Report
As we have done every year since 2010, the London Guantánamo
Campaign marked UN
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26 June, with a public
vigil in solidarity with all victims and survivors of torture worldwide. With
the international theme this year of “Support Life after Torture”, the LGC
turned its attention to one of the biggest crises currently facing the world:
the refugee crisis. There are currently over 65 million people
worldwide displaced by wars and conflicts and over half of them are children.
Many of the people seeking refuge abroad are survivors of torture. As well as a
difficult journey to safety, which can include further persecution and inhumane
treatment, many men, women and children are denied refuge or are treated like
criminals and held in appalling conditions in immigration detention centres and
denied access to rehabilitation and adequate care.
The LGC highlighted the poor response from the UK and other
European states in a silent vigil attended by around 20 people. Our solidarity
action was very visual and powerful. The vigil, entitled the “Borders of
Torture” involved activists holding up a washing line with bloodied (no one was
harmed in the process) t-shirts and an accompanying banner stating “Don’t Hang
Torture Victims out to Dry”. On a sunny and crowded afternoon in central
London’s Trafalgar Square, the action was a huge hit with the public. Many
people stopped to contemplate the message, take photographs of it, take
leaflets and talk to activists handing them out. Overall, the public response
was very positive and supportive of the action. The LGC was joined by the Guantánamo
Justice Campaign and individuals activists on issues such as covert harassment. The LGC thanks everyone
who joined. 
This year’s theme and action are not a departure from our
regular work on Guantánamo Bay prisoners as more than half of the remaining 79
prisoners are in the exact same position as the refugees fleeing their
homelands. Many cannot return to their countries of origin due to wars there
and do not have a safe third country to which they can be sent. Yemenis make up
the largest nationality group at Guantánamo. Almost 30 are cleared for release
but remain at Guantánamo as they have nowhere to go. Some have been cleared for
release for over a decade. As well as offering refuge, states must also ensure
that torture survivors have a right to redress and rehabilitation.
Although we take the opportunity to give a voice to the
voiceless on 26 June each year, the LGC stands in solidarity with torture
victims and survivors every day of the year. Our London vigil was one of dozens
held worldwide by different organisations and coordinated by the International
Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims.
