ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO J.HEALY & AVAAZ
Dear friends,
Hundreds of men at the US military Guantanamo Bay camp have faced sexual humiliation, long exposure to intense heat and cold, sleep deprivation, and chaining in painful positions. 10 years on, the US has defied all
attempts to close it, but now an international solution is in sight -- together we can make it happen.
170 men are trapped in this judicial black hole and the US has failed to resolve it. If other countries step up now it could be persuaded to end this shame. Qatar has already offered to take innocent prisoners. And the
UK, a close US ally, could give the remaining prisoners a fair and public trial in civilian courts. All that's missing is the political will and public mandate to do it -- and that's exactly what we, together, can
create.
Today, let's mark Guantanamo's shameful 10th birthday with a massive global call to US, UK and Qatari leaders to do an international Close Guantanamo Deal and finally slam the door on this horror story for good.
Sign the urgent petition and send this to everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo_10th_anniversary/?cl=1513375788&v=12005
After 10 years of injustice and broken promises, the US has not shown willingness to close Guantanamo. Both the Obama and Bush administrations and the US Congress and military have obstructed all meaningful moves to release the innocent, try detainees in fair and public trials, move detainees to civilian prisons and shut the prison down. With so many pledges and failures, a creative solution is urgently needed. If we don't act now to force a global solution, the US may operate Guantanamo indefinitely.
The UK and Qatar are well positioned to help the US close Guantanamo. The UK is the US's closest ally and may be the only country it would trust to try the detainees that have not been cleared. And the UK public has
strongly opposed Guantanamo Bay, and could support the UK playing a critical humanitarian role to close it. Qatar has already shown willingness -- when Obama came into office, Qatar made a quiet offer to
resettle cleared Guantanamo detainees. It is also a wealthy nation that could cover the costs of resettlement and its leaders are known and trusted for mediating complex diplomatic issues.
It will not be easy to persuade these nations to negotiate a deal. But if we all raise our voices it is possible. We cannot leave the US to clean up this blot on our global conscience any longer. On this shocking anniversary, let's show the world that there is a way to close Guantanamo. Sign the petition and send this to everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo_10th_anniversary/?cl=1513375788&v=12005
The US has destroyed thousands of families' lives and trampled on international justice. Guantanamo has already gone on 10 years too long. The world can't wait for another decade to pass in the hopes that the US
might eventually right this international outrage. Over and over, we have pushed through difficult solutions, united behind a shared responsibility for our world and a commitment to fight for what is just. Let's do it
again today. The nightmare of Guantanamo won't end, without us.
With hope and determination,
Dalia, Alex, Laura, Alice, Ricken, Pascal, Shibayan, Rewan and the rest of
the Avaaz team
More Information:
CCR Justice: Guantánamo by the Numbers: What You Should Know & Do About
Guantánamo
http://ccrjustice.org/files/9.15.11_Guantanamo%20by%20the%20Numbers.pdf
New York Times: My Guantánamo Nightmare
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/my-guantanamo-nightmare.html
Human Rights Watch: Guantanamo, Ten Years On
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/06/guantanamo-ten-years
ACLU: Guantanamo by the numbers
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/guantanamo-numbers
Kuwait Times: Arab families of Guantanamo detainees tired of waiting
Ten years in jail without trial
http://new.kuwaittimes.net/2012/01/09/arab-families-of-guantanamo-detainees-tired-of-waiting-ten-years-in-jail-without-trial/
Human Rights First: Retired Generals and Admirals Urge Obama to Fulfill
Guantanamo Promise
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/2012/01/09/retired-generals-and-admirals-urge-obama-to-fulfill-guantanamo-promise/
Ex-Guantanamo guard tells of violence against detainees
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/28/world/meast/guantanamo-guard/index.html
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