusa.org/aamer
>E-Mail your two Senators and Representative (look them up at senate.gov and house.gov)
>Share this infographic, "Is Death the Only Way Out of Guantanamo?" http://on.fb.me/153SlWE
>Share this blog http://blog.amnestyusa.org/americas/5-ways-president-obama-can-end-the-hunger-strike-close-guantanamo/
>Tweet @BarackObama @WhiteHouse Keep your promise, close #Guantanamo http://on.fb.me/153SlWE
>Tweet your Senators and Representative: I am your constituent & I want you to help close #Guantanamo http://on.fb.me/153SlWE
2) Pick Up the Phone
>Call the White House comment line (202.456.1111), US Southern Command (305.437.1213), the Department of Defense (703.571.3343) and say you want Guantanamo closed and all detainees either fairly tried in federal court, or released.
>Call your two Senators and Representative (Congressional switchboard: 202.224.3121) and say you want them to support closing Guantanamo and vote to end the restrictions and conditions on Guantanamo transfers to the US mainland and other countries.
3) Join the 167 Project = detainee167.tumblr.com
>Show solidarity against human rights violations at Guantanamo by sending a photo of yourself with a sign that says "I am detainee 167" to Detainee167@gmail.com. The photos will be posted at http://detainee167.tumblr.com. This project was created by activist Harry in NYC and will be used to raise awareness online.
4) Send a Letter
>Use the sample letters below to write Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
>Write letters to the editor when you see articles about Guantanamo
5) Join the Lobby Week
>Amnesty local and student groups are meeting with their Senators and Representatives locally this week! It's not too late for your group to join this important effort. Email me for more info.
6) Hit the Streets
>April 29 (TODAY): Vigil in Times Square NYC for Shaker Aamer 4PM - 530PM
>May 17 Day of Action - marking day 100 of the hunger strike - Join events in DC, Chicago & NYC, or hold your own
>June 26 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture - Join events in DC or hold your own
>Join a weekly vigil in NYC or DC - email me for more info or go to www.witnesstorture.org
7) Gather Petitions
>Petitions are included in our Action Guide at www.amnestyusa.org/security/action
8) Organize a Film Screening or Discussion
>I'll send you free DVDs and help you find speakers
>Check out our Action Guide for a list of films and organizing tips at www.amnestyusa.org/security/action
Let Me Know
>If you took action so we can keep a tally!
PS Sample Letters Below
Many thanks for taking action!
Zeke
Zeke Johnson
Amnesty International USA
Director, Security with Human Rights Campaign
T 212.633.4256
C 646.853.9779
www.amnestyusa.org/security
@ZekeJohnsonAi
SAMPLE LETTER 1 (by Amnesty member Gay Gardner)
The Honorable Charles Hagel
Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Hagel:
I am writing as a concerned citizen to express my profound dismay at my government's failure to end the abomination that is the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It is a disgrace that, more than 4 years after President Obama issued an executive order requiring the prison to be closed within a year, not only does it remain open, but it is hard to discern that any effort is being made to close it. To the contrary, I understand that the Department of Defense has requested nearly $200 million to renovate it.
Meanwhile, a widespread hunger strike among the remaining detainees has persisted since February, reflecting the detainees' desperation and seriously threatening their health. There have been credible reports that some of the detainees have been force-fed, in a manner that contravenes medical ethics.
As you know, many of those still detained at Guantanamo were cleared for release or transfer by a panel consisting of representatives of all the major defense and national security agencies. Yet still they are held, with no end in sight to their detention, with no opportunity to know exactly why they are being held, and with no opportunity to challenge the evidence against them.
I have to believe that you, as well as President Obama and other administration officials, agree that this cannot continue. The persistence of Guantanamo is blatantly incompatible with our own Constitution and our obligations under international law, including the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. Consequently, it profoundly undermines the ability of the United States to command the respect of other nations and to influence the behavior of other governments, particularly relating to their compliance with international norms. Over the long term, our acceptance of Guantanamo corrodes the moral fiber of our society. We simply cannot continue to think of ourselves, and represent ourselves, as a society that values fairness, justice, and the rule of law at the same time that we allow a prison to exist at Guantanamo where all of those values are thwarted with each passing day.
I respectfully urge you to do everything in your power to persuade members of Congress and other administration officials to bring this illegal and immoral detention regime to a prompt end. The provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that limit transfers of detainees out of Guantanamo must not be renewed, and the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that Congress enacted in the days after 9/11 must be repealed.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter.
Sincerely
SAMPLE LETTER 2 (by Amnesty member Gay Gardner)
The Honorable Charles Hagel
Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Hagel:
I am very concerned that a widespread hunger strike has been underway since early February by many of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Whatever precipitated the hunger strike, it seems undeniably attributable in large part to the hopelessness of the detainees' predicament. I, as an American, am deeply dismayed at the U.S. government's failure to bring their indefinite detention to a conclusion that is consistent with our obligations under the U.S. Constitution and international law.
It is shameful and embarrassing to every American that the persistence of Guantanamo – more than 4 years after President Obama issued an executive order requiring its closure – has been denounced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other respected and impartial international human rights monitors. How can we hope to influence other governments to respect human rights when our own government continues to indefinitely detain men at Guantanamo without charge or trial, in clear violation of our obligations under the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights standards?
I respectfully urge you to undertake a thorough review of the current situation at Guantanamo and make every effort to reduce tensions between the detainees and the detaining authorities there. I also urge you to ensure that those on hunger strike have access to independent medical care, in conformance with medical ethics, including the principle of informed consent to any treatment and intake of nutrients.
At the same time, there needs to be a new sense of urgency about closing the prison there. It is simply unacceptable – and blatantly at odds with the basic principles of fairness, justice, and the rule of law with which most Americans identify their country – to continue to detain these men without charge or trial. The injustice of this situation is underscored by the fact that so many of the detainees were long ago cleared for release or transfer by an interagency task force. Closing Guantanamo means that the provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that limit transfers of detainees out of Guantanamo must not be renewed, and the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that Congress enacted in the days after 9/11 must be repealed. Please do everything in your power to convince members of Congress and President Obama of the urgency of this task.
Sincerely,
####
Working to protect human rights worldwide
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