Guantanamo protest - yet again
Hunger strikers news silenced
Justin and Colm
On Saturday, 11 January 2013, under
a clear blue sky, Colm Roddy and I protested outside the US Embassy in
Ballsbridge against the continuing US human rights abuses in Guantanamo
prison. As usual, Colm was dressed in orange Guantanamo gear and spent
most of his time kneeling, while I walked and kept warm.
It was the closing day of the Young Scientists Exhibition and crowds
were flocking to the RDS, also located in Ballsbridge. Ironically, the
Chargé d'affaires had an input there. (There is no US Ambassador in
Ireland since 14 December 2014). Well done to overall winner Paul Clarke.
Don't know how politically aware he might be but maybe sometime he will
recall that there was a human rights protest, however small, outside
the US embassy on the day that he was being deservedly feted for his
brilliant achievement.
Being the day it was, there was little enough reaction to our protest.
Car horns were blowing as they passed but mostly because of road rage
due to traffic jams. A welcome few gave the thumbs up. We tried to hand
in a letter but it was not accepted - we were asked to post it, which we
will do. Meanwhile we are e-mailing it to the Embassy.
Letter to the US Embassy Chargé d'affaires Stuart Dwyer
11 January 2014
Dear Mr Dwyer
We are again protesting the illegal detention of prisoners at the
notorious Guantanamo prison on the twelfth anniversary of its opening.
The shocking scandal of people who were sold to your predecessor by
unscrupulous bounty hunters remains alive - and as disgusting as ever -
in 2014. The Gulag of the USA has been condemned worldwide but the USA
has not listened to, or responded to, the criticism. As of December 18,
2013, 158 detainees remain in the hell-hole of Guantanamo.
The history of Guantanamo has been one of illegal beatings, torture,
force feeding of hunger strikers, and suicides. In the infamous words of
an Abu Graib
commander, she had orders that her prisoners were to be treated as Guantanamo prisoners were treated, "like dogs".
Despite your President's promises before his election to close down this
infamous place within a year, it remains open. a year into his second
term.
As late as 2012, Jimmy Carter criticized the methods used to obtain
confessions: "some of the few being tried (only in military courts) have
been tortured by water-boarding more than 100 times or intimidated with
semi-automatic weapons, power drills or threats to sexually assault
their mothers. Astoundingly, these facts cannot be used as a defence by
the accused, because the government claims they occurred under the cover
of "national security" ".
A new wave of hunger strikes arose in early 2013. At its peak in July,
106 of the 166 detainees were on hunger strike, with 45 of them being
force-fed.
Without any sense of shame or wrongdoing, on December 4th 2013, the US
military announced that it would no longer disclose information about
the hunger strikes, explaining that "The release of this information
serves no operational purpose"!
Are these the actions of a terrorist State or of a civilised State?
The last disclosed figures in December 2013 showed numbers of hunger strikers rising to 15, with all being tube fed !
Shame on your government. In the face of such infamous secrecy
concerning crimes against humans you need more whistleblowers of the
calibre of Chelsea Manning - who should be released - and Edward
Snowden. Both should be honoured for opposing lies with truth. As should
all other people of integrity whom you persecute around the globe.
The President pleads that he cannot undo this wrongdoing because of
Congress. That is his problem. The USA opened Guantanamo against all
advice from international and human rights organizations. Just now the
President is responsible for human rights abuses that are now being
hidden. He must find a way.
With best personal wishes
Justin Morahan
Colm Roddy
Colm with placards
Colm - typical pose for the day
