Wed. Jan. 11, 2012 - Guantanamo Bay Rally (noon, Public Witness/Human Chain (1pm)

Guantanamo Bay
It’s Time to Close a Symbol of Torture
RALLY and PUBLIC WITNESS

When:
January 11, 2012

What:
Noon - Rally @ Lafayette Square across from the White House
1:00 p.m. – Public Witness/Human Chain
3:00 p.m. – Interfaith Service at NY Ave Presbyterian Church

Sign up now! Take your place in the human chain connecting the White House to the Capitol.

Stand together with other National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) supporters and members from a broad coalition of human rights groups in this witness involving more than 2000 people, representing the estimated number of prisoners still held at Guantanamo and Bagram. January 11, 2012 will mark the 10th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. It will also be three years since President Obama pledged to close the detention facility. Congress has taken steps to prevent the closure by restricting funding and creating barriers to the transfer of prisoners. These are policies rooted in fear rather than wisdom.

Because the prison stands as an internationally recognized symbol of torture and our nation’s failure to respect the basic dignity inherent in all people, Guantanamo Bay does not make us safer but instead inspires those who seek to harm us. It endures as a legacy of a period in which our government put its fears ahead of our values.

Join NRCAT and a broad coalition of human rights organizations in a
powerful public witness in Washington, DC, on January 11, 2012.

The coalition is securing a permit for this event, and no one anticipates risking arrest.

Following the public witness, NRCAT will host a reception and interfaith service at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, just a few blocks from the White House. Join us for food, hot beverages and fellowship.

Questions? Want to join a group? Car-pool? Participate?

Please contact Moya Atkinson, Co-Chair of the Global Peace through Justice group,

and a member of Northern Virginians for Peace and Justice, moyaatk@yahoo.com

UUCA is a participating member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) and of the Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (WRRCAT).

Tags: 10th, 11, 2012, Anniversary, Guantanamo, Jan., close, public, rally, witness