National - Event Notice
Thursday January 01 1970

Guantanamo 5th Anniversary Vigil

national | crime and justice | event notice

Friday January 05, 2007 02:17

by Robbie

robbiesin at gmail dot com

087-9166890

Thurs Ja 11th 2007, 4:30-6pm at US Embassy

Thurs Jan 11th marks the 5th anniversary of the first victims of Guantanamo prison camp, and people from all over Ireland will be holding a vigil at the US Embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin, between 4:30-6pm to demonstrate our strong feelings towards inhuman acts by the US government, and to express our concerns and shame that the Irish government has turned a blind eye to CIA flights going through Irish airports.

We should have some spare props, but people are encouraged to make/bring their own to add to the colour and diversity.

On January 3rd 2007, the most recent evidence of Human Rights abuses at Guantanamo were disclosed by the American Civil Liberties Union, on, on behlaf of former detainees of the illegal prison-camp, managed to get the FBI to release a survey of its own members. In this internal survey of 500 FBI agents, 26 had witnessed prisoners being abused during interrogations, and much more evidence of long-term abuses was documented by others.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1821278.htm

The US government still denies that torture is practiced in Guantanamo, despite Dick Cheney (vice-president) implying that 'waterboarding' was common (obvious) three months ago.

The Irish government is unlikely to make representations with regard to these Human Rights abuses: it claims to be against illegal flights known as 'extraordinary rendition', but did not take any action against the gardaí for not investigating suspicious flights that went through Shannon and perhaps, Baldonnel airports. The gardaí, instead, focussed their supposedly meagre resources on those who were gathering data - data which was to be used by Human Rights Watch and the European Parliament in investigations into CIA activities in Europe.

Rather than let the US government continue with the conceit that Ireland is a soft-touch on Human Rights and conscience, a good turn-out by any nationalities, religions, politicos and ordinaries like such as ourselves, should do something to preserve our collective dignity and conscience.

Vigils will also be held in the following places...cehck www.witnesstorture.org for updates and background....
Amsterdam, Holland
Bahrain
Boise, Idaho
Chicago, Illinois
Corvallis, Oregon
Duluth, Minnesota,
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Humboldt County, CA
London, UK
Managua, Nicaragua
Miami, Florida
New Haven, CT
New York City, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
San Francisco, CA,
Saratoga Springs, NY
Sydney, Australia
Syracuse, New York.

Time in Ireland, once again
4:3--6pm. Thurs Jan 11th outside US Embassy, Ballsbridge.