What are YOU Doing on 17-19 May? (Global Weekend of Action to Mark 100th Day of Guantánamo Hunger Strike)

Read on for lots of actions for you to get involved in now and over the coming weeks

 Friday 17 May marks the 100^th day of the current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay. More than 130 of the 166 prisoners are involved. Several dozen are being force fed and more than 10 are close to death. While the prison officials have allowed the situation to continue for so long, there have been no attempts to remedy the problem or address the prisoners’ demands.

 

To mark this date, groups and individuals around the world will be taking part in a weekend of action, fasting and protest around the world. The London Guantánamo Campaign will be coordinating actions in London.

On Saturday 18 May, at 2-4pm, we will hold a solidarity demonstration outside the US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London W1A (flyer below and here: https://www.facebook.com/events/113404248830109/). As part of this action, we will be creating a “murder scene” outside the Embassy to draw awareness to the potentially fatal consequences of the hunger strike and the US government’s responsibility for it. We also invite you to speak at our open mic and read out passages of statements by the hunger strikers published in the press which have made an impression on you. To get you started:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/opinion/hunger-striking-at-guantanamo-bay.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/21/shaker-aamer-guantanamo-bay

http://www.lawfareblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/839-Emergency-Motion.pdf

Please join us and bring your friends, family and banners.

We are looking for volunteers to take part in the “murder scene”. No harm will come to volunteers, however you will be required to lie down (in orange jumpsuit and black hood provided by us) on the public walkway between the US Embassy and Grosvenor Square.

We are also planning other actions if we can get enough volunteers:

-         * A midnight candlelit vigil outside the US Embassy either on the night of Friday/morning of Saturday 17/18 May or the following day.

-     * Taking the message to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park on Sunday 19 May.

If you would like to volunteer or take part in these actions, please get in touch with us by e-mail at london.gtmo@gmail.com

As this is part of a global action, there are already various actions taking place and that you can get involved in:

-          Pledge to fast in support of the hunger strikers either on the three days of the 17-19 May, before or after. Over 1000 people already have: http://codepink.salsalabs.com/o/424/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7140

 

-          Add your name to the following petitions to close Guantánamo: https://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-close-detention-facility-at-guantanamo-bay (almost 200,000 signatures already!)

http://signon.org/sign/i-support-closing-guantanamo?source=s.tw&r_by=7709456

http://activism.thenation.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=10664

 

-          Get involved in the Twitter storm: http://anoninsiders.net/opgtmo-press-release-1970/ Anonymous will be holding Twitter storms and various other online actions on 17-19 May. If you are on Twitter, please follow @OpGTMO and use the hashtags #closegitmo and #OpGTMO to get this weekend of action and awareness of the hunger strike trending https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsHSBD1-C78 

-          Join the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign rolling vigil in Parliament Square, every weekday from 12-3pm, from 9-21 May, the state opening of Parliament to get the British Parliament to take action to reunite British resident Shaker Aamer with his British family after 11 ½ years. He is on hunger strike and is currently being force fed. (See attached pictures)

-          Add your name and donate to the letter ad page in the New York Times, which will hopefully be published next week: http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/calls-to-action/8236-stop-the-torture-close-guantanamo-end-the-war-crimes-and-violations-of-fundamental-rights

- Buy and wear a t-shirt about Guantánamo Bay: now that the world has notice, keep the conversation going: https://www.allriot.com/t-shirts/guantanamo-bay-t-shirt and https://www.allriot.com/t-shirts/no-guantanamo

Not in London? We are aware that actions will also be taking place in Yorkshire, Oxford, Glastonbury and Kingston on this weekend. Wherever you are on Planet Earth, organise something and be a part of this action. You can register your action here: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1170/p/salsa/event/common/public/create.sjs?distributed_event_KEY=718 and check for local actions here: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1170/p/salsa/event/common/public/index.sjs?distributed_event_KEY=718 If you are on Facebook, you can share them here as well: http://www.facebook.com/events/442435245849692/

11 years of imprisonment without charge or trial is 11 years too many. It’s time for Guantánamo Bay to close. Show your solidarity with the prisoners and their extreme hunger strike action. Make the difference that you want to see and then ask others, “what are you doing on 17-19 May?”

Please get in touch with us if you would like to volunteer or would like more details of actions planned in London: london.gtmo@gmail.com

This weekend of action is supported by: London Guantánamo Campaign (UK), Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (UK), Cageprisoners (UK), Code Pink (USA), Witness Against Torture (USA), World Can’t Wait (USA), Facilitate Global (UK), Kingston Peace Council (UK), London Catholic Worker (UK), Veterans for Peace UK (UK), Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (UK), Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (UK), Voices for Creative Non-Violence (UK)

17-19 May 2013: Global Weekend of Action on the Guantánamo Hunger Strike

Almost all of the remaining 166 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay have been on hunger strike since around 6 February. Held for over 11 years, more than half of the prisoners have been cleared for release and only 6 face charges. Of those 6, in the case of at least two prisoners, the evidence has clearly been obtained through torture, including waterboarding. They face no prospect of a fair trial. Ignored by the mainstream media, failed by the Red Cross who left Guantánamo Bay one day before the military used plastic bullets and force against starving, weakened men, and the governments of the states they are from, we call on all citizens of the world to take a stand for justice and join us, as the hunger strike enters its 100^th day on 17 May, in a global weekend of action.

 

In the words of the last prisoner to die at Guantánamo Bay, Adnan Latif:

They are artists of torture,

They are artists of pain and fatigue,

They are artists of insults and humiliation.

Where is the world to save us from torture?

Where is the world to save us from the fire and sadness?

Where is the world to save the hunger strikers?

We invite you wherever you are to join in a global day of fasting and protest action wherever you are. What does this involve?

Fasting action:

For this action, we suggest that people fast a minimum of from dawn to dusk, with or without liquids, or some may prefer longer fasts of 24 hours, at the discretion of the person fasting. If you choose a 24 hour fast, you may consider a sponsored action to raise more awareness.You can fast one, two or all three days.

- You can also donate your ''lunch money'' to charity, such as Reprieve, the Helen Bamber Foundation, or a homeless charity such as Shelter or St Mungo’s.

- Please let us know if you are pledging to fast as an individual or group and you can sign on the international pledge site here:  
http://codepink.salsalabs.com/o/424/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7140  

Let the world know about your action:

Protest: As well as fasting, set up a protest in your town. Organise a demonstration with your friends and friends. Find a popular space in the centre of town – perhaps do this on Saturday 18 or Sunday 19 May – and hold up some placards to let people know about the hunger strike. The media is ignoring the issue but you can share your pictures/videos on http://www.facebook.com/events/148018998711758/ and Twitter with us @shutguantanamo Be the media, as we did to highlight awareness in London when the hunger strike entered its 3^rd month. Get in touch for more ideas/guidelines.
Share a link to your protest/action here: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1170/p/salsa/event/common/public/create.sjs?distributed_event_KEY=718
Search for actions in your area here: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1170/p/salsa/event/common/public/index.sjs?distributed_event_KEY=718

Spread the word: If you are a member of a faith community, ask your religious leader to mention it during a sermon on that weekend: Friday sermon for Muslims on 17 May, and ask Jewish and Christian faith leaders to the same on the Saturday and Sunday as well as other faith or secular groups.

If you are a teacher or a student, you could organise an assembly about the hunger strike at your school on 17 May.

If you are on Twitter, you can join in or follow the lead up to the action on the day by using the hashtags #GitmoHungerStrike and #May17 #May18 #May19.

Most importantly, please let us know what you are doing and/or planning! Be a part of this global citizen action.

 If you are in the UK and are planning an action, represent an organisation that would like to support this action or get involved (individual/organisation), please get in touch with us: london.gtmo@gmail.com

As part of this action, a demonstration will be held in London on Saturday 18 May at 3-6pm outside the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. All are welcome to join us: www.facebook.com/events/113404248830109/ 

Please sign the petition put together by former chief prosecutor at Guantánamo Bay Colonel Morris Davis calling for the closure of Guantánamo Bay: https://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-close-detention-facility-at-guantanamo-bay 

This action is supported by: London Guantánamo Campaign (UK), Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (UK), Cageprisoners (UK), Code Pink (USA), Witness Against Torture (USA), World Can’t Wait (USA), Facilitate Global (UK), Kingston Peace Council (UK), London Catholic Worker (UK), Veterans for Peace UK (UK), Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (UK), Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (UK)

MEDIA RELEASE: London Guantánamo Campaign to hold emergency protest in support of Guantánamo Bay hunger strikers, Sunday 17 March, 2-4pm, US Embassy

MEDIA RELEASE: London Guantánamo Campaign to hold emergency protest in support of Guantánamo Bay hunger strikers, Sunday 17 March, 2-4pm, US Embassy

15 March 2013 - For immediate release

Since early February, the vast majority of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay have been on hunger strike, in response to the arbitrary confiscation of personal items from their cells and the desecration of copies of the Koran by prison interpreters [1]. Their lawyers have received reports of “men coughing up blood, being hospitalized, losing consciousness, becoming weak and fatigued, and being moved to Camp V for observation. Detainees have also expressed feeling increased stress, fear, and despair.” [2] Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the US military continues to deny the existence of the hunger strike [3].

The London Guantánamo Campaign [4] will hold a demonstration in support of the Guantánamo Bay hunger strikers on Sunday 17 March at 2-4pm outside the US Embassy in London. British resident Shaker Aamer [5] is also on hunger strike. The hunger strike has been largely overlooked by the mainstream media and human rights community.

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

“Prisoners at Guantánamo Bay have gone on hunger strike a number of times in the past to protest the conditions of their detention. It is perhaps one of the very few means available to them. While it has resulted in force feeding, a further violation of their rights, it has also often resulted in better prison conditions. However, improvements have failed to address the underlying desperation and frustration the prisoners feel after eleven years of imprisonment without charge, trial or the prospect of release. This is akin to a hostage crisis.

“Having failed to keep his first-term promises on Guantánamo Bay, Barack Obama’s administration is instead letting what he had once called a “misguided experiment” spiral out of control. As well as respecting the prisoners’ lawful demands to have their human rights recognised, the US administration must take positive steps to prevent any such further escalations by releasing the prisoners and closing the prison.”

Contact:

E-mail: london.gtmo@gmail.com      

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

1. 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

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.

2. Ibid.

3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10685865

4. 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  

5. 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/

LGC Newsletter – January 2013

NEWS:

British Residents:

To mark the eleventh anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo Bay on 11 January, Amnesty International UK launched a new petition calling on President Obama to release Shaker Aamer. The petition which currently has around 20,000 signatures will be delivered to the US authorities on 14 February, the date marking the eleventh anniversary of Shaker Aamer’s imprisonment at Guantánamo Bay without charge or trial. The petition can be signed here. The e-petition to the British Prime Minister currently has around 23,000 signatures: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33133 This petition can be signed until 20 April 2013; 100,000 signatures on the petition will lead to a debate on this issue in Parliament.

The human rights NGO Reprieve, representing Shaker Aamer, marked the 11^th anniversary with a press release calling for his release:
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2013_01_11_after_11yrs_gtmo_brit_still_imprisoned/

Guantánamo Bay:

Canadian former prisoner Omar Khadr, convicted at a Guantánamo military tribunal and who is currently serving the rest of his sentence at the Milhaven Institution in Canada as a maximum security prisoner, has recently reappointed his former lawyer Dennis Edney: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/omar-khadr-turns-again-to-former-high-profile-lawyer-current-ones-step-down-1.53722 Mr Edney previously represented Omar Khadr when he was held at Guantánamo Bay. He will take over from his previous lawyers in a case in which he is suing the government for breach of his human rights. Mr Edney is also likely to appeal Omar Khadr’s conviction at Guantánamo obtained through a secret plea bargain, following the recent quashing of other convictions in Guantánamo military tribunals by the US federal appeals courts. Although Omar Khadr is eligible for day parole from March this year, as he is currently being held as a maximum security prisoner, he is unlikely to be considered for parole for another two years.
A new petition has been put together calling on the Canadian government to release Omar Khadr and seeking his reintegration into Canadian society: sign here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/omar-khadr-takeastandforjustice/

It has been a busy month in the US courts for appeals against convictions at Guantánamo Bay and the resumption of the trial at Guantánamo Bay of five men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks in New York in September 2001.  

On 25 January, the federal appeals court overturned the conviction of Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, a Yemeni prisoner convicted by a Guantánamo military tribunal in 2008 and sentenced to life imprisonment. In this case, in a brief judgment with no reasons given, convictions for material support for terrorism, conspiracy and solicitation to commit war crimes were overturned. The only person to have ever been given a life sentence out of the seven prisoners convicted at Guantánamo Bay, he has been held alone and away from other prisoners following his conviction. He will remain locked up in solitary confinement throughout the three-month period the US government has to appeal.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/25/3200788/appeals-court-throws-out-terrorism.html
This reversal of a Guantánamo military tribunal conviction follows that of Salim Hamdan, which was overturned in October 2012, as the offence of “providing material support for terrorism” did not exist at the time of the actual offence. The US government had until 18 January to appeal this decision, but did not. The question of whether the judgment in the Hamdan case could apply to other cases was one of the issues considered in the Al-Bahlul case.
At the end of January, the cases of five men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001 resumed at Guantánamo Bay. Although still at pre-trial stage, the key Hamdan ruling has also had an impact on this case. Anticipating the possible overturning of the conviction for conspiracy, which is not considered a war crime, the chief prosecutor in this case Brigadier General Mark Martins asked for the conspiracy charges against the five defendants in the case to be dismissed and for them not to be tried on this count. Although dismissing these charges could undermine the rest of the case, following the judgment in the Hamdan case, a conviction for conspiracy could be appealed and later result in the case, and a conviction made, being thrown out. The five defendants potentially face the death penalty. This request was turned down by the Pentagon. Undeterred, however, Mark Martins has applied again, following the reversal of the Al-Bahlul conviction, which saw a conviction for conspiracy overturned. This has led to a public dispute between the prosecutor it appointed and the Pentagon over whether the US can charge terrorism suspects with offences that are not considered as such under international law. An excellent comment on this in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/sunday-review/military-tribunals-and-international-war-crimes.html?_r=1&
The pre-trial hearings resumed on 28 January. The defendants attended the first day, during which controversy arose after audio to observers at the hearing was cut for three minutes after one of the defence lawyers representing the five prisoners asked if the court needed to meet in secret closed session to discuss some matters, raising questions about whether there is external censorship of the proceedings unknown to those in court: http://rt.com/usa/news/sound-cut-september-11-992/ Pre-trials motions will be discussed all of this week, including a motion by the defence to have the black site secret prisons the five men were held at in various locations around the world, including within the European Union, preserved as evidence.

As well as marking the eleventh anniversary of the opening of the current prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, this month also marked the inauguration of Barack Obama to his second term as president of the United States. The London Guantánamo Campaign issued the following press release:

http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2013/01/media-release-london-guantanamo.html, calling on the president to “use this opportunity to put right his failings in his first term as president and demonstrate his commitment to the rule of law and the principles of freedom and justice he verbally espouses”.
In the US, the re-inauguration was marred by controversy when at a party to celebrate the inauguration, famous US rap star Lupe Fiasco openly criticised President Obama on his poor first-term record on foreign relations, particularly with respect to war and the Palestinians: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ewU8xoDVY
In the UK, veteran peace campaigner Lindis Percy from the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB) was arrested outside the US military base at Menwith Hill for holding up an upside down US flag with the words ‘NOW THEN….SECOND AND ONLY CHANCE OBAMA’
http://www.caab.org.uk/about/caab-reports Ms Percy has been bailed but not charged.
Barely weeks into his second term, President Obama has continued to show his resolve not to close Guantánamo by closing the office of the special envoy for the closure of Guantánamo Bay. Daniel Fried, who has held the post since it was created in 2009 early on in President Obama’s first term, has been re-assigned to another office and the office he was responsible for has closed. Its duties, which including working out diplomatic agreements for the transfer of prisoners, have been reassigned to the office of the State Department’s legal adviser. The removal of a senior official responsible for this task almost immediately into President Obama’s second term shows that the issue is no longer of priority to his administration, in spite of his verbal statements that he would still like to see Guantánamo Bay close: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/us/politics/state-dept-closes-office-working-on-closing-guantanamo-prison.html  

Extraordinary rendition:

Lawyers for two men held at secret torture facilities in Poland in 2003 and 2004, where they were tortured and subject, among other abuses, to waterboarding and mock executions have accused the Polish government of stalling the investigation into Poland’s role in the CIA’s extraordinary rendition programme to protect the collusion of senior politicians and officials. The investigation into the allegations made by two current Guantánamo prisoners Abd El-Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah, who both “disappeared” for years and currently have cases against Poland and Romania pending at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for involvement in their torture, started in 2008. However, last year, the case was transferred from prosecutors in the capital to regional authorities. The European Parliament has also accused Poland of not doing enough to investigate, even though credible evidence has emerged, including documents, of the existence of a secret torture facility and receipts and agreements relating to its operation on behalf of the CIA: http://rt.com/news/poland-investigation-cia-prisons-839/

On 29 January, lawyers for almost 1000 prisoners held by the British forces in Iraq between 2003 and 2008 brought a judicial review before the High Court in London to call for an inquiry into allegations of abuse by British soldiers. These allegations include claims of sexual and physical abuse by soldiers. The claimants want the inquiry to demonstrate that Britain broke the international laws of war through the systematic use of torture. The Ministry of Defence has tried to block such an inquiry for the past few years and insists, as it did in the Baha Moussa case, that any abuse was the action of a few bad apples in the army and not the result of an endemic and systemic culture of torture and abuse, in spite of almost 1000 victim testimonies to the contrary. As the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War approaches, permission for this inquiry could be both timely and vital: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/29/iraqi-detainees-demand-uk-inquiry and http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/19/britain-guilty-systemic-torture-iraq

LGC Activities:

There was no monthly “Shut Guantánamo!” demonstration in January. The next demonstration will on Thursday 7 February at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, W1A and then 1.15-2.15pm outside Speaker’s Corner, Marble Arch (Hyde Park): http://www.facebook.com/events/150885085064099/ This action marks the sixth anniversary (first one in February 2007) of our regular demonstrations outside the US Embassy. We said we’d continue our presence until Guantánamo closes. From the above news, it is clear that President Barack Obama has no intention of fulfilling his promise to close Guantánamo any time soon. Please join us: inspired by an action held by the US NGO Witness Against Torture (www.witnesstorture.org), the LGC will hold a “I am still waiting for…” action outside the US Embassy: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.579084985450615.167204.298743860151397&type=1 We invite you to join us with your own banner, or we’ll provide paper and markers, stating what you are still waiting for vis-à-vis the closure of Guantánamo. If you cannot join the action, we invite you to make your own banner, pose with it, and send the picture to us: london.gtmo@gmail.com

The London Guantánamo Campaign marked the 11^th anniversary of the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay with a day of action on Friday 11 January. The actions consisted of four walking tours between embassies recounting the journeys of four prisoners to Guantánamo Bay and a vigil outside the US Embassy on a fairly cold evening attended by over 70 people. Many thanks to everyone who took part, helped in the preparations and on the day.

The actions were covered live through social media and received extensive press coverage too.
To coincide with the anniversary, Aisha Maniar and Val Brown from the LGC gave interviews to Russia Today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW9GIaCNDs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOwCgubl414
Media coverage of the tours and vigil:

Coverage of the tours:
Photographs of Shaker Aamer tour: http://www.demotix.com/news/1719753/walks-shame-follow-rendition-routes-guantanamo#media-1719592
http://www.demotix.com/news/1719753/walks-shame-follow-rendition-routes-guantanamo#media-1719592
Val Brown leading the Omar Khadr tour shot footage of readings from outside each of the embassies the tour visited:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z6D1ElFqOA (Afghan Embassy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIGEZREpkqg (Spanish Embassy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUUUfn-JAXE (Portuguese Embassy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwq5kqmQFcM (Canadian Embassy)
http://freeomarakhadr.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/remember-canada-is-complicit-in-the-ongoing-torture-of-omar-khadr/
Around 70 people braved the cold weather and joined the vigil in the evening outside the US Embassy:
Video report: http://www.therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=9498
News reports: http://www.wespeaknews.com/politics/candelight-vigil-to-mark-11-years-of-guantanamo-134196.html
http://aljazeera.net/humanrights/pages/639643f0-446c-4c0f-ad79-5c4c5352b4c8 (Arabic)
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/11/london-protest-marks-11-years-since-establishment-guantanamo-bay-prison/
Photo reportage: http://www.demotix.com/news/1724834/vigil-outside-us-embassy-london-11th-anniversary-guant-namo#media-1724456
http://www.demotix.com/news/1719778/vigil-marks-11-years-detention-guant-namo#media-1719777
http://www.demotix.com/news/1719240/vigil-guantanamo-bay-detainees-outside-londons-us-embassy#media-1719283
http://www.demotix.com/news/1719692/vigil-guantanamo-bay-prison-outside-us-embassy-london#media-1719522
Pictures from protests around the world: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/11/3177614/photo-gallery-01-11-095943.html
Messages of support read outside the US Embassy:
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavillion and Hove): “There is no excuse for the continued existence of Guantanamo Bay or the ongoing detention of British residents such as Shaker Aamer. The Green Party calls on President Obama to keep his promise and end what is a stain on America’s reputation globally.”
Green London MEP Jean Lambert: "11 years too long! Guantanamo Bay must close, and all remaining detainees charged with crimes or allowed to return home."
Lib Dem London MEP Sarah Ludford: "“Barack Obama must finally in his second term fulfil his promise of closing the disgraceful legal black hole of Guantanamo and rebuild the US’ human rights reputation. In any case, my constituent Shaker Aamer must return home to his family in London after 11 years of totally illegal incarceration.”