By Witness Against Torture

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Monday, June 14, twenty-four activists with Witness Against
Torture were acquitted in Washington, D.C. Superior Court of charges of “unlawful
entry with disorderly conduct.”  The charges stemmed from demonstrations at the US
Capitol on January 21,2010 - the date by which President Obama had promised the
closure of the Guantanamo detention camp.

“With his decision, the judge validated the effort of the demonstrators to condemn
the ongoing crime of indefinite detention at Guantanamo,”says Bill Quigley, legal
adviser to the defendants and the Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional
Rights.

“Our acquittal is a victory for free speech and for the right of Americans to stand
up for those falsely imprisoned and abused at Guantanamo,” says Ellen Graves, one of
the defendants.  “We tried to shine a light on the unconstitutional policies of the
Bush and now the Obama administrations.  That light shone brightly today.”

“We will use our freedom to continue to work for the day when Guantanamo is closed
and those who designed and carried out torture policies are held to account,” says
defendant Paul Thorson.

On January 21, activists dressed as Guantanamo prisoners were arrested on the steps
of the Capitol holding banners reading “Broken Promises,Broken Laws, Broken Lives.”
Inside the Capitol Rotunda, at the location where deceased presidents lie in state,
fourteen activists were arrested performing a memorial service for three men who
died at Guantanamo in 2006.  Initially reported as suicides, the deaths may have
been - as recent evidence suggests - the result of the men being tortured to death
(see Scott Horton, “Murders at Guantanamo, March2010, Harpers).

Witness Against Torture formed in December 2005 when twenty-five activists walked to
Guantanamo to visit the prisoners and condemn torture policies.  Since then, it has
engaged in public education,community outreach, and non-violent civil disobedience.
To learn more visit www.witnesstorture.org.