From the Archive

3 Action Steps to Take Today to Close Guantanamo Bay Prison

In this critical transition to the Trump administration, we repeat the call we made earlier this year:

We remind ourselves that Islamophobia is dangerous.  It is at the foundation of Guantanamo Bay Prison’s existence and the fuel that carries the violence we see today.  We continue to offer our love and support to our Muslim sisters and brothers who will be targeted by violence fostered by hate speech.  The work to dismantle racism and xenophobia should be our call.

We invite you to do three activities with us today:

1. Donate to Witness Against Torture

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday – Now, more than ever, we need your help to build a nation without torture, indefinite detention, Islamophobia, and racism.  Please consider a donation to help fund our annual Fast for Justice this January.  We are completely volunteer driven and run. We have no paid staff, all of the money you donate goes to funding the work we do together.  If you are able, please donate here.

2. Take Action: Call your senators today to denounce torture

Today, WAT is delivering a letter to Senator John McCain today to support his public stance on torture. He spoke out against torture at a Nov. 19 conference, saying, “I don’t give a damn what the President of the United States wants to do, we will not waterboard. We will not torture. We will not torture people” In our letter, we offer our perspective on torture at Guantanamo and ask him to continue to speak loudly in favor of a zero-tolerance stance against torture.  Click here to read the letter.

JOIN WAT TODAY in calling and writing Senator McCain and your own senators. Demand that your senators join Sen. McCain to oppose this new administration’s stated intentions to “bring back waterboarding” and other forms of torture.  Thank Senator McCain for his recent refusal to accept Trump’s plan to return to illegal treatment of U.S. captives and tell him to never back down.
US Capitol Switchboard:  (202) 224-3121
To support your advocacy, we offer links to the following WAT statements:

WAT Torture Abolition and Accountability Platform, July 2016

Six Critical Demands for Closing Guantanamo, February 2016

3. RSVP for our Annual Fast for Justice:

We come together not only to call for the closure of Guantanamo and its legacy of institutionalizing Islamophobia, but also to invite our government and fellow citizens to choose the side of love, mercy and justice. We demand an end to policies that maintain racism, mass incarceration, and fear of our neighbors. We come together to envision the world we want to live in where justice and equality reign.

We invite you to RSVP today for our annual Fast for Justice: January 3-12 and our resistance at the Presidential Inauguration January 19-21. 

Please email  witnesstorture@gmail.com for registration information.

Thank you for your support in doing this important work. We hope you can join us today !