Got your orange armband? Close Guantanamo!

A message from ACLU Executive Director, Anthony Romero:
(Romero will be addressing a crowd in Eau Claire on February 7th! Contact the ACLU of Wisconsin for more details - a group from Madison may be carpooling up)

ACLU is calling on people of conscience to wear orange on January 11th to demand the closing of the prison at Guantánamo Bay and an immediate end to 6 years of injustice.

Make sure you're ready.

Make a contribution to the ACLU today and get a "Close Guantánamo" armband.

On January 11, 2002 the first prisoners from Afghanistan arrived at the prison at Guantánamo Bay.

In the six years since, the prison has been a mark of shame for our country. In fact, three years after the military tribunals were first established there, there has yet to be a single trial completed for any person in custody.

Every day that the prison at Guantánamo stays open is an insult to our values and makes a mockery of our commitment to justice and the rule of law.
That’s why on January 11th, the ACLU is leading a nationwide movement calling on people of conscience to wear orange and demand an immediate end to the injustice at Guantánamo Bay. By standing in solidarity we can shift the debate on this national disgrace. So, we’re teaming up with organizations across the country to demand the prison be closed and asking ACLU members to get involved.

To help you participate in this national day of action, we’re asking ACLU members to wear an orange "Close Guantánamo" armband on January 11. You can get a "Close Guantánamo" armband when you make a contribution to the ACLU today.

The fact is the Bush Administration decided to hold prisoners at Guantánamo because it believed the offshore location would be beyond the reach of our courts. This turned Guantánamo into a laboratory for indefinite detention and cruel treatment.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard two cases that challenge the Bush Administration’s policy of holding prisoners without charging them. As we stated in our brief to the court, "[T]heir confinement in military custody without charges or trial for more than five years violates fundamental principles of due process of law." And, at Guantánamo Bay, the ACLU continued to monitor the latest kangaroo court-style hearing.

Guantánamo has become a stain on our nation's honor. That is why it is so important you join hundreds of thousands of Americans who are demanding the closure of the prison at Guantánamo on January 11th. You’ll soon be hearing about the January events happening across the country and online. In the meantime, you can take the first step to get ready for the January 11 events by making a contribution to the ACLU and get a "Close Guantánamo" armband.

Thank you so much for your involvement today as we fight to reclaim our constitutional heritage and restore the full vibrancy of our democracy.

Thank you,
Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director ACLU