Home /  Urgent Action Network  / Urgent Action: FREE DETAINEES, CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO (USA 66.22)

FREE DETAINEES, CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO 

UA: USA 66.22
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30 men remain unlawfully detained at the US military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. 16 are cleared for release yet remain imprisoned today. The prison has been open for more than 22 years and over 700 Muslim men and boys have passed through its doors. Many were tortured, all of them detained arbitrarily, and none have faced a fair trial. One of these individuals is Toffiq al-Bihani, who was cleared for transfer out of the facility in 2010 but remains there today. We demand the US government to transfer out Toffiq and the other cleared men and close the facility immediately. 

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 30, 2024

take action:

  • Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  • Click here to let us know the actions you took on Second Urgent Action 66.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

Secretary Antony Blinken 

United States Department of State 

2200 C Street

NW, Washington DC 20037, USA

Send message: http://register.state.gov/ContactUs/contactusform

sample letter:

Dear Secretary Blinken,

The US government’s use of indefinite detention without charge at the military base in Guantánamo Bay as a response to 9/11 has been unlawful from the outset. I urge you to immediately prioritize and expedite the closure of the detention facility at the base. Many of the men have already been cleared for release and should be expeditiously transferred to countries that respect their human rights. This detention regime must be ended.

One man who is currently detained, Toffiq al-Bihani, has been held since early 2003 without ever being charged with any offense. He was subjected to torture and other ill treatment at the hands of US authorities. He has been cleared for release since 2010, yet he remains imprisoned. His continued detention is unconscionable and arbitrary, a clear violation of his human rights.

There are currently 16 men cleared for transfer and they should be moved out of the facility immediately. There are also 14 men detained who have not yet been cleared and are also arbitrarily detained. Many have been subjected to torture. The impunity that persists in relation to the torture, enforced disappearance, and other human rights violations committed against these detainees is outrageous. Torture and enforced disappearance are crimes under international law.

I urge you to work toward a lawful solution for those still held at Guantánamo, including Toffiq al-Bihani, by either transferring them to other countries where their rights will be protected or by supporting fair judicial resolutions of the cases of those charged with crimes, and close Guantánamo once and for all. Those who suffered torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment must receive genuine access to an effective remedy, including rehabilitation and redress. Those responsible for the detained men’s torture and enforced disappearance should be brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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