Ten years of shame - Close Guantanamo

04 January 2012 - Edinburgh STWC

This month sees the tenth anniversary of the Guantánamo Bayprison camp. President Obama said he would close the camp buthe has not. 171 prisoners remain without prospect of release.

Protest: Saturday 14 January, Edinburgh

12noon - 4pm East end of Princes St (In front of Register House, where North Bridge meets Waterloo Place and Princes Street)
Organised by Edinburgh University Amnesty International, supported by Edinburgh Stop the War Coalition and SACC

The so-called ‘war on terror’ established a web of horror aroundthe world of which Guantánamo is perhaps the best-known centre.Individuals were picked up in Afghanistan, Pakistan and in otherparts of the world. They were then incarcerated at Bagram inAfghanistan and Guantánamo and flown to torture cells in Egypt,Morocco, Syria and elsewhere. This was known as extraordinaryrendition.

The United States and British governments have lied repeatedlyover whether ‘rendition’ was happening, the scale of the processand the use of torture. However, bit-by-bit the evidence of torturehas emerged. Those who have been rendered have had theirrights stripped away with no recourse to any legal process orprotection. We know from those who have eventually beenreleased that many were just in the wrong place at the wrongtime.

Over a dozen British nationals and residents have been illegallyimprisoned at Guantánamo. Two remain: Shaker Aamer, a UKresident with a British family in south London, including a son hehas never met; and Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national fromBournemouth. Both men were cleared for release in 2007.Kidnapping and imprisoning people indefinitely without charge ortrial, denying them their freedom and human rights, gratuitouslydenigrating and abusing them physically and mentally: ALL OFTHIS MUST END.

Edinburgh Stop the War meets 7.30pm on Monday16th January at the Friends Meeting House, 7Victoria Terrace – come along and help us organize.Future meetings 20th February, 19th March same venue

Find out more at www.edinburghstw.org.uk

Ten years of shame - Shut Down Guantánamo - Download this article as a leaflet (pdf document)