"...trampled beneath Bushs policy of endless war'."

On January 11, the day on which six years ago the Guantanamo
Bay Prison Camp opened, more than a hundred people, organized
by the Brandywine Peace Community, gathered at noon in front of
the Phila. Federal Building as part of the International Day of Action
to Shut Down Guantnamo. In Front of the Phila. Federal
Courthouse, just yards from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall,
in steady rainfall, people stood with banners and signs as four black-
hooded figures shackled together in orange jumpsuits stuck out of
the vigil line as the names of the nearly 300 "detainees" who remain
at Guantanamo in indefinite detention, without charges of any
criminal wrongdoing, without of hope of release, were read.

Accompanying her classmates and other members of the Pitman
[NJ] High School Amnesty International club an Arab student read
the names of Guntanamo prisoners through a bullhorn as TV
cameras recorded the vigil and sound of the names: Mullah Norullah
Noori, Afghani; Zia Ul Shah, Pakistani; Ahmed Umar Abdullah Al
Hikimi, Yemeni; Ayman Al Amrani, Jordanian.

At 12:30PM, as planned (in an unexpected break in the rain), a
procession began stretching a city block, passing first the Liberty
Bell and then (just as the rain resumed harder than before)
Independence Hall. Lead by a stark banner reading "Shut Down
GUANTANAMO and the black-hooded and orange jumpsuited "prisoners",
still shackled with chains around their waists and wrists. Through a
teaming rain, puddles, and around the historic district of Philadelphia's

Independence Mall area, the procession made its way to the
National Constitution Center. There, Jason Karasik, attorney and
part of a law firm representing Guantanamo prisoners, spoke of the
experience of meeting with and attempting to represent people
imprisoned, stripped of the right of habeus corpus and any
semblance of constitutional protection. After Jason's plea for
continued protest, one by one the "prisoners" had their shackles and
black hoods removed and then read the description of a
Guantanamo prisoner and a piece of their poetry published recently
in a compilation of poetry by Guantanamo prisoners, see
www.brandywinepeace.com

There were over 70 demonstrations across the country, including a
large demonstration in Washington, DC, that included nonviolent
civil disobedience in which eighty-one people were arrested at the
Supreme Court. For a full report and list of international protests,
www.witnesstorture.org

International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantnamo,
www.witnesstorture.org

6 Years Ago, January 11, 2002, twenty hooded and shackled
Afghani men arrived at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantnamo Bay on
the island of Cuba. Side-stepping Geneva Convention protections
for prisoners of war, the Bush Administration deems them enemy
combatants, a new category for people captured in the war on
terror.

6 Years of Guantnamo: * Indefinite Detention * Torture

More than one thousand men and boys have been imprisoned at
Guantnamo. Accounts of cruel and inhuman treatment have been
condemned by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and other
international agencies. The prisoners have resorted to hunger
strikes as a way of protesting their treatment. Many have attempted
suicide; three men killed themselves on June 10th 2006.
Desperation and fear mark their confinement.

Not a single Guantnamo prisoner has been charged, tried or
convicted of any crime. Only five percent of them were picked up on
battlefields. Many have been released because no evidence was
found against them, but nearly 300 men remain in indefinite
detention, stripped of habeus corpus and due process, without hope
of release. Democracy, law, justice, and the constitution have been
trampled beneath Bushs policy of endless war. For our nation of
laws, for our democracy, for our belief in human rights, we demand
that steps be taken to return our nation to justice and adherence to
the constitution, beginning with Closing Guantnamo.

Shut Down Guantnamo * Restore the Constitution
*Repeal the Military Commissions Act and restore Habeas Corpus.
*Charge and try in Federal Court or release all the Guantanamo
Prisoners.
*Forbid torture and all forms of inhuman treatment by the military,
CIA, prison guards, civilian contractors.
*Pay reparations to current and former detainees and their families
for violations of their human rights.
*Shut down all other U.S. prisons overseas, including secret CIA
detention facilities.

Brandywine Peace Community
American Civil Liberties Union, Phila. Chapter,
Phila. Granny Peace Brigade
Philly World Cant Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime

"I'm privileged to speak here today about an issue of such grave
importance to our countryone that goes to the very soul of a nation
founded on the principles of freedom and justice.

"I am part of a litigation team that represents two prisoners being held
at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo. Neither of these men was captured
anywhere close to a battlefield, yet the executive has classified them
both as enemy combatants. Neither has ever been officially charged with
any crime or offense, yet both have been held without trial for almost
six years based on little more than rumors and innuendo -- thats the
type of evidence that Pennsylvanias own Senator Arlen Specter has called
'the flimsiest sort of hearsay.'

"Both were abducted and subjected to continuous interrogation and
mistreatment -- including sensory deprivation, extreme temperatures,
psychological torment, and beatings. And neither has ever been allowed
to seek formal justification for his imprisonmentimprisonment in a place
whose existence has sparked such domestic and international outcry from
across the political spectrum -- that even the President himself says he
wants to see it shut down.

"But Guantanamo remains, and my clients remain there for reasons that the
administration itself cannot or will not articulate. Let me give you an
example of this -- Ill tell you a bit more about one of my clients. He
was a sheep trader in Afghanistan who fled Jalalabad during the initial
coalition attack; he was captured by villagers and sold to the Northern
Alliance for a bounty. They forced him to sign a confession. He was
eventually turned over to the U.S. Army, and since then he has been
accused (without any basis in fact) of being everything from a
battlefield soldier to a confidant of Osama Bin Laden to a high-ranking
member of Hamas.

"When we pressured the executive to finally justify his imprisonment,
they turned around and said no justification was necessary because -- all
of a suddenhe had been cleared for release from custody. Now, a year
later, he still sits in prison. They admit they have no reason to hold
him and still he sits in the maximum security of Camp VI -- a place were
told is reserved for the 'worst of the worst.'

"The administration hasnt lifted a finger to help find some country to
which he can be released. And even though hes been cleared for release,
theyve never rescinded his designation as an enemy combatant.

"This type of game-playing with peoples liberty has been the
administrations rule, not its exception when dealing with Guantanamo;
and it makes me think not just about why I took on these pro bono cases,
but why I became a lawyer in the first place.

"You know, this past Sunday I read a New York Times article that talked
about how being a lawyer is not special anymore -- how if I wanted
professional prestige in this day and age, I should have dropped out of
college to become a website billionaire. Id be on easy street, and Id
be doing nothing to combat one of the most grievous injustices of our
time.

"My clients and others like them have been denied the right to be tried
fairly and prove their innocence. Habeas corpus is a right so ancient in
origin and fundamental to our way of life that without it, the essence of
America ceases to exist. Without it, the executive can run roughshod
over our liberties, with unreviewable authority to decide who is
dangerous and who is not.

"In the last six years, the administration has sought to do just that.
Instead of working to create a stable system dedicated toward
distinguishing the innocent and the guilty -- one that prevents prisoner
abuse and meets our countrys obligations under the Geneva Conventions --
the executive at every turn asserts an unfettered, absolute power to
determine these prisoners fate.

"As one presidential candidate notes, Guantanamo and the system in place
there have 'become associated in the eyes of the world with a discredited
administration policy of abuse, secrecy, and contempt for the rule of
law.' This abandonment of our most basic constitutional principles
hasnt just damaged our ability to track down agents of terrorand to
enlist even our best allies help in doing so. It has compromised the
moral leadership of the freest nation on earth.

"Every lawyer in this country swears an oath to uphold and defend the
Constitution. I suppose many of them dont think twice about it as they
go about their daily lives. But for me, this isnt just a matter of
conscience; its one of faith.

"I became a lawyer because I have faith in an exquisite system of checks
and balances -- one that holds liberty and safety in equal and compatible
regard. I have faith that the vigilant and strong can and will defend
the weak and helpless. I have faith in a system of laws, not of men --
one that inspires greatness both in those who serve and protect us, and
those who peacefully protest injustice. I have faith in a people who
reject the notion that we cant defeat terrorism unless we disregard what
it means to be Americans.

"Our system, our American Constitution -- exquisite though it may be --
truly is worthless unless there are people vigilant and brave enough to
defend it at every turnaround the world and at home alike.

"Yes, today is January 11th -- a day of solemn commemoration, but also
one of hope. Because when I think of you here today at the cradle of
liberty (especially the young people here) -- who have braved the rain to
stand in solidarity with others in cities across the nation; who have
been galvanized by this day; and who are ready to stand for justice and
willing to defend this nations ideals -- I see just what kind of country
we really are. I feel my faith renewed. And -- as much as ever -- I am
proud to be an American."

Jason Karasik
Attorney at Law
Pepper Hamilton, LLP

Joint Chiefs chairman: Close Guantanamo

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer2 hours, 11 minutes ago

The chief of the U.S. military said Sunday he favors closing the prison here as soon as possible because he believes negative publicity worldwide about treatment of terrorist suspects has been "pretty damaging" to the image of the United States.

"I'd like to see it shut down," Adm. Mike Mullen said in an interview with three reporters who toured the detention center with him on his first visit since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last October.

His visit came two days after the sixth anniversary of the prison's opening in January 2002. He stressed that a closure decision was not his to make and that he understands there are numerous complex legal questions the administration believes would have to be settled first, such as where to move prisoners.

The admiral also noted that some of Guantanamo Bay's prisoners are deemed high security threats. During a tour of Camp Six, which is a high-security facility holding about 100 prisoners, Mullen got a firsthand look at some of the cells; one prisoner glared at Mullen through his narrow cell window as U.S. officers explained to the Joint Chiefs chairman how they maintain almost-constant watch over each prisoner.

Mullen, whose previous visit was in December 2005 as head of the U.S. Navy, noted that President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates also have spoken publicly in favor of closing the prison. But Mullen said he is unaware of any active discussion in the administration about how to do it.

"I'm not aware that there is any immediate consideration to closing Guantanamo Bay," Mullen said.

Asked why he thinks Guantanamo Bay, commonly dubbed Gitmo, should be closed, and the prisoners perhaps moved to U.S. soil, Mullen said, "More than anything else it's been the image — how Gitmo has become around the world, in terms of representing the United States."

Critics have charged that detainees have been mistreated in some cases and that the legal conditions of their detentions are not consistent with the rule of law.

"I believe that from the standpoint of how it reflects on us that it's been pretty damaging," Mullen said, speaking in a small boat that ferried him to and from the detention facilities across a glistening bay.

He said he was encouraged to hear from U.S. officers here that the prison population has shrunk by about 100 over the past year, to 277. At one time the population exceeded 600. Hundreds have been returned to their home countries but U.S. officials say some are such serious security threats that they cannot be released for the foreseeable future. Only four are currently facing military trials after being formally charged with crimes.

Mullen also walked through an almost-completed top-security courtroom where the military expects to hold trials beginning this spring for the 14 "high-value" terror suspects who had previously been held at secret CIA prisons abroad. He was told that audio of the proceedings might be piped to locations in the United States where families of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and perhaps others, could hear them.

Mullen's predecessor, retired Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, is a defendant in a lawsuit by four British men who allege they were systematically tortured throughout their two years of detention at this remote outpost. On Friday a federal appeals court in Washington ruled against the four men.

It was six years ago that Guantanamo Bay received its first prisoners, suspected terrorists picked up on the battlefields of Afghanistan as the Taliban government was being ousted from power.

The facility is on land leased from the Cuban government under terms of a long-term deal that predates the rule of President Fidel Castro. It is commanded by Navy Rear Adm. Mark Buzby.

Gates, at a Dec. 21 news conference at the Pentagon, noted the administration's failure to settle the closure debate.

"I think that the principal obstacle has been resolving a lot of the legal issues associated with closing Guantanamo and what you do with the prisoners when they come back (to the United States)," Gates said.

"Because of some of these legal concerns — some of which are shared by people in both parties on Capitol Hill — there has not been much progress in this respect," he added.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration considered Guantanamo Bay a suitable place to hold men suspected of links to the Taliban and al-Qaida, contending that U.S. laws do not apply there because Guantanamo is not part of the United States. Lawyers for the detainees have challenged that interpretation ever since.

Before he finished his Guantanmo Bay visit and flew to Key West, Fla., Mullen got a look at a site on the eastern shore of Guantanamo Bay — opposite the terrorist detention center — where the U.S. military is building a new refugee camp that would be used in the event of a sudden, major influx of refugees in the area. Initially the camp will be designed to hold 10,000 refugees and is scheduled to be finished by June.

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