MEDIA RELEASE: History in the Making: London Guantánamo Campaign to Mark Fourteenth Anniversary of Guantánamo Bay with Candlelight Vigil outside US Embassy, Monday 11 January 2016, 6-8pm

For immediate release: Monday 11 January 2016

The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] and human rights activists will gather for a candlelight vigil, History in the Making [2], outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London, from 6-8pm, to mark the 14^th anniversary of the opening of the Guantánamo Bay prison camp.

Activists will stand outside the US Embassy holding up letters spelling out: “Close Guantánamo” and will hold a candlelight vigil calling for Barack Obama to fulfil his promise to close the prison camp during his last year in office. 

Aisha Maniar, organiser from the London Guantánamo Campaign, says, "When Barack Obama became US president in 2009, he promised to close Guantánamo within one year. Now, with one year left of his term in office, there are still over 100 prisoners. Almost all are held without charge or trial after 14 years.

“While recent prisoner releases are welcome, most of these have been subject to inexplicable delay. This includes the release of British resident Shaker Aamer more than 8 years after he was cleared and the British Prime Minister sought his return.

“Obama no longer plans to end indefinite arbitrary detention for the remaining prisoners, and his plan to close Guantánamo merely involves displacing this extralegal regime, moving the prisoners elsewhere. This is extremely disappointing from a man who once made closing Guantánamo and restoring the rule of law one of his main pledges if he became president. None can be as disappointed as the remaining prisoners, who still have no guarantees they will ever be released or even know why they are held.” 

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The London Guantánamo Campaign was set up in 2006 and campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com  

Since 2008, the London Guantánamo Campaign has each year been the sole organiser of the UK protest to mark the anniversary of Guantánamo Bay opening on 11 January 2002. The London Guantánamo Campaign has had no communication with We Stand With Shaker or Cage concerning the reported organisation of other events outside the US Embassy and is not liable for them. The annual protest is a public event and all are welcome.

2. For more details of the event, see our website http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/history-in-making-vigil-to-mark-14_14.html

MEDIA RELEASE: London Activists to Mark Twelfth Anniversary of Guantánamo Bay with demonstration in Trafalgar Square, Saturday 11 January, 2-4pm

Activists wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods will hold up placards in Trafalgar Square, outside the National Gallery, to mark the 12^th anniversary of the opening of the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, and demand its closure.

The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] will host the demonstration, and speakers will include Jeremy Corbyn MP, Sarah Ludford MEP and Louise Christian, solicitor for former Guantánamo prisoners [2].

Aisha Maniar, a spokesperson for the London Guantánamo Campaign, says, "Twelve years on, the prison at Guantánamo Bay remains a stain on the current global landscape. It is unfortunate that it has taken a near-fatal hunger strike by prisoners to remind the world, and Barack Obama, of his promise to close the facility. While a step in the right direction, recently renewed efforts by the US administration to reduce the number of prisoners and close the facility remain half-hearted.

“Where there is no risk to their safety, President Obama must ensure that prisoners cleared for release are repatriated immediately. In addition, periodic reviews of prisoners must be accelerated to ensure any further releases. Other states must step up their efforts by demanding the repatriation of their nationals and residents.

“The British government can lead the way by using this anniversary to renew its demands for the return of hunger-striking British resident Shaker Aamer to his family in London. The time to act is now. There must be no more anniversaries.”

Contact: e-mail: london.gtmo@gmail.com  

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The London Guantánamo Campaign was set up in 2006 and campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com     

2. More details and list of speakers available on the London Guantánamo Campaign website: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/london-marks-12-years-of-guantanamo-bay.html

MEDIA RELEASE: London Guantánamo Campaign to stage “murder scene” outside US Embassy London to mark 100th day of Guantánamo Hunger Strike, Saturday 18th May, 2-4pm

MEDIA RELEASE: London Guantánamo Campaign to stage “murder scene” outside US Embassy London to mark 100^th day of Guantánamo Hunger Strike, Saturday 18^th May, 2-4pm

15 May 2013 - For immediate release

The vast majority of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay [1] have been on hunger strike since 6 February [2]. The Pentagon currently puts the number of hunger strikers at over 100 of the remaining 166 prisoners, with over two dozen prisoners reported to be force fed in a method the UN has described as torture [3].

On Friday 17 May, the hunger strike will enter its 100^th day. Hunger strikes can be fatal both in the short and longer term with food deprivation leading to organ failure and other medical complications. At least 8 of the 9 prisoners known to have died at Guantánamo Bay in unusual circumstances, reported as “suicide” in at least 7 cases, had previously taken part in sustained hunger strikes. British resident Shaker Aamer [4] is on hunger strike and reported to being force fed.

As part of an international weekend of action [5], the London Guantánamo Campaign [6] will hold a demonstration on Saturday 18 May at 2-4pm outside the US Embassy in London. A murder scene will be staged to highlight the potentially fatal effects of this hunger strike and the culpability of the US administration for the deaths of prisoners who have died there, all of whom faced no charges or trial, and in the case of the last fatality had long been cleared for release [7].

Aisha Maniar, an organiser from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: 

“Weeks of official denial of the legitimate protest by prisoners has been met with violence and a lockdown. There has been no attempt whatsoever to address the issues raised by the hunger strike or to bring this desperate protest to an end, which inches ever closer to a fatality.

"President Obama’s recent statements on Guantánamo Bay ring hollow in light of actions he sanctioned just prior to and during this hunger strike. The time for rhetoric expired long ago as did the indefensible defences for over a decade of indefinite detention. The current and former US administrations have deliberately chosen not to close Guantánamo Bay; it remains as expedient as ever. With hands already steeped in the blood and physical and psychological torture of prisoners, unless it takes immediate positive action, the US government will continue to see this situation spiral out of control with disastrous consequences all round.” 

Contact:

E-mail: london.gtmo@gmail.com  

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

1. 166 prisoners remain at Guantánamo Bay, of whom more than half have been cleared for release and less than a dozen face charges. With few exceptions, all have been held for up to and over 11 years without charge or trial.

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/USLS-Fact-Sheet-Gitmo-Numbers.pdf

 

2. On 4 March, lawyers for the prisoners wrote to the prison commander Rear Admiral John Smith raising these matters and the resulting hunger strike, calling on the US military to “take immediate measures to bring an end this potentially life - threatening situation in the camps by addressing the reasons that give rise to it.

“Camp authorities must cease the arbitrary and regressive practices being reported by our clients, including all intrusive searches of the Qur’an.”

http://ccrjustice.org/files/2013_03_04_Ltr_JTF_Smith_Welsh.pdf

 

3. http://rt.com/news/guantanamo-prison-torture-un-677/

4. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/

5. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/17-19-may-2013-global-weekend-of-action.html

As well in other countries, actions are also planned in Crewe, Birmingham, Glastonbury, Wirksworth and at the US military base in Menwith Hill.

6. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com  

7. http://witnesstorture.org/survivors/adnan-farhan-abdul-latif/

MEDIA RELEASE: “Truth, Justice and the American way?” British activists to mark US elections with demonstration outside US Embassy, 6pm on 6 November 2012

MEDIA RELEASE: “Truth, Justice and the American way?” British activists to mark US elections with demonstration outside US Embassy, 6pm on 6 November 2012

5th November 2012 – for immediate release

The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] will hold a demonstration, “Truth, Justice and the American Way?”, outside the US Embassy in London at 6-8pm on Tuesday 6^thNovember to coincide with the US presidential elections. Speakers from various organisations and performers will raise human rights concerns of common interest to the US and the UK [2].

Aisha Maniar, an organiser for the London Guantánamo Campaign, says, “Four years ago, a new American president, Barack Obama, promised the world a change it could believe in. One change he put his name to in writing was the closure of Guantánamo Bay and the end of military tribunals there. That has not materialised; the American administration has added drone attacks to its repertoire of extralegal activity, expanded the scope of arbitrary detention without charge or trial, [3] and over 160 prisoners remain at Guantánamo Bay after almost 11 years, including British resident Shaker Aamer [4].

“The continually deteriorating human rights situation would not be possible without the collusion of its allies, such as Britain, which has recently seen fit to extradite its own citizens to potential cruel and unusual treatment in US Supermax prisons, has turned a blind eye to the plight of US-UK national Bradley Manning, and is seeking to protect allies such as the US and potentially illegal intelligence-gathering activity by both countries through the Justice and Security Bill [5]. The world deserves much better than this.”

Contact: e-mail: london.gtmo@gmail.com
ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com
2. The full list of speakers:

Chris Nineham (Stop The War Coalition), Dr Shahrar Ali (Green Party), Joy Hurcombe (Save Shaker Aamer Campaign), Hamja Ahsan (Free Talha Campaign), Aviva Stahl (Cageprisoners), Anthony Timmons (WISE Up for Bradley Manning), Ilyas Townsend (Justice for Aafia Coalition); performances by Miz The Poet, Ibrahim Sincere and Ed Greens.

http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/demonstration-truth-justice-and.html
3. In the National Defense Authorization Act 2012: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr1540enr/pdf/BILLS-112hr1540enr.pdf

4. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/

Number of prisoners still at Guantánamo Bay: http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/USLS-Fact-Sheet-Gitmo-Numbers.pdf

5. Former Justice Minister Kenneth Clarke recently speaking about the bill: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20182465

PRESS RELEASE: BEYOND WORDS: SILENT WITNESS TO INJUSTICE

PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release

BEYOND WORDS: SILENT WITNESS TO INJUSTICE

Photo opportunity: Activists dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods holding placards and banners calling for the closure of Guantánamo Bay.

The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] will hold a silent vigil to mark the 9th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo Bay on Tuesday, 11 January 2011, from 1-2pm, at the top of Trafalgar Square (opposite the National Gallery). All London MPs and MEPs have been invited. Green London Assembly Members Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson have pledged their support. Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford also pledged her support and stressed that as vice-chair of the European Parliament’s US delegation she will continue to press Washington for the complete closure of Guantánamo and to lobby in London and Brussels for European cooperation in resettlement of men who cannot return to their home countries for fear of torture.

Aisha Maniar, from the London Guantánamo Campaign, says: “Nine years after the opening of the US military interrogation and detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, and almost one year beyond President Obama’s own deadline for its closure, [2] the London Guantánamo Campaign today calls upon the US President to take urgent action to honour his pledge to close the facility. He must ensure justice for the remaining prisoners through fair trials in civilian courts of law, or their release to countries where their safety and liberty can be ensured.

“The British Government must assist in the closure of the prison by following the example of other EU countries that have accepted prisoners cleared for release who cannot return to their country of origin due to fears for their safety. It must also step up its efforts to secure the freedom of British resident Shaker Aamer, who has been held by the US military for nine years without charge of trial. Shaker’s immediate and unconditional release and return to the UK is long overdue. [3]

“Nine years of torture and arbitrary detention at Guantánamo Bay and similar prisons have not made the world a safer place. Rather, governments who practice and condone torture and detention without charge or trial, citing national security as a justification for their illegal actions, undermine both the rule of law and fundamental human rights. President Obama’s failure to keep to his pledge to close Guantánamo, his new plans for the indefinite incarceration of prisoners without charge or trial, [4] and his approval of extrajudicial executions indicate that he shares his predecessor’s contempt for the rule of law.”
Contact: london.gtmo@googlemail.com
Saturday 8 January 2011
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition.See: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com The London Guantánamo Campaign produced an EDM with Caroline Lucas MP (Green: Brighton Pavilion) in November 2010 stating our current demands of the British government: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=42093&SESSION=905
2. President Obama signed a decree shortly after his inauguration in January 2009 ordering the closure of Guantánamo Bay within 12 months. Today, 174 prisoners remain at Guantánamo Bay, including former British residents Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha.
3. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is now 8 years old. Both the Foreign Secretary and the Deputy Prime Minister recently raised Shaker’s case with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in person during separate visits to the US.
4. The first civilian trial of a Guantánamo prisoner, Ahmed Ghailani, recently took place on the US mainland. On November 17, 2010, a jury found him guilty of one count of conspiracy, but acquitted him of 284 other charges including all murder counts. Congress has since blocked the transfer of any more prisoners to the US mainland for trial before October 2011. This may be supplemented by an order to allow the indefinite detention without charge or trial of at least 50 of the remaining prisoners.