So, after weeks and weeks of calls, meetings, negotiations, research, mailings, and brainstorming, the big event — having the Cell in St Paul at the Republican National Convention — is almost here. I went to school in the Twin Cities (Go Gophers!), but it still seems surreal. Billboards up, thousands of handbills distributed, ads on the radio and in the paper. I have maps of various marches, street closures, and protest sites; permits and certificates of insurance; loads of things in orange. Estimates are 30,000 to 50,000 protesters will be at the Convention, in addition to the delegates, guests, journalists, lobbyists, and of course the residents of St. Paul! I am very hopeful that our “1 1/2 tons of orange momentum” as it’s been dubbed stands out in the crowd!

In any large event like this, so much is beyond our control and so much comes together at the last minute. The picture of who/what/when/where is constantly shfiting and will continue to evolve. It’s hard to imagine how it will all unfold. Fortunately, our activists and volunteers in the Twin Cities have been great at pitching in and making things happen on the ground! Big kudos all around!

I had the chance to talk with people who worked with the Cell in Denver at the Democratic National Convention — amazing numbers of people interested and engaged around the human rights issues the Cell represents. I can’t wait to see and meet with folks in St Paul — I know I can count on my fellow Midwesterners and those visiting St Paul to be even more passionate!

See you soon,

DD

Tags: billboards, delegates, Gophers, minneapolis, protesters, Republican National Convention, RNC, st paul
dc admin | 2 Comments »

Picture this if you will. Pickets, marches, tents everywhere, thousands of people with their cause milling about, and…. the cell. Placed strategically between the dunk tank/sporadic jam session and a group of people selling human rights tee-shirts, the cell felt at home. It wasn’t alone in a huge park in front of the nation’s capital or next to a city building. It was alongside energetic people of all ages taking time out of their Sunday to voice their concerns.

 And there were people. On a day that was considered “slow,” over 700 people walked through the cell and exchanged fliers for tearitdown petition signatures.

 This is not the side of the convention that will be displayed on national television, the convention with men and women dressed in fancy suits and making eloquent speeches. To us, and to many within the free speech zone, it is a time to make our voice heard and rally around causes which we so strongly believe in.

I found such strength and inspiration simply by being surrounded by others who were so passionate about human rights. Though exhausted (I don’t even know if I’m making sense at this moment!) I know tomorrow will be another successful day, and I hope to learn from those around me as much as I am trying to educate others. Welcome to Denver.

Meghann
Cell Logistics Assistant

Tags: cell tour, Democratic National Convention, denver, DNC, elequent speeches, human rights tee-shirts, jam session, the revolution will not be televised
dc admin | Comment »

I have been in Denver since Tuesday working on final preparation for the Cell Tour’s stop here, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention. Since I got here it has been non-stop to coordinate the ground game. In the last 2.5 days we have dispatched canvassing teams who are, as I write this, distributing more than 10,000 flyers and promo palm cards about the cell visit to Denver. That is just the stuff we can control, details change every minute and even this morning I had one phone in each ear, getting completely different information from each person about security protocols! Ahhhhhh.

Denver is expecting to see upwards of 20,000 protesters (estimates are as high as 50,000) in addition to the delegates and party royalty planning to attend. Denver is putting on its party face and rolling out freshly paved roads, virtual cities erected around convention sites for press, parties, hospitality and yes, even a warehouse jail that has been dubbed, ‘Gitmo on the Platte’ by the local press, for protesters and anyone arrested during the convention.

It is looking to be hella exciting week here. In addition to the official events, most of the large open areas will house many varieties of actions from watch parties to speakers to public art and of course, our Gitmo cell replica…otherwise known as one ton of orange momentum!

I think it is fair to say that I am both petrified and exhilirated for the days ahead. Lol

If you are in Denver for the convention, stop by and say hello!

MC

Tags: canvassing protesters, conventions, denver, hella exciting, orange momentum, security protocals
dc admin | 1 Comment »

As part of its national Guantanamo Cell Tour, Amnesty International is bringing the Guantanamo Cell Tour to Denver and Minneapolis-St Paul for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, respectively. And we’ve got billboards in each city too!

Amnesty International is non-partisan and independent of any political ideology. We neither support nor oppose any political party or candidate for public office, and we don’t seek to influence elections. Rather, we call for every government-and every armed group and private company for that matter-to abide by international human rights law and standards.

For anyone reading this who thinks that the fight against terror justifies human rights violations, or that the U.S. government needs to break the law to support U.S. troops, I’ve got news for you: a lot of U.S. military and intelligence folks disagree with you. Here’s a sample, off the top of my head:

• “Amici curiae are retired military officers. Each has extensive experience with U.S. military regulations and the Laws of War. Each believes that the mission of the Nation’s Armed Forces must be consistent with the rule of law.“
• “As retired military leaders of the U.S. Armed Forces…We believe it is vital to the safety of our men and women in uniform that the United States not sanction the use of interrogation methods it would find unacceptable if inflicted by the enemy against captured Americans.”
• “Anybody with real combat experience understands that torture is counterproductive.”

Now back to the Cell Tour:

We’ll be in Denver August 24 -26, at the City of Cuernavaca Park, 20th street and Little Raven (across from the skate park). We’ll be open on Sunday, August 24th, 3pm - 8pm; Monday, August 25th, 11am - 8pm; Tuesday, August 26th, 11am - 8pm. And on Wednesday, August 27th, the cell will move to the Denver Coliseum Parking Lot for the Rage Against the Machine show. The cell will be open that day from 10:30am - 5pm.

We’ll be in Minneapolis-St Paul (specifically, St Paul) September 1- 3, at 7th Street West and Walnut Street. We’ll have an opening event with Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA on Sunday August 31st at 5 pm, and the cell will be open Monday - Wednesday from 10:30am - 7:30pm.

Please stop by! And if you’re attending either of the conventions, please wear orange!

ZJ

Tags: conventions, denver, minneapolis, orange, quotes, st paul, torture
caitlin.hamilton | 12 Comments »

Salim Hamdan at his trial by Military Commission, July 22, 2008. Sketch by court artist Janet Hamlin. Picture from: Folly and Injustice in Salim Hamdan’s Guantanamo Trial

Salim Ahmed Hamdan was convicted of war crimes on Wednesday morning by the military commission at Guantanamo Bay and was sentenced to 66 months in prison on Thursday afternoon. The military judge, Capt. Keith Allred of the Navy, had already said that he planned to give Hamdan credit for the 61 months he was held at Guantanamo, meaning he’ll be able to complete his criminal sentence in 5 months. This comes as a serious blow to the prosecution, which had been pushing for 30 years to life.

Hamdan was convicted on Wednesday of material support of terrorism, but not of the more serious crime of conspiracy. The prosecution painted him as an al-Qaeda warrior, even though al-Qaeda leaders have testified that he was not involved in the organization as anything other than a driver and despite the fact that he cooperated fully with the US after he was captured in November 2001. Hamdan explained that he only took the job because it paid well ($200 per month) and he needed to support his family. It’s interesting to remember that this is also the same Hamdan of the famous Supreme Court case in 2006 that challenged the constitutionality of the military commissions, and found them to be lacking.

Unfortunately, no one knows what will happen to Hamdan after those 5 months because the Bush administration declared it has the right to hold detainees until the end of the war on terror. And terror will be defeated when, exactly? So yeah, that’s still a mess.

After the sentencing was read, Hamdan addressed the court and again expressed his sorrow over the innocent lives lost as a result of al-Qaeda’s attacks. Then he thanked the panel for what they had done for him.

William Glaberson, a NY Times reporter who has been following the trial, wrote the following about Hamdan’s departure:

” As he left the sparsely attended courtroom in the hilltop courtroom here, Mr. Hamdan, who at times has shown a mischievous sense of humor, raised his arms and said a good-natured “bye, bye” to the small group.

During pretrial proceedings, Mr. Hamdan, a father of two daughters in Yemen, and the judge, a career Navy lawyer, had regularly exchanged smiles and, on occasion, chats. Before he left the bench, Judge Allred, said a few parting words to the man he had gotten to know in a most unusual way.

“Mr. Hamdan,” Judge Allred said, “I hope the day comes that you are able to return to your wife and daughters and your country.”

“God willing,” Mr. Hamdan said in the rudimentary English he picked up while in American custody.

“Insh-allah,” said Judge Allred, repeating the same phrase in Arabic.

- “Bin Laden’s Former Driver Is Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years” by William Glaberson for the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/washington/08gitmo.html?pagewanted=2&hp

Amy Tan
CTWJ Intern

Tags: al-Qaeda, bin-ladn's driver, convicted, Hamdan, trials
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Last week, the Justice Department announced that it’s gearing up to take on hundreds of habeas cases brought by Guantanamo detainees. The DOJ has been instructed to put all other cases aside, and they’re planning to bring on about fifty new attorneys for the cases. The detainees will likely be tried chronologically, starting with who has been held the longest. It’s exciting.

Judge Thomas F. Hogan, the federal judge coordinating the bulk of the estimated 200 GTMO cases on behalf of most of the Washington federal judges, held an historical two hour and 25 minute hearing to address the legal rights of GTMO detainees. As recorded by Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSblog (which is excellent, by the way, Sense of Urgency on Detainees), Hogan remarked: “The government has got to get across the message that we are going to move these cases forward, and not in the normal course of business; this is an extraordinary situation…The government has to set aside every other case pending before them and get these cases moving first….People in all levels of government should understand that.”

The government, however, is asking for eight weeks to clear the lawyers and review and update the evidence against the detainees. This means that it plans to add information to the evidence originally used to justify holding the detainees. Lawyers defending the GTMO detainees oppose this move and so does Hogan. After all, if the evidence was enough to hold the men for six years, why would it suddenly need to be augmented? Good question Judge Hogan.

It will definitely be interesting to see what happens in the upcoming months. DOJ attorneys have already said that one in five detainees is cleared for release, and that they’re looking for an appropriate asylum country for the 54 prisoners. I’m very happy to see action being taken after the Boumediene decision (that gave detainees habeas corpus rights - the right to question their detention). We’re getting on the track to justice, for the victims of terrorist activity and the detainees. Everyone deserves it, so thanks to the courts.

“Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.” - Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)

Amy Tan
CTWJ Intern

Tags: Boumediene, detainees, Guantanamo Bay, Judge Hogan, justice, Justice Department, Lyle Denniston, Pascal, SCOTUSblog
admin | Comment »

We just came across this cartoon by Pulitzer winning cartoonist Tom Toles of the Washington Post and thought it was great.

See you in Denver–next Cell Tour stop is the Democratic National Convention August 25 - 28. And the Republic National Convention after that: Minneapolis - Saint Paul, September 1 - 4.

ZJ

PS If you’re attending either convention, please wear orange—we can’t let them forget torture and illegal detention!

Tags: cartoon, cell tour, guantanamo, National Conventions, next stops, Tom Toles
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The New York Times today released a story explaining the results of a Senate Arms Services Committee hearing on interrogation tactics used at Guantanamo Bay. The hearing revealed the sad irony that interrogation tactics used by the CIA against detainees at Guantanamo Bay were ripped straight out of a playbook used by Communist captors against American soldiers in the Korean War. Back then, the United States denounced these tactics as torture.

How is it that the tools used by a state notorious for its human rights violations, and denounced by the United States are now being employed by the United States itself?

What’s worse, an American sociologist during the Korean War helped to create a training regimen to expose American soldiers to Communist techniques, to inoculate American soldiers against these techniques. Why? To counter military fears after reports revealed many American captives had been brainwashed and forced to falsely confess to crimes.

It is bad enough our government is using its old enemies’ tools against its new enemies. It is even worse that they justify using these techniques by saying it yields valuable information they need to protect our country, when they know full well that the information extracted from such methods is most likely false.

This confirms what Amnesty International USA has been saying all along: torture and harsh interrogations do not yield reliable information, violate human rights, and only damage our reputation throughout the world.

The United States was founded on the principle of justice for all. It is time to live up to that principle. Give the detainees fair trials – if they are found innocent, set them free, and if they are found guilty, punish them according to the law.

Why should we expect others to live up to standards we can’t meet ourselves?

–Ilana

Tags: amnesty, cell tour, guantanamo, torture
sarah.mertz | Comment »

Christopher Hitchens, writing for Vanity Fair, voluntarily underwent waterboarding to determine for himself, from an outsiders point of view, if it is indeed a reasonable addition to the interrogation process. After entering the debate, calling the practice “extreme interrogation”, Hitchens decided to settle the matter the best possible way; trying it himself. Would firsthand experience induce a change of heart?

Well, from the title of Hitchens’s article, “Believe Me, It’s Torture”, we have our answer. The current administration is rationalizing to deem it acceptable interrogation. Borne of the rampant fear-mongering that lingers to this day from after the September 11th attacks, America is heading down a path of becoming as immoral as the values it is fighting against. Though my opinion is not an uncommon one (luckily), I’ll state it anyways: America, lead by example. I know its clichéd advice, but clichés become clichés for good reason; they are the plain and simple truth.

There are those who need to be detained and interrogated, and I am not implying that interrogation need be of optimum comfort. Still, human rights cannot be thrown aside because we are at war. The real moral litmus test of a country is not at a time of peace, I can tell you that much.

We must demand that our government live up the standard it demands of others; take and treat non-combatants and prisoners of war according to the guidelines set out in the Geneva Conventions and do not use torture in interrogation techniques. Hint: if soldiers are being trained to resist a certain torture technique, that means it classifies as torture, even when it is called interrogation to the public here.

–Faigy Abdelhak

Tags: amnesty, cell tour, guantanamo, torture
sarah.mertz | Comment »

The cell is currently sitting on a part of the National Mall that is directly across the street from the Washington Monument. The monument was built in honor of George Washington, one of our country’s leaders in our fight for independence and democracy - and our first President. Being here makes me wonder what George Washington would have thought of Guantanamo.

Today is the International Day In Support of Victims of Torture - a day to reflect on the injustices and abuses symbolized by Guantanamo and, in my opinion, DO SOMETHING about it. Almost no one I spoke with today knew that June 26th marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. But we’re working to change that - over 360 individuals visited the cell, taking a moment to think about the issues surrounding Guantanamo and take action.

No one deserves to be tortured, denied access to a fair trial, and held without charge. I think George Washington would be with us on this one…

–Jen

Tags: amnesty, cell tour, guantanamo, torture
sarah.mertz | 15 Comments »