Our National Shame

Guantánamo is our national shame. Five years after Camp X-Ray opened to house prisoners from the US war in Afghanistan, about 500 prisoners remain there. Not one has been charged, tried, or convicted for any crime.

On January 11th, the 5th anniversary of the first prisoners arriving at Guantánamo, about 200 protesters turned out for a demonstration against the detention center and the troop increase in Iraq proposed by President Bush the day before. A dozen Rochester "prisoners" donned the prisoners’ black hoods.

According to Witness Against Torture—a campaign to shut down Guantánamo—only 8% of detainees were even considered to be Al Qaeda fighters by the US government. 95% of detainees were handed over to the United States by third parties in exchange for bounties offered.

The UN Commission on Human Rights has said treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo ‘seriously undermines the rule of law and a number of fundamental universally recognized human rights, which are the essence of democratic societies.’ Our country is losing its soul at Guantánamo. To regain one’s soul, one must repent. Read the full article here.

Photos from January 11th Protest in Rochester: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Additional Information: Indybay coverage: International Protests Against Torture and Detention || Amnesty International’s 12-Point Programme for the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by Agents of the State || Protesting Guantánamo by Frida Berrigan || Reprieve's Seeds of Hope campaign for Guantánamo gardeners || Truth, Torture, and the American Way