In January 2002, 22 years ago, in the wake of the terrorist attacks in September 2001, the United States sent almost 800 men and boys to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp in Cuba as part of an effort to hold suspected terrorists outside of the protections of U.S. law.
Only a few of them ever had charges held against them; none had access to a fair trial. Today, 30 men remain, and of those, 16 have been cleared for transfer out. Guantánamo — which costs more than $500 million per year to maintain — continues to be a site and symbol of Islamophobia, torture, and impunity.
On Tuesday, January 9, a letter signed by Pax Christi USA and almost 100 other organizations was sent to the White House, urging President Biden to finally close Guantánamo.
Use this link to read the letter.
Excerpts:
The political decision to keep Guantánamo open has devastating consequences. Detention with no end in sight continues to cause escalating and profound damage to the aging and increasingly ill men who remain, and has shattered many of their families and communities. There is no reasonable prospect of judicial resolution in the 9/11 military commissions case, which, after two decades, has not even gone to trial. Your administration has chosen not to use its authority to encourage a resolution of the case which would provide justice to 9/11 family members—a resolution that even your own military commission chief prosecutor supports.
Whether Guantánamo and its injustices continue or – as you promised – end, will be a defining part of your legacy and this pivotal year of your presidency may be the last chance at closing it. It is long past time for a meaningful reckoning with the full scope of damage caused by US policies in response to 9/11 and through the so-called “War on Terror.” Closing Guantánamo, ending indefinite military detention of those held there, and never again using the military base for unlawful mass detention of any group of people are necessary steps towards those ends—and to combatting dehumanizing and Islamophobic narratives. We urge you to act without delay, and in a just manner that considers the harm done to the men who have been imprisoned without charge or fair trials for over two decades.
NPR offered a brief report on the letter on All Things Considered here on Tuesday evening, and again this morning, Guantánamo’s 22nd anniversary.
Please, for justice sake, close Guantanamo and end this 20 year old nightmare.