Kiwi messages to close Guantanamo greet Obama

Kiwi messages to close Guantanamo greet Obama at Whitehouse

On the seventh anniversary of the establishment of Guantanamo Bay, hundreds of New Zealanders have joined Amnesty International's call urging President-elect Barack Obama to announce a closing date for the US detention centre.

"One change close to my heart is the closing of Guantanamo Bay: this is a bloody scar on the American nation, and closing this will show the world changes urgently needed," says Judith Tuckwell from Nelson.

Judith's is one of over 200 messages from New Zealand (and thousands globally) being sent to the White House in time for Obama's inauguration on 20 January. The messages have been written on orange jumpsuits, clothing that has become synonymous with Guantanamo Bay.

The jumpsuit petition, devised by Amnesty New Zealand, is part of a wider 100-day challenge for Obama to tackle some of the most pressing human rights issues related to the USA's counter-terrorism policy.

"Guantanamo is a symbol of the human rights violations committed in the name of security that has had devastating consequences on people around the world," says Rebecca Emery, Amnesty NZ's spokesperson.

"The closure of Guantanamo must be a priority if Obama is to live up to his promises of change."

Amnesty is also calling on the New Zealand Government to join countries like Germany and Portugal who have voiced support for accepting detainees.

"While the US has the prime responsibility to resolve the human rights scandal it has created at Guantanamo, other governments must do what they can to offer protection to detainees who cannot safely return to their home countries," adds Emery.

Around 250 people are currently being held in Guantanamo and some have been detained there for over six years. 50 to 60 detainees have been cleared for release or transfer but cannot be sent back home because they risk facing torture or other human rights violations.

Background:
Amnesty International was one of the first organisations to call for the closure of Guantanamo and has run an international campaign against counter-terrorism abuses since 2001.

Amnesty's 100-day challenge to Obama is calling on his administration to:
- End illegal detention (e.g. announcing a prompt plan to close Guantanamo)
- Eradicate torture and other ill-treatment (e.g. issuing an executive order banning torture as defined under international law)
- End impunity (e.g. ensuring an independent commission of inquiry is established into all abuses committed by or on behalf of the US in the "war on terror".

A full list of calls to the President-elect is available from http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/117/2008/en

On Thursday 15 January Amnesty International will launch an online viral video highlighting the expectations being placed on the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama and Amnesty's key demands on the new administration. The viral will be available on http://obama100days.amnesty.org

For more information - including facts and figures, stories and interviews (including with former detainees and Amnesty experts) - please see: http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/resources/counter-terror-with-justice

ENDS