Tanzanian national Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who has been detained without charge for five years, two of them at undisclosed locations, is now facing trial in US federal court. The judge has ordered the government to tell the court by 13 October whether it will seek the death penalty.
To learn more about this case, read or print AIUSA’s full Urgent Action sheet: PDF format
Demand Justice for the Uighurs Now!
On October 7, Judge Ricardo Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (DC) ruled that 17 Uighurs be released into Washington, DC to begin the process of adjusting to their lives outside of Guantánamo.
Take action now to ensure that decision stands!
The ordered release of the detainees is a landmark victory for justice, but efforts to block the decision on the part of the administration leave their futures in limbo. Despite the fact that the government has conceded that the Uighurs are not "enemy combatants," the administration appealed the decision and said that it will go to the U.S. Supreme Court, "if necessary."
On October 8, the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia stayed Judge Urbina's order until it had a chance to review the government's appeal. No decisions will be made until October 16 at the earliest.
The Uighurs cannot return to their native China, where they would face a serious risk of torture or execution, but the U.S. government has failed to find another country willing to accept them. This means that the Uighurs are effectively being detained indefinitely, in violation of the U.S. Constitution and international law.
The Uighurs have been held without charge or trial for almost seven years. Ensure that justice, and a safe release for the Uighurs, is not delayed any longer.
BEYOND GUANTÁNAMO:
The Supreme Court Has Spoken - What Next?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7:00 PM
New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street at Central Park West
New York City
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
On June 12, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a historic ruling in the combined cases of Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. United States, affirming the Constitutional right of Guantánamo detainees to challenge their detention in the federal courts and undoing the attempts of the Bush administration and Congress to suspend the fundamental right of habeas corpus.
After this important decision, what does the future hold for Guantánamo's detainees? For the law? For the U.S.?
In its first 100 days, the next president's administration must not only take action to close Guantánamo, but also address the broader array of attacks on our Constitution and our rights that have taken place - from warrantless wiretapping, to the criminalization of activists, to the unprecedented expansion of executive power. Hear about CCR's blueprint for the First 100 days and our exciting new campaign.
Featured speakers:
- Vincent Warren, Executive Director, CCR
- Stephen Abraham, Guantánamo whistleblower, attorney, and U.S. Army reserve officer who served on a military "combatant status review tribunal"
- Baher Azmy, Professor of Law, Seton Hall University and habeas counsel to Guantánamo detainees
- Pardiss Kebriaei, Staff Attorney, Guantánamo Global Justice Initiative, CCR
Moderated by Annette Warren Dickerson, Director of Education and Outreach, CCR
Join the Center for Constitutional Rights for penetrating analysis of the Supreme Court's decision, the future for Guantánamo's detainees, and a vision for moving forward, beyond Guantánamo.
This event is free and open to the public. No RSVP's required. Contact LKates@ccrjustice.org or 212-614-6443 with any other questions.
Subway Directions: The New York Society for Ethical Culture is at 64th Street and Central Park West, two blocks east of Lincoln Center and five blocks north of Columbus Circle. Map it. Take the 1 to 66th Street and Broadway or the A, B, C, or D to Columbus Circle.
Getting featured on The Daily Show last night is just the latest exciting news from our campaign to close Guantánamo.
In less than a month, thousands have now visited our life-size replica of a Guantánamo Bay cell in Miami, Philadelphia and Portland, ME. The tour has been featured in major national media. World leaders have noticed and some have even visited the events. And our flagship event in Washington, DC (RSVP now!) on June 25th is still yet to come.
The momentum is real. While The Daily Show took its typical off-beat approach to current events, treatment of people in Guantánamo is an urgent matter. Detainees are currently being tried in kangaroo courts with the death penalty as a possible punishment.
Help bring pressure to close Guantánamo where it matters most. Apply to lead a delegation urging Congress to close Guantánamo Bay.
Our meetings will be held from June 30th to July 3rd. As a delegation leader, you select the meeting date. You can meet your member of Congress in your local district office or in DC.
We promise we'll make leading a delegation easy. We’ll train you, give you talking points, and answer all your questions. You’ll meet other passionate Amnesty International supporters.
The deadline for registering is this Friday. Don't miss this opportunity to join one of the most exciting human rights campaigns of the year.
Apply today to lead a delegation before Congress. Make sure you act before the June 13th deadline.
Thanks for your support and all that you've helped us achieve so far.
Sincerely,
Parliamentarians meet US authorities over illegal detentions
14 May 2008
Parliamentarians joined Amnesty International in Brussels, Belgium, on the sixth anniversary of Guantánamo, 11 January 2008. © Amnesty International.
International parliamentarians are meeting with US government officials from 14-16 May 2008 to discuss Amnesty International's framework to end illegal US detentions. Mary Robinson with the cell tour, 10 May 2008.© Primrose Thompson. Since 8 May, a replica of a maximum security cell at Guantánamo has been touring the US. The tour, organized by Amnesty International, is a way to enable people to get a glimpse of the harsh realities of illegal detention and prolonged isolation. Inside the replica cell. Miami, May 2008. © Primrose Thompson.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, ex-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a representative of the Global Elders, visited the cell in Miami on 10 May and spoke to Amnesty International activists who had gathered for a concert and rally.
Sir Menzies Campbell, Member of the UK Parliament, and Christophe Strasser, Member of the German Bundestag, will represent the 1,236 parliamentarians from 30 countries that have already joined the call to US authorities to end illegal detention at Guantánamo and elsewhere, in accordance with Amnesty International's framework.
Sir Menzies Campbell and Christophe Strasser will meet with officials from the US Department of State, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Office of Senator McCain and the US Navy, among others.
Replica Guantánamo cell touring the US 
Hand out flyers wherever Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay is playing.
Next week, the comedy Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay will start playing in theaters across the country. Detention at Guantánamo Bay is no joke. Hand flyers out wherever the movie plays and spread the truth about Guantánamo Bay.
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sami al Hajj, a Sudanese news cameraman, has been held in Guantánamo for over 5 years. He's been abused, intimidated and beaten. He has never been charged with a crime. Like all Guantánamo detainees, he cannot challenge his detention in a fair court.
Spread the truth: Guantánamo is no laughing matter. Hand flyers out wherever Harold and Kumar is playing.(PDF)
Guantánamo has become a global symbol of injustice and abuse. And we're not the only ones saying it.
If it were up to me I would close Guantánamo not tomorrow but this afternoon . . . Essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in America's justice system . . . and it's causing us far more damage than any good we get from it."
Join the call to shut it down. The U.S. government should charge detainees and give them fair trials or release them. With enough pressure from concerned citizens, we can get the U.S. back on track:
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Hand out flyers at screenings of Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay (PDF)»
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Sign www.tearitdown.org, the global petition to close Guantánamo »
- Experience Guantánamo in a town near you-check out our cell tour »
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Larry Cox
Executive Director
Amnesty International USA
