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| Activists stage Thanksgiving fast in solidartiy with Guantánamo detainees | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Like many Americans on Thursday, more than a dozen peace activists gathered around the dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving. | Like many Americans on Thursday, more than a dozen peace activists gathered around the dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving. |
| Related: US activists to launch Guantánamo protest along camp's perimeter | Related: US activists to launch Guantánamo protest along camp's perimeter |
| But there was no turkey at their meal. There were only empty paper plates and a view of the US military detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. | But there was no turkey at their meal. There were only empty paper plates and a view of the US military detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. |
| The protesters, members of Witness Against Torture (WAT), a group which campaigns to have Guantánamo shut down, began a fast on Thanksgiving Day in symbolic solidarity with the 107 men who are still inside the prison. | The protesters, members of Witness Against Torture (WAT), a group which campaigns to have Guantánamo shut down, began a fast on Thanksgiving Day in symbolic solidarity with the 107 men who are still inside the prison. |
| Forty seven of those men are trapped in legal limbo, cleared for release and never charged with any crime, but still held. Many have been on hunger strike. | Forty seven of those men are trapped in legal limbo, cleared for release and never charged with any crime, but still held. Many have been on hunger strike. |
| “I want you to know that I’m here until the end and until you are free,” wrote Maha Hilal, a WAT member, in a letter to detainees that was shared with the Guardian. | “I want you to know that I’m here until the end and until you are free,” wrote Maha Hilal, a WAT member, in a letter to detainees that was shared with the Guardian. |
| “I hope that one day, inshallah, we will greet each other at the Mosque, saying Assalamu Alaikum, knowing that you are my protector and that I am yours,” she wrote. “Until then, dear brothers, be well and rise up, knowing that you are not alone.” | “I hope that one day, inshallah, we will greet each other at the Mosque, saying Assalamu Alaikum, knowing that you are my protector and that I am yours,” she wrote. “Until then, dear brothers, be well and rise up, knowing that you are not alone.” |
| The group arrived in Guantánamo province on Wednesday, and set up camp near a site overlooking the base. On Thursday, each protester faced the detention center and stated their intention for being there, the group said in an email to the Guardian. | The group arrived in Guantánamo province on Wednesday, and set up camp near a site overlooking the base. On Thursday, each protester faced the detention center and stated their intention for being there, the group said in an email to the Guardian. |
| Each then recited: “Courage, Muslim brother / You do not walk alone / We will walk with you / And sing your spirit home.” | Each then recited: “Courage, Muslim brother / You do not walk alone / We will walk with you / And sing your spirit home.” |
| The activists also performed a Thanksgiving-inspired protest. Wearing shirts matching the infamous orange of detainees’ uniforms, those who were fasting sat at a wooden table in front of empty plates. This, the group said, was done “to represent the terrible pain endured by hunger strikers, past and present, at Guantánamo”. | The activists also performed a Thanksgiving-inspired protest. Wearing shirts matching the infamous orange of detainees’ uniforms, those who were fasting sat at a wooden table in front of empty plates. This, the group said, was done “to represent the terrible pain endured by hunger strikers, past and present, at Guantánamo”. |
| At the head of the table, one activist wearing a black hood sat in front of a device of the kind used to force-feed detainees. | At the head of the table, one activist wearing a black hood sat in front of a device of the kind used to force-feed detainees. |
| “Forced-feeding continues to be used to wound the bodies and break the spirit of hunger-striking men,” the group said. | “Forced-feeding continues to be used to wound the bodies and break the spirit of hunger-striking men,” the group said. |
| The protesters’ action fell on the 10th anniversary of a similar protest by 25 WAT members. In December 2005, that group walked about 70 miles from Santiago de Cuba to the Guantánamo detention camp and held a four-day vigil. | The protesters’ action fell on the 10th anniversary of a similar protest by 25 WAT members. In December 2005, that group walked about 70 miles from Santiago de Cuba to the Guantánamo detention camp and held a four-day vigil. |
| On that occasion, the protesters travelled to Cuba in breach of the US embargo of the country, though they suffered no legal repercussions. This year’s visit was conducted during a historic thaw in relations between the two countries. | On that occasion, the protesters travelled to Cuba in breach of the US embargo of the country, though they suffered no legal repercussions. This year’s visit was conducted during a historic thaw in relations between the two countries. |
| Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national and British resident who was held for more than 13 years at Guantánamo without charge before being released in October, praised WAT in a statement of solidarity provided by the group. | Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national and British resident who was held for more than 13 years at Guantánamo without charge before being released in October, praised WAT in a statement of solidarity provided by the group. |
| “No one in the world should accept what’s happening in this prison,” Aamer said. | “No one in the world should accept what’s happening in this prison,” Aamer said. |
| “Guantánamo has been built for one reason and that is to destroy human beings, mentally, physically and spiritually. I truly thank Witness Against Torture, Save Shaker and We Stand With Shaker for telling the whole world about the suffering of my brothers still there.” | “Guantánamo has been built for one reason and that is to destroy human beings, mentally, physically and spiritually. I truly thank Witness Against Torture, Save Shaker and We Stand With Shaker for telling the whole world about the suffering of my brothers still there.” |
| Related: Republican senators cite omissions in detainee's 'unanimous' release decision | Related: Republican senators cite omissions in detainee's 'unanimous' release decision |
| The group intended to stay at the US naval base until Sunday, and in Cuba until Tuesday. | The group intended to stay at the US naval base until Sunday, and in Cuba until Tuesday. |
| The Obama administration’s attempts to close Guantánamo, and thus fulfill one of the president’s stated intentions on taking office in 2009, have not met with success. | The Obama administration’s attempts to close Guantánamo, and thus fulfill one of the president’s stated intentions on taking office in 2009, have not met with success. |
| This month, the Republican-controlled Congress voted against plans to relocate remaining high-value detainees to high-security facilities on the US mainland. | This month, the Republican-controlled Congress voted against plans to relocate remaining high-value detainees to high-security facilities on the US mainland. |
| After the terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more this month, Obama told reporters the closure of Guantánamo could be further delayed. | After the terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more this month, Obama told reporters the closure of Guantánamo could be further delayed. |
| “I guarantee you there will be strong resistance, because in the aftermath of Paris, I think that there is just a very strong tendency for us to get worked up around issues that don’t actually make us safer but make for good political soundbites,” he said. | “I guarantee you there will be strong resistance, because in the aftermath of Paris, I think that there is just a very strong tendency for us to get worked up around issues that don’t actually make us safer but make for good political soundbites,” he said. |