by Mikhail Bell, The Institute for Religion and Democracy
A hodgepodge of religious groups descended on Washington, DC on January 11 to protest the continued detention of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay as well as the recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Amnesty International, National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT), and Pax Christi USA headed up nearly 70 “coalition partners” for a “day of action.” NRCAT members include the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Evangelical Lutheran Church, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Board of Church and Society, and Evangelicals for Social Action.
Chanting “No justice, no peace,” demonstrators marched from the White House to the Supreme Court. Tom Parker, counter terrorism policy director at Amnesty International USA, bluntly assessed: “Ten years on, we should be witnessing the closure of Guantanamo and the end of unlawful detention policies.”
Another vote-getting falsehood ….the promise in 2008 to close Guantanamo Bay Prison !