Friday, November 22, 2013

URGENT: Guantanamo votes could happen any second!

I got this from Amnesty International:

 http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=520420&msource=W1311EASHR1


Your Senators' votes count. It's go time.

Send a clear message to your two Senators — support the Guantanamo transfer provisions and shut down this horrendous prison.
Take Action!

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Dear Tracy,

Tell your two Senators to vote the right way on Guantanamo.

Critical update on Guantanamo: we have an opportunity to end the nightmare for dozens of prisoners — if you are willing to act now.

The 2014 defense authorization bill (S. 1197) includes 3 provisions that can help close Guantanamo. Together, they ensure that Guantanamo detainees are either safely and fairly tried in US federal court, or transferred to other countries. If we lose, we may face yet another year of human rights violations at the prison.

Our sources on Capitol Hill tell us that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will bring this bill up for a vote before Thanksgiving.

This is one of our most important battles in Congress over Guantanamo. The vote is expected to be tight. We can't take even one Senator for granted.

Flood the Senate with messages of support. Reach out to your Senators right now and urge them to support the Guantanamo transfer provisions.

The vote will come 13 years after Guantanamo prisoner and British resident Shaker Aamer began his horrific journey of indefinite detention in Guantanamo.

Shaker has spent 11 brutal years inside Guantanamo without charge or trial, even though Shaker was cleared for release by BOTH President George W. Bush and President Obama. This spring, Shaker and dozens of other detainees went on hunger strike to protest their unlawful indefinite detention.

We need every vote to win. It's crunch time — raise your voice now to help us pass these provisions.

The hunger strike has taken its toll on Shaker's body. Even worse, Shaker has endured absolute agony at the hands of US authorities in their twice-daily force-feeding sessions.

Who's footing the bill for these heinous acts? You and I, the taxpayers. Guantanamo must close, and passing these provisions brings us one step closer to that day.

It's time our representatives in Washington end the agony on an island sheltered from the public eye. Tell your Senators to support closing Guantanamo without delay.

Thank you for all you do for justice and human rights.

Sincerely,

Zeke Johnson
Director, Security & Human Rights Program
Amnesty International USA

PS. Speaking of videos, check out this AMAZING new music video by three-time Grammy-winning artist Esperanza Spalding — featuring Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte and Janelle Monae — calling for Washington to step up on shutting down Guantanamo!

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