January 2015 Activities and Updates: In Chicago, Protest Unending Guantanamo Detention and Torture

Chicago Coalition member Jill McLaughlin leading the
speak-out during the January 15, 2015, protest in Chicago.
(See the full photo album on Facebook - photos courtesy FJJ.)

Many members of the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo participated in the national mobilization in Washington, D.C. - an annual event focusing on the January 11 anniversary date of the establishment of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center.

In Chicago, there were three events:

Andy Worthington on Worldview
Thursday, January 15, 2014 12:00 noon

"Andy Worthington will be interviewed on Jerome McDonnell’s Worldview program at noon on Thursday, January 15, about the current situation of detainees still held at Guantanamo and protests around the world this past weekend on the 13th anniversary of the opening of that torture camp. Listen in, then join us at 4:30 for a creative outdoor protest and at 7:00 at Grace Place." [details below].

"Please respect the rights of ALL God's children."
January 15, 2015, demonstration in front of the Art
Institute of Chicago. (Photo courtesy FJJ.)

Guantanamo 13 Yrs Later: Not One More Year of Torture and Indefinite Detention
Thursday, January 15, 2014 4:30 p.m.
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Avenue

"We will begin the day's events with a powerful and creative action in front of the Art Institute at 4:30pm (look for the orange jumpsuits) which will be followed by a spirited march, with some in orange jumpsuits and black hoods, to the Federal Courthouse (Dearborn and Jackson). We will then march to Grace Place for the evening event with Andy Worthington, Candace Gorman, and Debra Sweet . . ." (see event below)

Panelists at the Thursday night event Andy Worthington, Candace Gorman,
and Debra Sweet (first, second, and fifth from left). The group also includes
(l-r) CCSDG regulars Barbara Lyons, Jerry Parker, Mario Vanegas, Jay Becker,
Marie Shebeck, Joe Scarry, and Eldon Grossman. Barbara holds a poster from
the "We Stand with Shaker Aamer" campaign. (Photo courtesy Lina Thorne.)

How To Shut Down Guantanamo : Andy Worthington, Candace Gorman, Debra Sweet
Thursday, January 15, 2014 7:00 p.m.
Grace Place
637 S. Dearborn

"Come hear Andy Worthington, author of "The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison;" Debra Sweet, National Director of World Can't Wait; and Candace Gorman, an civil rights attorney who represents a man detained at Guantanamo. They will speak about the current situation at Guantanamo Bay Prison and what it will take to finally win freedom for the men still held captive there."



Related developments

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department's just-retired special envoy for closing Guantanamo said in The New York Times in his outgoing statement, "As a high-ranking security official from one of our staunchest allies on counterterrorism (not from Europe) once told me, 'The greatest single action the United States can take to fight terrorism is to close Guantánamo.' (emphasis added) ("The Path to Closing Guantanamo," by Cliff Sloan, January 5, 2015.)


Recent releases:

January 15, 2015 - Guantánamo sends 5 Yemeni detainees to Oman, Estonia

to Oman:
Khadr al Yafi (of Yemen)
Abd al Rahman Abdullah Abu Shabati (of Yemen)
Fadil Husayn Salih Hintif (of Yemen)
Mohammed al Khatib (of Yemen)

to Estonia:
Ahmed Abdul Qader (of Yemen)

December 30, 2014 - US releases 5 Guantanamo prisoners, sends them to Kazakhstan:

Adel Al-Hakeemy (of Tunisia)
Abdallah Bin Ali al Lufti (of Tunisia)
Asim Thabit Abdullah Al-Khalaqi (of Yemen)
Muhammad Ali Husayn Khanayna (of Yemen)
Sabri Mohammad al Qurashiv (of Yemen)

December 20, 2014 - U.S. sends four Guantanamo prisoners home to Afghanistan:

Shawali Khan (of Afghanistan)
Khi Ali Gul (of Afghanistan)
Abdul Ghani (of Afghanistan)
Mohammed Zahir (of Afghanistan)

December 7, 2014 - Six Guantanamo prisoners fly to Uruguay for resettlement:

Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab (of Syria)
Ahmed Adnan Ahjam (of Syria)
Ali Hussain Shaabaan (of Syria)
Omar Mahmoud Faraj (of Syria)
Abdul Bin Mohammed Abis Ourgy (of Tunisia)
Mohammed Tahanmatan (of Palestine)

November 22, 2014 - U.S. releases Guantanamo prisoner to Saudi Arabia:

Muhammad Murdi Issa al-Zahrani (of Saudi Arabia)

November 20, 2014 - 5 Guantánamo Inmates Are Sent to Eastern Europe:

to Slovakia:
Hisham Bin Ali Bin Amor Sliti (of Tunisia)
and Hussein Salem Mohammed, (of Yemen)
to Georgia:
Slah Muhamed Salih al-Zabe (of Yemen)
Abdul Khaled Ahmed Sahleh al-Bedani (of Yemen)
Abdel Ghalib Ahmad Hakim (of Yemen)

November 5, 2014 - Kuwaiti Released From Guantánamo Under New Review System:

Fawzi al Odah (of Kuwait)

Related posts

Chicago was the site of major protests against U.S. detention practices in Guantanamo, as well as in Bagram, other prisons throughout Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the world, on and around January 11, 2012. We called for an end to indefinite detention, unfair trials, and torture.

(See Chicago Protests Guantanamo Detention)

June 26 in Chicago - International Day in Support of Torture Survivors Demonstration

June is an extremely important time for the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo.  June is International Torture Awareness Month, and June 26 is International Day in Support of Survivors and Victims of Torture.

Join the Facebook event and invite friends!

 
On June 26, join Amnesty International, Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, and Chicago Coalition to Shutdown Guantanamo to demand justice for Chicago torture survivors and torture survivors around the world.

We will meet at noon on June 26 at James R Thompson Center to hear from torture survivors, experts on torture and slam poets. Following the rally, we'll march protesting the use of torture and police brutality in Chicago by marching from the James R. Thompson Center to Chicago City Hall, where we will ask the Chicago City Council to pass the Reparations Ordinance for Chicago Police Torture Survivors. To learn more or sign the petition, visit www.amnestyusa.org/chicagotorture

The event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by Amnesty International, Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, and the Chicago Coalition to Shutdown Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo (World Can’t Wait, Witness Against Torture, Illinois Coalition Against Torture, Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban Five, Vets for Peace Chicago Chapter, and CAIR-Council on American-Islamic Relations, Chicago, Amnesty International USA)

Join the Facebook event and invite friends!

May 23 - Not Another Broken Promise! Not Another Day in Guantanamo!

People from throughout the Chicago area gathered at 4:30 pm at the Water Tower Park (Chicago and Michigan) on May 23, 2014.

They urged President Obama and Congress to end indefinite detention and close the detention facility at Guantánamo. There were simultaneous actions across the country.

The protest at the Water Tower was followed by a march down Michigan Avenue to Tribune Plaza, and then to Millenium Park.

See the full photo gallery below.

May 23, 2014—One year after President Obama once again promised to close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay human rights activists in 40+ cities in six countries are taking action against the lack of progress on detainee transfers and calling on him to transfer the dozens of cleared detainees and make good on his commitment to close the prison this year.

The President’s pledge last May to close Guantánamo came amidst a mass hunger strike at the prison by men protesting their indefinite detention. Since then only a handful of men have been released from Guantánamo, where hungers strikes and brutal force-feedings continue.

“No matter how much I show you I am tough, in reality I am dying inside. If you want us to die, leave us alone. But they do not want us to die, and they do not want us to live like a human being. What is worse than that?”

—Quote by Shaker Aamer, who has been held at Guantánamo without charge for over 12 years

1 Year Has Passed Since President Obama’s Renewed Promise to Close Guantánamo: Only 12 Men Released as of May 23, 2014

• 154 men remain imprisoned. 146 of them haven’t been charged.
• 74 men have been cleared for release, most of whom have been imprisoned without charge for more than 11 years.
• An unknown number of men are on hunger strike and are being force- fed. Force-feeding is in violation of Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. A mass hunger strike began on February 6, 2013. At its height, in June 2013, 106 men were reportedly participating in the hunger strike. On December 3, 2013, the U.S. military stopped daily reporting on the number of hunger strikers.

Please join the weekly vigils of the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo or contact us at chicagoshutdownguantanamo@gmail.com to learn more about how you can get involved.

May 23, 2014 in Chicago - Photo Gallery

 One year ago, Barack Obama said:

I know the politics are hard. But history will cast a harsh judgment on this aspect of our fight against terrorism, and those of us who fail to end it. Imagine a future – ten years from now, or twenty years from now – when the United States of America is still holding people who have been charged with no crime on a piece of land that is not a part of our country. Look at the current situation, where we are force-feeding detainees who are holding a hunger strike. Is that who we are? Is that something that our Founders foresaw? Is that the America we want to leave to our children?

(See White House website, Remarks of President Barack Obama, May 23, 2013)

On May 23, 2014, in Chicago, brought the question to the streets.

"Is that who we are?"

Gathering in Water Tower Park

Gutananamo detainees in Water Tower Park

Opponents of Guantanamo detention with signs in Water Tower Park

"I am still waiting for Obama to sign my release"

"Where is the world to save us from torture?"

"I died waiting to see my family" - Yasser al Zahrani, died 6-10-2006

The procession down Michigan Avenue begins.

Agitation on Michigan Avenue

"I am #239"

SONG: "We are building a nation . . . that does not torture . . . "

Tribune Plaza, Wrigley Building, Michigan Avenue Tour Bus, and Guantanamo

Michigan Avenue agitation continues: EN ESPAÑOL!

Protest against Guantanamo detention arrives at Millennium Park

At "The Bean": MIC CHECK!

Iconic image for Barack Obama's home town:
Guantanamo detainees reflected in "The Bean" in Millennium Park

Yes . . . "This is who we are"

Photos courtesy FJJ.

Related development:

In a hugely important ruling in the US District Court in Washington D.C., relating to the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Judge Gladys Kessler has ordered the government to suspend the force-feeding of a hunger-striking prisoner, and to preserve video evidence of his force-feeding.

(See more at: Breakthrough on Guantánamo: Judge Orders US Government to Stop Force-Feeding Syrian Prisoner and to Preserve Video Evidence )

"We who believe in freedom cannot rest!" (Shut Down Guantanamo!)

On Good Friday 2014 (April 18), members of the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo participated in the 34th annual 8th Day Center Good Friday Justice Walk. The theme for the walk was "We who believe in freedom cannot rest!" and this certainly resonated with the work of the Coalition.

Below is text of our station (#9 - Executed) together with photos from the day and images of the detainees whose writings were used.


OPENING PRAYER

Jesus, our Tortured Brother,
In this world, so many are
forced to walk your path today —
the suffering and pain, the
humiliation, sense of betrayal and
abandonment,
for those with power, the
Romans of today, continue to
condemn others to modern crosses.
You said that what was done to the least of these was done to
you and so each day,
You are tortured anew.

(Sister Dianna Ortiz, OSU)

READER ONE

My name is Shaker. Please can you remember this name for me, because I hardly can anymore.

Here, they call me 239. In fact, I call myself 239. It feels so strange to witness my name slipping away from me.

I wonder how long it is going to take for all of us here in Guantánamo to slip away from the world’s memory?

We have lost years of our lives here - and some (three times as many as have been convicted) have actually died.

We have lost our sanity, our health, our humanity and our dignity. Yes, we seem to have lost everything.

But I believe we are gradually rediscovering hope and, with hope, we will relocate our lives and everything else that is meaningful.

Meanwhile our tormentors are losing everything and, the more they lose, the more they torment us. I can’t describe what they are doing. The world must hasten to compel the US government to solve this dilemma before it is too late. Candles cannot burn forever.

(Shaker Aamar)

ALL:

Where is the world to save us from torture?

Where is the world to save us from the fire and sadness?

Where is the world to save the hunger strikers?

(Adnan Latif)

READER TWO

O prison darkness, pitch your tent.
We love the darkness.

For after the dark hours of the night,
Pride’s dawn will rise.

Let the world, with all its bliss, fade away -
So long as we find favor with God.

A boy may despair in the face of a problem,
But we know God has a design.

Even though the bands tighten and seem unbreakable,
They will shatter.

Those who persist will attain their goal;
Those who keep knocking shall gain entry,

O crisis, intensify!
The morning is about to break forth!

(Abdulaziz)

ALL:

Where is the world to save us from torture?

Where is the world to save us from the fire and sadness?

Where is the world to save the hunger strikers?

CLOSING PRAYER

Jesus, our Guardian of the Wounded and Tortured,
Bid us to look into the secret prisons—the unmarked
graves—the hearts and minds of the torture survivors,
Bid us to wipe the tears of the families of those whose
decapitated bodies were cast into the open sea,
Bid us to embrace the open wounds of the tortured.
Jesus, Guiding Spirit,
Teach us to be in solidarity with those who hang from
these crosses,
Call out to those who torture, “Know the evil you have
done and repent.”
Call out to the rest of us, “What meaning does love have
if you allow torture to continue unopposed?”
In the name of all the tortured of the world, give us the
strength, give us the courage, give us the will to bring this
horror to an end, in the name of love, justice, and the God of
us all. Amen

(Sister Dianna Ortiz, OSU)

Justice Walk photos courtesy FJJ.

Vigils to Shut Down Guantanamo

NOTE: As we enter Summer 2015, we are moving to a schedule of intermittent vigils. Check this space and our Facebook page for info on plans for specific Fridays during Summer 2015.


The Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo holds vigils at Dearborn and Jackson in Chicago - traditionally on Fridays at 4:30 p.m. to support the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers and to demand that Guantanamo be shut down.

Some of us wear orange jumpsuit and black hoods, while others talk with people on the street. As each day passes the more urgent the situation for the men still remaining becomes. The only way to ensure the health and safety of these men and end the Hunger Strike is that the 86 cleared for release be released and the rest be charged and given a fair trial. It is on us to keep the hunger strike and the humanity of these men in the public eye.

Related posts

April 25, 2014 vigil: "Another week of hearings at Guantánamo, another series of jaw-dropping revelations and rulings that underline the futility of the whole enterprise. That the system isn’t working has long been obvious. Now the tragedy is turning into farce."