Tuesday, January 24, 2012

News from Guantanamo: ACTION NEEDED!

News from Guantanamo: ACTION NEEDED!

There was a great turnout to hear Bill Goodman and Sarah Mehta on a snowy Friday night in Detroit. 

Members of local group #78, the Detroit Activist Network, and the UDM Law School AI group joined with the ACLU Metro Detroit Branch, the UDM Law School ACLU Student Group, the Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive, the American Constitution Society and friends to learn first hand about the injustices of Guantanamo. 

Bill Goodman spoke about his leadership at the Center for Constitutional Rights which led the legal challenges on behalf of the detainees, as well as his experience protesting at Guantanamo on the Cuban side of the border for the fifth anniversary. 

Sarah Mehta spoke from her experience as one of the human rights observers that was allowed to witness a military commission at Guantanamo. She shared her memories of being shocked and dismayed by a lack of any sense of actual justice at the commission. She told us that the governments "smoking gun" evidence was an hour-long video of another person, who had no link to the defendant, spewing anti-American vitriol. 

Ten Years after the first "enemy-combatant" detainees were brought to Guantanamo, and over three years since President Obama promised to close the detention center, the News from Guantanamo is that we the people are going to have to take action, since so far the government has failed us. Please take a moment to sign this petition to the President: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/close-guantanamo-now/6cMPlxQw

Friday, January 20, 2012

Fighting Back Against Indefinite Detention

Reuben Metreger, ACLU of Michigan Metro Detroit Branch Member

http://www.aclumich.org/blog/2012-01-12/fighting-back-against-indefinite-detention

It is hard to believe that ten years after the first "enemy combatants" were brought to the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, our civil liberties are still under attack. 

Though President Obama promised to close the detention center on his second day of office, we are still waiting for him to keep his promise. Our search for accountability for those who interrogated detainees through torture seems further away than ever. 

The quest for justice is far from complete, and new challenges seem to appear every day. It is hard not to be outraged at the passage of the National Defense Administration Act (NDAA), which threatens our civil liberties like nothing before, potentially allowing American citizens to be detained indefinitely without even having access to a lawyer or our most basic legal safeguards. 

Fortunately, the ACLU and its members and supporters are prepared to fight for our rights. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero is calling on everyone concerned with this assault on our freedom to sign the pledge to oppose the NDAA. 

Take Action: Sign the Pledge to Fight Worldwide Indefinite Detention
There is hope. I know firsthand how passionate everyday citizens are about these threats to their civil liberties. Last week, activists from across the country marched to the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Supreme Court seeking justice. Here in Detroit, concerned people rallied outside Senator Levin’s office to express our outrage at his support of the NDAA. 

To fight back against bad laws and bad policies, we must first understand them. The ACLU of Michigan is partnering with Amnesty International, the National Lawyers Guild and the University of Detroit Mercy OutLaws to present expert insight on the tribunals at Guantanamo and what they mean to your civil liberties. 

Please join us January 20th to hear the News from Guantanamo and to join with other supports to take action. 



Key News and Documents

► Join Us | RSVP to attend the News From Guantánamo

► Take Action | Urge President Obama to Close Gitmo

► Take Action | How to Call Your Elected Official

► More Info | 10 Years Too Many: Close Gitmo Now
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