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Guantanamo Prison Begins 16th Year – Protesters Demand:
STOP TRUMP TORTURE PROGRAM

Vigil and Speakers (rain or shine)
To be followed by a Prisoners’ Procession

On the 15th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay prison operated “outside the law” by the United States since 2002, protesters are demanding an end to all U.S. state-sponsored torture and the closing of Guantanamo, the prison that most infamously symbolizes that torture. 

Groups are speaking out, demonstrating, and marching this week in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.

Curt Wechsler, a national leader of one of these groups, World Can’t Wait, said today “We are demonstrating our opposition to U.S. torture practices, and to the even more violent and lawless expansion of this torture program which Trump has openly promised. “

The protest in San Francisco is sponsored by World Can’t Wait, Code Pink and Occupy SF Action Council.  Demonstraters will gather at the Federal Building, many wearing the orange prison jumpsuits that symbolize Guantanamo, and displaying photographs and names of Guantanamo prisoners.  “We will tell the oncoming Trump-Pence regime that NO!  We Will Not Accept TORTURE by a Fascist America!” said Wechsler.

As president, Barack Obama promised to close Guantanamo.  This promise – which Obama could have fulfilled with law on his side despite the political pressures against it – has now evaporated with Guantanamo open for its torturous business as Obama hands the keys over to Trump.

Obama has released a few more Guantanamo prisoners just in recent weeks, but his time is running out, leaving 36 more about to be thrown under the bus; ten face charges in military tribunals and the remainder are designated as "forever prisoners."   Given Trump's determination to close the door on further prisoner discharges, and their health and living conditions behind bars -- these men are unlikely to ever meet even a shred of justice.  Today they sit, anguished, in Guantanamo -- while the president-in-waiting boasts of his plans to add to their number.

[NOTE: “Forever prisoners”  are those against whom U.S. military and other agencies collected evidence to build a prosecution, but because the evidence was obtained under illegal torture – it cannot be used in court against you.]