Inauguration Bleachers

From the Archive

WAT Friday Fast for Justice

We are inviting you to join WAT’s Friday Fast for Justice — a tradition we’ve held for many years (read the full history here). If you join the fast, we would ask you to:

1. Fast on Friday, in any form you like

Go without food in solidarity with the hunger strikers in Guantánamo.

2. Make three phone calls to:

1) The White House (202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414) urging President Obama to declassify the executive summary and major findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on CIA torture swiftly and in their entirety, as well as to fulfill his promise to close Guantánamo

2) U.S. Southern Command (305-437-1213) to decry the conditions at Guantánamo especially force feeding policy and humiliating body searches that prisoners are subjected to.

3) Call one of the following senators about the The Detaining Terrorists to Protect America Act of 2015 (S. 165). On February, 12th, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved legislation authored by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH that would effectively ban all transfers and ensure that Guantánamo remains open. We are asking people to call their senators and the key senators below preemptively to show our opposition. The amendment would restore a blanket-ban on all transfers of prisoners to Yemen. It punishes men by the simple virtue of their national origin and is irrespective of the particulars of their cases. Prisoners can be safely repatriated to Yemen, and should be done so without legislative obstacle. We are urging Senators to vote “no” on S.165. It would only doom many of the men in Guantánamo to continued miserable and open-ended detention.

Senators to Call:
Senator Mark Begich: (202) 224-3004
Senator Bob Casey: (202) 224-6324
Senator Jeff Flake: (202) 224-4521
Senator Heidi Heitkamp: (202) 224-2043
Senator Angus King: (202) 224-5344
Senator Mary Landrieu: (202) 224-5824
Senator Joe Manchin: (202) 224-3954
Senator John McCain: (202) 224-2235
Senator Bill Nelson: (202) 224-5274
Senator Rand Paul: (202) 224-4343
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: (202) 224-2841
Senator Debbie Stabenow: (202) 224-4822
Senator Jon Tester: (202) 224 2644
Senator John Walsh: (202) 224 2651
Senator Mark Warner:(202) 224-2023

Example script for Senators: I am fasting for 24 hours in solidarity with the prisoners at Guantanamo, especially for those who are on hunger strike. I am calling today to urge you to oppose The Detaining Terrorists to Protect America Act of 2015 (S. 165). This legislation punishes the men in Guantánamo by the simple virtue of their national origin and is irrespective of the particulars of their cases. Prisoners can be safely repatriated to Yemen, and should be done so without legislative obstacle. I are urging you to vote no on S. 165, when it is entered onto the senate floor. Such legislation would doom the men in Guantánamo to miserable and open-ended detention. Rather. I am asking you to support the releasing of the all those clear for release, end the inhumane of practice of force feeding and support legislation that moves towards closing the prison camp in Guantanamo.

Example script for White House and U.S. Southern Command:
I am fasting for 24 hours in solidarity with the prisoners at Guantánamo, especially for those who are on hunger strike. I am calling today out of concern for them and for the rest of the prisoners. I am asking you to resume releasing the number of prisoners on hunger strike and to stop the inhumane practice of force feeding. Lastly, the US must set free those cleared for release and close Guantanamo.3. Write to a prisoner at Guantánamo.

3. Write to a Prisoner at Guantánamo.

letter

Choose a prisoner’s name off the list  at the Amnesty International website. There is also a sample letter that  can be downloaded and printed off here. The address to send the letter to is:

Detainee Name
Detainee ISN
U.S. Naval Station
Guantánamo Bay
Washington D.C. 20355
United States of America

Please also include a return address on the envelope.

If you are already participating in or are interested in participating in the Friday Fast for Justice, please sign up here. You can commit to fasting on a specific Friday, weekly for a particular time period; until Guantánamo is closed; or whatever works for you.

See who participated in previous months.

Join us on social media

  • Witness Against Torture on Facebook
  • Witness Against Torture on Twitter
  • Witness Against Torture on Instagram
  • Witness Against Torture on YouTube
  • Witness Against Torture on Tumblr