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Daily Update – Day 1 of the Fast for Justice
“If a member of our own blood family was imprisoned at Guantanamo, what would we want people to do to help them?”
Greetings From Washington D.C.
The Witness Against Torture Community has begun to gather in Washington D.C. We come to this place to remind the world of the 107 men in Guantanamo, 48 of whom have been cleared for release.
We gather to say no to torture and indefinite detention. We are here to remind the world of the humanity of our Muslim brothers behind the barbed wire.
Our fast and time together are now in full swing. We invite each one of you to join us, fast with us, and be connected with us in spirit wherever you are.
CLICK HERE [2] FOR OUR WASHINGTON, DC SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (check often for updates as the schedule changes)
*let us know if you will join us for a day, or days of fasting*
For our opening reflection we meditated on the words of Mohammed Al Hamiri who has been detained in Guantanamo for 14 years and was cleared for release in 2009. He writes,“When (freedom) decides to scream out loud, the entire body stands up with it, fear disappears in front of its might and you can hear the truth coming out because it is the voice of freedom.”
As we reflect on our own understanding of freedom, we hope that through this week our community has the strength to stand up along-side of Mohammed Al Hamiri, and scream out loud, without fear, to Close Guantanamo Now!
Peace-
Witness Against Torture
Day 1 - Witness Against Torture @ the Pentagon
Our first action together started by leaving the warmth of the church at 6 a.m. to go participate in the decades-long Dorothy Day Catholic Worker’s vigil at the Pentagon.
According to a recently published special report by Reuters [3], “To slow prisoner transfers, Pentagon officials have refused to provide photographs, complete medical records and other basic documentation to foreign governments willing to take detainees, administration officials said. They have made it increasingly difficult for foreign delegations to visit Guantanamo, limited the time foreign officials can interview detainees and barred delegations from spending the night at Guantanamo.”
WAT holding the portrait of Tariq Ba Odah @ the Pentagon
During the Vigil, Art Laffin from the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker shared the following: “If a member of our own blood family was imprisoned at Guantanamo, what would we want people to do to help them? We would certainly want a speedy and just resolution to their case. Yet most of these men have languished at Guantanamo for 14 years, not knowing their fate. We need to see the men at Guantanamo as members’ of our own blood family. And we need to act on their behalf.”
We carry these words with us into the next days as we plan actions because indeed, they are members of our human family and their liberation is bound up in ours.
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Witness Against Torture is completely volunteer driven and run. We have no paid staff, but do have expenses associated with our organizing work. If you are able, please donate here:https://www.razoo.com/story/Witness-Against-Torture [9]