Note: The following page provides some biographical information for three of the Demonstrators who are standing trial on 5/27/2008. Their names are Maria Allwine, Christine Gaunt, and Fr. Bill Pickard.

The contents of this page are available as a PDF file. It is titled 3bios.pdf and can be downloaded by clicking the link to it at the bottom of this article.

Biographical Information for Maria Allwine

May 19, 2008

In just over a week, a 55-year old mother from Baltimore will enter a courthouse in Washington, D.C. and into the legal debate over the fate of America's detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The name of Mohabet Kahn, an Afghani sent as a teenager to Guantanamo in December 2002, has never appeared in an American criminal court. On May 27th, Maria Allwine, a legal secretary and mother, will change that.

On that day, she will appear at the Washington, D.C. Municipal Court as Mohabet Kahn. Maria was arrested, along with 79 others, at the U.S. Supreme Court on January 11, 2008, protesting the denial of habeas rights to and the torture of inmates at Guantanamo. Like her fellow protestors, Maria took the name of an inmate during her arrest. (See the January 13 Washington Post article "Activists Pose as Guantanamo Prisoners")

"I am deeply ashamed," she explains, "that my government imprisons people without charge, trial, or any recourse to basic rights; that it tortures them, lies about it, and justifies the abuse with 'legal opinions' designed to sanction criminal acts. I went to the Supreme Court to bring the name and the humanity of Mohabet Khan — who claims he was forcibly conscripted into the Taliban at age 16 and that he never threatened U.S. forces — before the law. He cannot do it himself, so I am called by my respect for the rule of law and by my conscience to do it for him."

Thirty-five of the Supreme Court demonstrators have pleaded "not guilty" to charges of "unlawful free speech" and "causing a harangue" at the Court on January 11. They will continue their protest during the trial itself, entering the names of the Guantanamo inmates and justifying their acts as defenses of the U.S. Constitution, international law, and human rights. They will call expert witnesses — from lawyers of the detainees to U.S. Judge Advocate Generals critical of detention policies — to document the abuses at Guantanamo.

At 7:45 am on Tuesday, May 27, those facing trial will walk in orange jumpsuits and black hoods bearing the names of Guantanamo inmates from the U.S. Supreme Court (Maryland Avenue and First Street) to the D.C. Municipal Court (Carl Moultrie Court House, 500 Indiana, Ave NW), where their trial will take place. They will place the detainee names with copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Geneva Convention, and the Magna Charta, symbolizing the demand that the detainees receive rights of due process and protection against torture. At 8:30 am, a press conference will begin outside the Municipal Court. Individuals facing trial, as well as expert witnesses, will address the media. The trial will begin at 9 am. The press is invited to attend the proceedings.

Maria is a member of Witness Against Torture (www.witnesstorture.org), a group that formed in 2005 when 25 people walked from Cuba to the U.S. detention facility to protest conditions there. It is made up of common citizens: priests and pastors, schoolteachers and professors, construction workers and farmers. The defendants come from Charlottesville, Cleveland, Des Moines, Madison (WI), New York City, Scranton, Saratoga, Syracuse, Worcester, and other cities and towns. They represent countless other Americans who want to see the Guantanamo facilities shut down and the abuse of prisoners ended.

Politically inactive for most of her life, Maria was saddened by the Abu Ghraib photographs, and has held a monthly vigil against torture for the last three years (Charles and Centre streets in Baltimore, 5 pm). We thought her story might be interesting to your readers – a way to see how regular Americans across the country are moving beyond conventional protest and taking risks to speak out against U.S. detention policies.

We'd love to put you in touch with Maria and other people from the Baltimore area who will go on trial later this month and talk to you about their action in the broader context of the national movement to shut down the facilities at Guantanamo.

-Frida Berrigan, Media Outreach Coordinator, Witness Against Torture
You may contact me at Frida.berrigan@gmail.com; 347-683-4928 or Maria Allwine directly at mariarichard@verizon.net.

Biographical Information for Christine Gaunt

May 19, 2008

In just over a week, a 51-year old farmer from Grinnell, Iowa, will enter a courthouse in Washington, D.C. and into the legal debate over the fate of America's detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The name of Abdul Razak, an Afghani man sent to Guantanamo in 2003 and who died there in 2007, has never appeared in an American criminal court. On May 27th, Christine Gaunt, a grandmother and third-generation hog farmer from Grinnell, will change that.

On that day, she will appear at the Washington, D.C. Municipal Court as Abdul Razak. Christine was arrested, along with 78 others, at the U.S. Supreme Court on January 11, 2008, protesting the denial of habeas rights to and the torture of inmates at Guantanamo. Eight Iowans were arrested, and three will stand trial with Christine.
Like her fellow protestors, Christine took the name of an inmate during her arrest. (See the January 13 Washington Post article "Activists Pose as Guantanamo Prisoners")

"I went to the Supreme Court," she explains, "to bring the name and the humanity of Abdul Razak — who continually claimed his innocence — before the law. He died in Guantanamo in 2007 of cancer, leaving behind children and grandchildren. He never had a chance to make his case in a court. I will take his name to honor his right to justice before a proper court —a right cruelly denied him at Guantanamo."

Thirty-five of the Supreme Court demonstrators pleaded "not guilty" to charges of "unlawful free speech" and "causing a harangue" at the Court on January 11. They will continue their protest during the trial itself, entering the names of the Guantanamo inmates and justifying their acts as defenses of the U.S. Constitution, international law, and human rights. They will call expert witnesses to document the abuses at Guantanamo. Some defendants, like Christine, will remain silent during the trial to highlight the silencing of the Guantanamo inmates.

At 7:45 am on Tuesday, May 27, those facing trial will walk in orange jumpsuits and black hoods bearing the names of Guantanamo inmates from the U.S. Supreme Court (Maryland Avenue and First Street) to the D.C. Municipal Court (Carl Moultrie Court House, 500 Indiana, Ave NW), where their trial will take place. They will place the detainee names with copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Geneva Convention, and the Magna Charta, symbolizing the demand that the detainees receive rights of due process and protection against torture. At 8:30 am, a press conference will begin outside the Municipal Court. Individuals facing trial, as well as expert witnesses, will address the media. The trial will begin at 9 am. The press is invited to attend the proceedings.

The demonstration was organized by Witness Against Torture (www.witnesstorture.org), a group that formed in 2005 when 25 people walked from Cuba to the U.S. detention facility to protest conditions there. It is made up of common citizens: priests and pastors, schoolteachers and professors, construction workers and farmers. The defendants come from Des Moines, Iowa City, Maloy, Charlottesville, Cleveland, New York City, Scranton, Saratoga, Syracuse, Worcester, and other cities and towns. They represent countless other Americans who want to see the Guantanamo facilities shut down and the abuse of prisoners ended.

We thought Christine's story might be an interesting look for your readers at how regular Americans across the country — and people right here in Iowa — are moving beyond conventional protest and taking risks to speak out against U.S. detention policies.

We'd love to put you in touch with Christine and other people from Iowa who will go on trial later this month and talk to you about their action in the broader context of the national movement to shut down the facilities at Guantanamo.

-Frida Berrigan, Media Outreach Coordinator, Witness Against Torture
You may contact me at Frida.berrigan@gmail.com; 347-683-4928 or Christine Gaunt directly at gaunt@grinnell.edu; 641-990-6108.

Biographical Information for Fr. Bill Pickard

May 19, 2008

In just over a week, a 61-year-old Catholic Priest from Scranton, Pennsylvania, will enter a courthouse in Washington, D.C. and into the legal debate over the fate of America's detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The name of Faruq Ali Ahmed, a Yemeni man captured in Pakistan in 2001 and then detained at Guantanamo, has never appeared in an American criminal court.

On May 27th, Father Bill Pickard from Scranton's St. Joseph's Center, will change that.

On that day, he will appear at the Washington, D.C. Municipal Court as Faruq Ali Ahmed. Father Pickard was arrested, along with 78 mostly faith-based activists, at the U.S. Supreme Court on January 11, 2008, protesting the denial of habeas rights to and the torture of inmates at Guantanamo.

Like his fellow protestors, Father Pickard took the name of an inmate during his arrest. (See the January 13 Washington Post article "Activists Pose as Guantanamo Prisoners").

"I went to the Supreme Court," explains Father Pickard, "to make a simple plea that the inhumane treatment and actual torture of inmates at Guantanamo Bay stop. And I went to bring the name and the humanity of Faruq Ali Ahmed — who claims he traveled to Afghanistan in 2001 simply to teach the Koran to children and that he has no affiliation
with the Taliban or Al Qaeda — before the law. He cannot do it himself, so I am called by Christian faith, my respect for the rule of law, my conscience, and my sense of the sacred nature of justice to do it for him."

Thirty-four of the Supreme Court demonstrators pled "not guilty" to charges of "unlawful free speech" and "causing a harangue" at the Court on January 11. They will continue their protest during the trial itself, entering the names of the Guantanamo inmates and justifying their acts as defenses of the U.S. Constitution, international law, and human rights. They will call expert witnesses to document the abuses at Guantanamo.

At 7:45 am on Tuesday, May 27, those facing trial will walk in orange jumpsuits and black hoods bearing the names of Guantanamo inmates from the U.S. Supreme Court (Maryland Avenue and First Street) to the D.C. Municipal Court (Carl Moultrie Court House, 500 Indiana, Ave NW), where their trial will take place. They will place the detainee names with copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Geneva Convention, and the
Magna Carta, symbolizing the demand that the detainees receive rights of due process and protection against torture. At 8:30 am, a press conference will begin outside the Municipal Court. Individuals facing trial, as well as expert witnesses, will address the media. The trial will begin at 9:30 am. The press is invited to attend the proceedings.

The demonstration was organized by Witness Against Torture (www.witnesstorture.org), a group that formed in 2005 when 25 people walked from Cuba to the U.S. detention facility to protest conditions there. It is made up of common citizens: priests and pastors, schoolteachers and professors, construction workers and farmers. The defendants come from Des Moines, Iowa City, Maloy, Cleveland, New York City, Scranton, Saratoga, Syracuse, Worcester, and other cities and towns. They represent countless other Americans who want to see the Guantanamo facilities shut down and the abuse of prisoners ended.

We thought Father Pickard's story might be an interesting look for your readers at how Americans of faith and conscience are moving beyond conventional protest and taking risks to speak out against U.S. detention policies.

We'd love to put you in touch with Father Pickard and others who will go on trial later this month and talk to you about their action in the broader context of the national movement to shut down the facilities at Guantanamo.

-Frida Berrigan, Media Outreach Coordinator, Witness Against Torture

You may contact me by email Frida.berrigan@gmail.com or phone, 347-683-4928 or contact Father Pickard directly at 570-558-1650 (office), or 570-498-3789 (cell).