Sorry for the delay in posting. It’s been a whirl-wind of activity since we wrapped up the Cell Tour Stop in Los Angeles.

A number of developments to report:

- We have an urgent action on behalf of 17 Uighurs detained at Guantanamo. Please take a couple minutes to send an email, fax or letter–it’s quick and can be done online, here.

- The Guantanamo Cell Tour continues with a stop in St Louis, October 23 - 26, to coincide with Amnesty International USA’s Midwest Regional Conference. Go here for more info.

- Amnesty International USA’s new Counter Terror With Justice campaign website is live, the url is www.amnestyusa.org/ctwj — please take a moment to check it out, and be sure to tag it on your Facebook profile.

- Check out and share this editorial from Sunday’s Los Angeles Times:

See you in St Louis!

ZJ

Tags: cell tour, counter terror with justice, facebook, los angeles times, new website, st. louis, uighurs
dc admin | Comment »

My first time in Miami: judge at the Elite Model Look competition, with after party in the Versace mansion.

My second time in Miami: campaigner with Amnesty International’s Guantánamo Cell Tour, no after party.

While a lot has changed for me in that time (before: private car, after: SuperShuttle), not much has changed for people illegally detained by the U.S. government in Guantánamo, Afghanistan and God-only-knows where else.

They are still held without charge. Still denied habeas and fair trials. Still at risk of torture. And we still wait for justice for the September 11th attacks. I’m a New Yorker, saw the towers with my own eyes, and I want to see those responsible punished. But abusing human rights is not the way to do it. Fighting terror with terror doesn’t work. Duh.

Anyway, Miami gave me hope that we can turn things around. All the people who stopped by the cell were great–or at least entertaining. I loved the homemade anti-Amnesty t-shirt one of our repeat visitors wore. I wanted to trade him my orange Counter Terror With Justice shirt, but I got shy. I was sad that the huge counter-protest he promised never materialized–we could have gotten even more press.

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Tags: amnesty, cell tour, counter terror with justice, guantanamo, Miami
sarah.mertz | 7 Comments »