Action alert: Shut down Guantanamo and stop troop escalation

Posted by Deanna Zandt at 2:00 PM on January 10, 2007.

January 11th is the five-year anniversary of the horror show otherwise known as Guantánamo Bay, and a thousands of people are taking action against the torture and human rights violations the prison perpetrates. Coalitions including CODEPINK, United for Peace and Justice, Center for Constitional Rights and more, the Witness Against Torture campaign has a lot in store:

• In Washington, DC, a full day of activities and protests including the provocative "Prisoners of Guantánamo March" performance, vigils and rallies, a teach-in and more, starting at 10am, More details available here.
• Other cities will have complementary actions, including a noon vigil at Foley Square in New York, and screenings of "The Road to Guantánamo" around the country. Here's a list.

Not content with another stateside vigil for herself, though, Cindy Sheehan has landed in Cuba to begin marching to the prison gates from the Cuban side, as part of a contingent of activists organized by CODEPINK:

The 12-person delegation ... also includes ... Adele Welty whose firefighter son was killed on 9/11; retired U.S. colonel and diplomat Ann Wright who resigned over the invasion of Iraq; and legal director of the U.S. Center for Constitutional Rights Bill Goodman who has taken the cases of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Finally, MoveOn will round out the evening with rallies and house parties supporting its call to end the escalation in Iraq, as called for by Bush and his band of cohorts:

After the voters, the generals, and the Iraq Study Group all told President Bush to lead us out of Iraq, he is planning an escalation and will send more troops as soon as this month. Congress can block an escalation but it is uncertain if they will. They need to hear from us immediately.

You can find a rally near you, or volunteer to host your own. Don't let this day go by without making your voice heard-- that this torture and violence won't be carried out in your name.

Deanna Zandt is a contributing editor at AlterNet.