Fast and Vigil for Justice - Final Report
From January 11 - January 22, over one hundred and fifty people spent the last 12 days fasting, vigiling, lobbying and then, finally, engaging in civil disobedience to call for a closure of Guantanamo and an end to all torture. Below is a short summary of our daily activities and links to some reflections. Be sure to poke around witnesstorture.org for a bounty of videos, photos, press clippings and more. more...
Remembering Suicides in the Rotunda [by Jerica Arents]
In the absence of an intact corpse, families often gather for memorial services rather than funerals. The families of Salah Ahmed Al-Salami, Mani Shaman Al-Utaybi, and Yasser Talal Al-Zahrani – three Guantánamo prisoners whose earlier purported suicides were declared “asymmetrical warfare” by the military officials at Guantanamo – received Salah’s, Mani’s and Yasser’s broken and lifeless bodies. more...
At 78 years, lifelong protester racks up convictions, marches on [Washington Post]
It's a familiar scene for Eve Tetaz. She sits in the cold, damp holding cell, crammed together with other women. Some, like her, were arrested for protesting. Others are locked up for drugs, assault or prostitution. more...
42 Arrested at U.S. Capitol in Day of Action to Denounce Obama’s Broken Promises on Guantanamo
Washington, DC - In a dramatic protest, 42 activists with Witness Against Torture were arrested this afternoon at the U.S. Capitol. Most of the arrestees had been fasting since January 11th.
The protest, which comes on the eve of the since-voided deadline President Obama had set for closing the prison camp at Guantanamo, was part of nationwide set of actions today that included dozens of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans lobbying Congress; a campaign by human rights organizations - with the support of the rock superband, Coldplay - to flood Twitter with the "CloseGitmo" message; and, a press conference held by retired Generals at the National Press Club. more...
Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely [Washington Post]
A Justice Department-led task force has concluded that nearly 50 of the 196 detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be held indefinitely without trial under the laws of war, according to Obama administration officials. more...
PROMISES, PROMISES: Gitmo closing deadline missed [AP]
As President Barack Obama neared his self-imposed deadline to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, the Justice Department offices of the terrorist detention task force were bustling — not with lawyers but construction workers tearing apart the walls, ripping out any trace of the secretive work, though Obama's goal is still far off. more...
A Reflection on Salah, Mani and Yasser
Witness Against Torture Reflects on “The Guantánamo ‘Suicides’: A Camp Delta Sergeant Blows the Whistle,” by Scott Horton (Harper Magazine's March 2010 cover story)
We learned of the deaths of Salah Ahmed Al-Salami, Mani Shaman Al-Utaybi and Yasser Talal Al-Zahrani at Guantanamo as we prepared for a big birthday celebration for Daniel Berrigan’s 85th in New York City. It was June 9, 2006. We were saddened and outraged, but not really surprised. more...
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- Remembering Suicides in the Rotunda [by Jerica Arents]
- Fast and Vigil for Justice - Final Report
- Day 12: Fast and Vigil for Justice
- Inside the Capitol Rotunda (Jan 21)
- Day 11: Fast and Vigil for Justice
- Day 10: Fast and Vigil for Justice
- Courage, Muslim Brother, You Do Not Walk Alone
- Day 9: Fast and Vigil for Justice
- Day 8: Fast and Vigil for Justice
- A Reflection on Salah, Mani and Yasser













