Peace Action joins Amnesty International, the ACLU & others to mark the 6th year of Guantanamo Prison

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(Washington, DC – Nationally) Today, January 11, marks the 6th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay Prison.  Activists from all over the world are coming together to call for the facility to be immediately closed, the detained to be granted their right of Habeas Corpus, and the war crimes committed in the illegal prison to be tried in an international court.

The keystone event is happening in Washington, DC where protesters from the Student Peace Action Network, donning orange jumpsuits, will demonstrate water-boarding torture techniques and Peace Action protesters will symbolically bury the right to Habeas Corpus. 

Other events, from London to North Carolina, are also underway.  Peace Action Affiliates will focus their efforts on community education as well as protest.  On the North Shore they organized a screening of the critically acclaimed film:  Meeting Resistance by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham.  Dallas Peace Action is focusing their events on freedom and justice in the Presidents former backyard. 

Since Guantanamo first opened Peace Action has been a vocal opponent to both it and the people who conceived it.  As the largest grassroots peace & disarmament organization, representing the diverse views of our nation, we called for the resignation of Alberto Gonzales and an investigation into U.S. secret prisons, like Guantanamo, worldwide.  Since then Gonzales and others have resigned but the illegal prisons remain.  Peace Action continues to stand in opposition to this oppressive Administration.

“Guantanamo symbolizes the worst hypocrisy of our nation” Says Peace Action Executive Director Kevin Martin. “While claiming to push for democracy and freedom abroad the administration is violating international laws and American values.”

Peace Action & Peace Action Education Fund, with 180,000 supporters and over 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons and promote government spending priorities that support human needs. We believe that war is not a suitable reaction to conflict and we are driven by our devotion to humanity to promote peace and justice above the status quo.

Peace Action affiliates will be organizing for events around in the following locations:

Dallas Peace Center

Peace Action Denten (TX)

KC Peaceworks  

North Carolina Peace Action

Maine Peace Action

PeaceAction Montgomery, MD

Massachusetts Peace Action

New Jersey Peace Action

Upper Hudson PA (Albany, Schenectady Neighbors for Peace, Saratoga Peace Alliance, Guilderland Neighbors for Peace)

To find an event near you or to get more information go to www.witnesstorture.org

 

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CONTACT:

Barbra J. Bearden

Communication Associate,

Peace Action National

301.565.4050 ext. 330
bbearden@peace-action.org
 

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Showing 6 comments
  • cooter
    Reply

    Off topic, but I thought that you and SPAN might want to work on this:

    Repress U: How to Build a Homeland Security Campus in Seven Steps
    by Michael Gould-Wartofsky

    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/10/6308/

  • RONALD L. WALDRON
    Reply

    OBAMA 4 PRESIDENT:

    Our Foreign Policy is the core of distruction of all
    other issues facing America.
    Who, What, Where, When & Why–Wake-up !!
    Order & Read FINAL-REPORT.ID# 49149.

    :http://www.authorhouse.com/bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=49149

  • Recreate99.org
    Reply

    Boulder, Colorado’s GITMO action was a success. RMPJC hosted the event, and some very good speakers from amnesty and the ACLU were present. Overall quite a good event, but I would assume that this event was like the other events around the country in that they lacked a street team!

    At any other type of event, there needs to be more people in the crowd affiliated with the ACLU/Amnesty, etc. handing people information that they can take action on. Speeches are great, but you have to hold people’s hands a bit, I think, and guide them to where they can get information and take action…..

    Peace

  • barbpa
    Reply

    Hey all!
    Cooter — I passed that info onto Jon (our SPAN coordinator) thanks for the heads up.

    Recreate99 — I am so glad you commented about the goings on in Boulder. I am even happier that you went out in the cold to stand against torture. We actually did not have that problem. In DC there is no shortage of people with literature to pass out. Over 40 people were arrested for “trespassing” on public land (The Supreme Court). Can you believe that peoples’ rights were so violated on the steps of the highest court in our land. SHAMEFUL.

    Ronald — I know you love Obama, what do you think about the media turning he and Hillary against each other like it’s some race/gender war and not a presidential race?

  • RONALD L. WALDRON
    Reply

    ETHICS, INTEGRITY, MORAL VALUES, SOMETHINF WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN THE PAST, WE ARE HOPEFUL FOR THE FUTURE:

    Regardless: Honesty is something the American

    people would appreciate having at our capital.

    The history of George Bush and William Clinton

    is on record. Lies and cover-up. Why would anyone

    want to go back, or would believe anything

    they might propose in the future.

    We want new dirrection. A change in over-sight.

    Someone representing us, the American people.

    That is Obama, and Edwards.

    The debates tonight, Jan.21St., was quite

    important.

    I have been a strong Obama supporter. In fact

    I’m a supporter for a Obama & Edwards ticket.

    My family & friends have strongly been against

    such, until tonight. After Hillary showed herself

    and attacked Obama, and tryed to take up most

    of the time. I received call after call from such

    family members and friends that changed their

    minds completely. They are now for an Obama

    and Edwards ticket.

    Get rid of the special interest groups.

    Even though the dear Clintons are running such

    a negative campaign, attacking Obama, and

    started the race issues.

    I don’t think we should make sexist comments in our support for

    Obama– Hillary is very dislikable, but not because she is a woman—

    because she is thoroughly complicit in the war machine,
    she sucks up to Israel, and she doesn’t have a sincere bone in her body.
    I hope the voters are not as polarized in their

    thinking, and will vote for change by electing

    Obama as our next president.

    I would like to see a ticket of Obama / Edwards.

    Only one adjective describes. “ BITCH”, “BITCH”, “BITCH”. I hope

    You watched.

  • Marek Zielinski
    Reply

    Dear Barbra J. Bearden,

    Would it appropriate to link our activities/web-sites and help each other to show to the world
    that there is A WAY TO GLOBAL PEACE FOREVER.

    Marek Zielinski

    Initiator of http://www.peace365.org

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