ACLU Announces “Close Guantánamo” Campaign (1/8/2008)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org; (212) 549-2666 Group Urges People
to Wear Orange on Sixth
Anniversary of Illegal Detentions NEW YORK – To
coincide with the six-year anniversary of the arrival of prisoners at
Guantánamo
Bay, the American Civil Liberties
Union today announced its Close Guantánamo campaign. The ACLU is hosting more
than 20 events across the country this week from
Washington,
DC to Boise,
Idaho. In addition, the ACLU is calling on
Americans to wear orange this Friday as an expression of opposition to
indefinite detention at the U.S.-run prison and torture.
Orange, the color of the jumpsuits
worn by the first Gitmo detainees in photographs released by the Department of
Defense in 2002, was chosen to represent torture tactics and prisoner abuse.
“We believe people will turn out in force to express their
opposition to the symbol and reality of Guantánamo,” said Jameel Jaffer,
Director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “For six years, the Bush
administration has flouted the Constitution and run roughshod over the
international human rights system that the
U.S. itself
helped build. On January 11, we will send a clear message to the world that the
administration must abandon its torture policies and shut down Guantánamo once
and for all.”
The ACLU, along with other human rights organizations,
launched the Close Guantánamo campaign in December. Events across the country
this week will include demonstrations in
Washington,
DC,
Boston,
Philadelphia and
Boise, ID;
protests in San Francisco and
Tampa; a discussion in
Pittsburgh; a vigil in
Raleigh, NC;
and a rally in St. Louis.
Musician Henry Rollins and actress Gloria Reuben from “ER”
have agreed to wear orange in support of the campaign. In addition,
singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello will wear orange onstage at her
performance at the Music Hall of
Williamsburg in
Brooklyn, NY
this Friday.
“I am wearing orange to help bring back the dignity our
country has lost as a result of Guantánamo,” said Ndegeocello. “We must join
together in solidarity to demand the immediate closure of this shameful prison.
It has tarnished
America’s image
in the world and continues to be a symbol of torture and
injustice.”
In just three weeks, over 1300 Facebook users subscribed to
the ACLU’s Close Guantánamo page and over 230 people joined the ACLU’s MySpace
page, including the campaigns of both parties’ presidential
candidates.
More information on Close Guantánamo, such as details on our
scheduled events, is available at: www.aclu.org/closeguantanamo
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