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January 11, 2014 is the 12th anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo. The Bush regime filled the off-shore prison at Guantanamo Bay by rendering men seized from around the globe into indefinite captivity, employing and legally justifying a program of torture they called "enhanced interrogation." Even Bush's team slowly began to release hundreds of prisoners for whom no case could be fabricated to justify prison. When Barack Obama was elected, he quickly promised to close it within a year... five years ago. It's still open, with new infrastructure added, and more personnel than ever. Most people in the U.S. have no idea there are still 82 prisoners there who were cleared for release years ago; 45 who the President says will never be charged or released; and "military commissions" trials are designed to cover the torture inflicted on the prisoners, depriving of them rights the U.S. has claimed to cherish. Close Guantanamo Now Protest at the White House January 11th at 12pm Sponsoring Organizations: Amnesty International, Blue Lantern Project, Center for Constitutional Rights, CloseGuantanamo.org, CODEPINK: Women For Peace, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, The World Can't Wait, Witness Against Torture Miami protest: Close Guantanamo Bay Now! January 11th at 2pm At SOUTHCOM; Sponsored by People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), CODEPINK - Miami, World Can't Wait, Veterans for Peace - Miami, Amnesty International - Chapter 248, Miami for Peace and Justice, Progressive Democrats of America - Miami, Green Party- Broward and Miami-Dade, Students for Justice in Palestine at FAU Santa Monica: Close Guantanamo Now January 11th at 3pm Endorsers/Co-Sponsors/Sponsors:   Addicted to War * American Civil Liberties Union–So CA * Amnesty International USA * Anti-Racist Action-LA * Bill of Rights  Defense Committee * Café Intifada * Center for Constitutional Rights * CODEPINK LA * Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) * ImaginAction * LA Laborfest * LA No More Jails * LA-Palestine Labor Solidarity Committee * LA Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (LARRCAT) * Law Offices of Michael S. Rapkin * MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles * Muslim Public Affairs Committee * National Lawyers Guild – LA * National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) * Office of the Americas * Out Against War * Pax Christi–LA & So CA * The Peace Center of United University Church * Program for Torture Victims–LA * Revolution Books * Shura Council of So CA * School of the Americas Watch–LA * Spiritual Youth for Justice and Peace * St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care * Topanga Peace Alliance * The WE Project * World Can’t Wait -LA Chicago: 12 Years Too Many! Protest January 10th at 4:30pm Organized by the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo (World Can't Wait Chicago, Witness Against Torture, White Rose Catholic Worker, Illinois Coalition Against Torture, Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban Five) Endorsed by: 8th Day Center for Justice, Amnesty International, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, Vets for Peace Chicago, Neighbors for Peace, Chicago Cuba Coalition. Our witness is most powerful with you! Chicago: Guantanamo - 12 Years Too Many! January 11th at 6:30pm We will begin the evening with visual art projects related to the movement to close Guantanamo Bay Prison and end torture and indefinite detention(more details to come soon!). At 7:00 pm we present discussion with 3 panelist on the current legal and political situation at Guantanamo Bay, followed by Q&A: Candace Gorman, a U.S. attorney for 2 men detained at Guantanamo (one has been released, the other remains in prison), Mario Venegas, an activist and torture survivor from Chile, and Dr. Antonio Martinez from the Institute for Survivors of Torture and Human Rights Abuses and a co-founder of the Marjorie Kovler Center here in Chicago. Why, as Obama says the "war on terror" is winding down, will this government not close Guantanamo? And what is our responsibility to see that it does? Join Andy Worthington and Debra Sweet on the Close Guantanamo NOW Tour: Thursday January 9: New York City 6:30 pm: Reception. 7:00 pm: Film screening of Doctors of the Darkside at All Souls Church 1157 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan with Andy Worthington & Debra Sweet, with Todd Pierce, former U.S. military defense attorney for Guantanamo prisoners, Leili Kashani with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Martha Davis, Director of Doctors of the Darkside. Sponsored by: Peace and Justice Task Force of All Souls Unitarian Church, The Center for Constitutional Rights, New York Campaign Against Torture, No More Guantanamos, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Resistance Cinema, Revolution Books, Witness Against Torture, and World Can’t Wait (list in formation). Stay tuned! Livestream planned for this event. Friday January 10: Washington, DC 5:30 pm: Film screening of Doctors of the Darkside, with Andy Worthington & Debra Sweet with Todd Pierce. Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Road NW Monday January 13: Stanford University, Palo Alto CA 5:30 pm: Old Union 520 Lasuen Mall, 3rd Floor Common Room  with Andy Worthington & Debra Sweet with Jeffrey Kaye & Michael Kearns Tuesday January 14: San Francisco 12:00 pm: Hastings Law School, 200 McAllister St, with Andy Worthington & Debra Sweet Tuesday January 14: Berkeley 7:00 pm Screening of Doctors of the Darkside at  with Andy Worthington & Debra Sweet.  Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way @ Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley CA Wednesday January 15: Los Angeles 11:30am: MLK Luncheon with Interfaith Communities United for Justice & Peace Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Keynote Speaker: Andy Worthington Wednesday January 15: Los Angeles 7:00pm: Screening of Doctors of the Darkside at Revolution Books 5726 Hollywood Boulevard with Andy Worthington, Debra Sweet and Jason Leopold Thursday January 16: Orange County Peace Coalition Location TBA January 17: Cal Poly Pomona 7:00 pm Bronco Student Center, Orion Room, 3801 W. Temple Avenue with Andy Worthington, Debra Sweet and Dennis Loo The Torture Remains the Same Shaker Aamer is the last remaining British resident at Guantanamo. He was been cleared for release in 2007 (read the Department of Defense documents stating he is cleared for release). He has long been an advocate for his rights and the rights of other prisoners at Guantanamo. Read his New Year's message: “Last night, as I came back from my legal call, I was FCEd in much the same way I always am, as I peacefully refused to cooperate with them again. [Note: To be FCEd means that the Forcible Cell Extraction team of six soldiers forcibly moves the detainee from one place to another.] This time they did not just force me down on the floor of the room. They apparently decided that they had to get me dirty, so they threw me down in the passage way of the Gold Building - the Cold building! “I had come to the legal call wearing only my underclothes, as they have been doing the 'scrotum searches', and I wanted to show them that it was all a farce. If I did not have trousers on, how could I be hiding something in my trouser pocket, as Colonel Bogdan alleged in his sworn affidavit in court? Of course, a sensible person might point out that our trousers do not have pockets anyway, but that is another story...” Continue reading... Spread these: Press release for the tour Close Guantanamo NOW Proponents Plan US Speaking Tour January 9-1 Social media Thunderclap 12 Years Later Close Gitmo NOW Join CODEPINK in sharing this message together at the same time - automatically. Video about the tour Close Guantanamo Now Tour Share this message: Support January 9-17 Campus/Community Speaking Tour featuring UK journalist Andy Worthington & Debra Sweet, Director of the World Can't Wait. Message from Andy Worthington: “Guantanamo is still open, five years after President Obama promised to close it. The prisoners themselves - through a major hunger strike - reminded the world of the ongoing horrors of the prison last year, but although that spurred President  Obama to make promises about releasing prisoners, and moving towards closing the prison, we know from experience that constant pressure is required to try to make sure that the president sticks to his promises. “As Debra and I embark on a US tour - visiting New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles - to raise awareness of the plight of the [155] men still held at Guantanamo, and to call for the prison's closure - your support is invaluable. Please donate if you can to help us send the message to President Obama: Close Guantanamo Now!” Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait

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