A Message from Michael Ratner / Code Pink – 2016-01-15 00:37:31
http://www.codepink.org/president_obama_close_guantanamo_prison
“Despite the rhetoric saying he would close Guantanamo as almost the first act of his Presidency, President Obama has had clay feet from the beginning. He has refused to take actions to actually close the prison. Let’s remember: seven of the 14 years that these men have languished in Guantanamo have been under Obama.
“Don’t let President Obama blame others. A reluctant Pentagon is no excuse. Obama is Commander in Chief. The fault is not in the stars, but with him. One day of unlawful detention is an outrage, 14 years is an abomination. If Obama is to close the prison before he leaves office, he must move to do so NOW.”
– Michael Ratner, attorney who represented Guantanamo detainees before the US Supreme Court
(January 11, 2016) — Today is the fourteenth anniversary of the opening of the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
CODEPINK National Coordinator Alli McCracken led the last delegation to Guantanamo, and the 60-person group visited Caimanera — a small town of 11,000 people that abuts the US Naval Base on the southeastern coast of Cuba.
The US naval base, they were told, is an illegal occupation of Cuban land that violates the territorial sovereignty of the island. The base sits on a critical part of the bay that would vastly improve the local economy if the land were returned. They believe that the closure of the base is a condition for the full normalization of relations between the two nations.
It is unconscionable that the prison in Guantanamo remains open 7 years into the Obama presidency.
ACTION: Call on President Obama to make good on his campaign promise to to close the prison TODAY!
President Obama can’t make up for the last seven years of failed leadership, but he can live up to his campaign promises and finally end this shameful chapter of American history. Please join us to ensure that he does.
Toward a more peaceful world,
Alli, Andrea, Ariel, Chelsea, Janet, Janna, Jodie, Lisa, Medea, Michaela, Michelle, Nancy, Sam and Tighe
P.S. Make sure to see our video (below) of President-elect Obama promising to close Guantanamo — seven years ago today!
(January 8, 2016) — On the seventh anniversary of the opening of the prison camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, President-elect Obama told the nation that “we’re going to close Guantanamo.” Seven years later, we’re still waiting. Fourteen years is an abomination, Mr. President. It’s time to #CloseGitmo!
THE PETITION
President Obama,
Seven years ago, you said on national television that you were going to close Guantanamo. Seven years later, the world is still waiting. Over its history since the first prisoners arrived on January 11, 2002, Guantanamo has imprisoned 779 detainees, most of whom were held without charge or trial.
As of November 2015, 107 detainees remain imprisoned at Guantanamo. The prison camp is not only an outrageous violation of the rights of the hundreds who have been held there, it is a blight on the history of the United States.
We, the undersigned, call on President Obama to visit Guantanamo Bay and use his executive powers to close the prison (and return the navy base to the people of Cuba!).
Sincerely,
