By Aisha Maniar
On 23 May 2013, Barack Obama made the latest in a long line of
high-profile broken promises to close Guantánamo Bay. During his speech on national security, Obama conceded that
the original premise for opening Guantánamo “was found unconstitutional five
years ago”, and “that [it] flouts the rule of law,” as well as that it costs
the US taxpayer over $1 million a year to keep each prisoner there. These are
not convicted prisoners: they are 154 men who have been held for over 12 years,
almost all without charge or trial, as hostages of the US administration.
Barack Obama made his latest pledge at the height of media coverage of
an on-going hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay. Over the past year, he has
released 11 prisoners including former British resident Ahmed Belbacha to
Algeria, reinstated the envoy to work on the closure of Guantánamo he dismissed
just days before the mass hunger strike broke out in February 2013, restarted
status reviews of prisoners detained indefinitely and lifted a moratorium on
returning prisoners to Yemen he imposed in 2010. This is slow progress, and the
fact that no Yemenis have been repatriated, even though they make up the
largest single nationality and the largest number cleared for release, shows there
is little intention to close Guantánamo and end indefinite detention
there.
In London, over 70 people joined a lunchtime demonstration we organised
in Trafalgar Square to call for Barack Obama to make good on his promise to
close Guantánamo and to remind both the British and US governments that British
resident Shaker Aamer remains there. Activists, some wearing orange jumpsuits
and black hoods, held up placards made by the LGC’s Noel Hamel that read “Not
Another Day in Guantánamo” with the word “justice” chained to each letter of
the name of the prison camp. Activists from Peace Strike brought along an
inflatable larger-than-life Shaker Aamer to draw awareness to his plight
outside the National Gallery. The silent protest drew a lot of interest from
the public, leaflets were handed out and activists spoke to passers-by. With
hardly any coverage in the mainstream media of Guantánamo Bay, Shaker Aamer or the hunger strike, now
in its 16th month, many people were not
aware that it was still open, let alone the various abuses and torture that
continue there.
The action was supported by many organisations including Veterans for
Peace UK, the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, Peace Strike, local Amnesty
International groups, the Quakers, Friends of Chelsea Manning and Julian
Assange, Occupy and Kingston Peace Council. The LGC thanks everyone who joined
us.
Last year, Obama asked the American people: "Is this who we
are?" With on-going torture, indefinite detention and the latest ruling by
a US federal judge on force-feeding of prisoners, his actions have responded in
the affirmative. Although he has released 11 prisoners, the slow progress after
so many years shows there is no real intention of ending what can be considered
a mass hostage crisis. For the 154 remaining prisoners, held almost wholly without charge or trial, rhetoric is not good enough.”
On 23 May 2013, Barack Obama made the latest in a long line of
high-profile broken promises to close Guantánamo Bay. During his speech on national security, Obama conceded that
the original premise for opening Guantánamo “was found unconstitutional five
years ago”, and “that [it] flouts the rule of law,” as well as that it costs
the US taxpayer over $1 million a year to keep each prisoner there. These are
not convicted prisoners: they are 154 men who have been held for over 12 years,
almost all without charge or trial, as hostages of the US administration. Barack Obama made his latest pledge at the height of media coverage of
an on-going hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay. Over the past year, he has
released 11 prisoners including former British resident Ahmed Belbacha to
Algeria, reinstated the envoy to work on the closure of Guantánamo he dismissed
just days before the mass hunger strike broke out in February 2013, restarted
status reviews of prisoners detained indefinitely and lifted a moratorium on
returning prisoners to Yemen he imposed in 2010. This is slow progress, and the
fact that no Yemenis have been repatriated, even though they make up the
largest single nationality and the largest number cleared for release, shows there
is little intention to close Guantánamo and end indefinite detention
there.
That may be good enough for the Obama administration, but it is yet
another blow for the prisoners. With minimal progress and a lack of political
will to close Guantánamo, and little mainstream media coverage of their plight,
human rights organisations and activists around the world decided to remind
Barack Obama of his latest broken promise on its anniversary. More than 45 actions were held worldwide in 9 countries on
this day.
In London, over 70 people joined a lunchtime demonstration we organised
in Trafalgar Square to call for Barack Obama to make good on his promise to
close Guantánamo and to remind both the British and US governments that British
resident Shaker Aamer remains there. Activists, some wearing orange jumpsuits
and black hoods, held up placards made by the LGC’s Noel Hamel that read “Not
Another Day in Guantánamo” with the word “justice” chained to each letter of
the name of the prison camp. Activists from Peace Strike brought along an
inflatable larger-than-life Shaker Aamer to draw awareness to his plight
outside the National Gallery. The silent protest drew a lot of interest from
the public, leaflets were handed out and activists spoke to passers-by. With
hardly any coverage in the mainstream media of Guantánamo Bay, Shaker Aamer or the hunger strike, now
in its 16th month, many people were not
aware that it was still open, let alone the various abuses and torture that
continue there. The action was supported by many organisations including Veterans for
Peace UK, the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, Peace Strike, local Amnesty
International groups, the Quakers, Friends of Chelsea Manning and Julian
Assange, Occupy and Kingston Peace Council. The LGC thanks everyone who joined
us.
The campaign to close Guantánamo goes on, and we cannot do it without
YOU! Thousands of people worldwide took
action on 23 May but with political and media inaction, the general public has
to give Barack Obama every reason to show us a change WE can believe in by
closing Guantánamo and ending the lawless regime it has created.
The LGC had the following letter published in The Guardian newspaper
on 23 May: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/22/america-obama-guantanamo-bay
“On 23 May 2013, President Barack
Obama made the last major speech in which he again pledged to close Guantánamo
Bay. His many pledges on the matter remain purely rhetorical. On
Friday, human
rights activists and organisations will take part in a global day of
protest in more than 40 cities in nine countries to remind Obama of his broken
pledge. In London, we will hold a public demonstration in Trafalgar Square from
12pm to 2pm.
Last year, Obama asked the American people: "Is this who we
are?" With on-going torture, indefinite detention and the latest ruling by
a US federal judge on force-feeding of prisoners, his actions have responded in
the affirmative. Although he has released 11 prisoners, the slow progress after
so many years shows there is no real intention of ending what can be considered
a mass hostage crisis. For the 154 remaining prisoners, held almost wholly without charge or trial, rhetoric is not good enough.”
Media on the event:
Images:
Images:
http://www.demotix.com/news/4820615/london-not-another-day-guant-namo-prison-protest#media-4820471
http://www.demotix.com/news/4824526/globe-day-against-injustice-not-another-day-guant-namo#media-4824418
http://www.demotix.com/news/4824786/obama-keep-your-promises-close-guantanamo-and-release-shaker-aamer#media-4823990
Report and video:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/05/24/363930/uk-activists-urge-guantanamo-closure/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoTlRSkE9OA
http://youtu.be/BcYsvXFytDo
Report on global actions (40+ in 7 countries): http://onesmallwindow.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/no-more-broken-promises-global-day-of-action-to-close-guantanamo/
http://www.demotix.com/news/4824526/globe-day-against-injustice-not-another-day-guant-namo#media-4824418
http://www.demotix.com/news/4824786/obama-keep-your-promises-close-guantanamo-and-release-shaker-aamer#media-4823990
Report and video:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/05/24/363930/uk-activists-urge-guantanamo-closure/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoTlRSkE9OA
http://youtu.be/BcYsvXFytDo
Report on global actions (40+ in 7 countries): http://onesmallwindow.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/no-more-broken-promises-global-day-of-action-to-close-guantanamo/
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