My name is Tarak Kauff, here on behalf of Ali Faruq Ahmed, a 25-year old Yemeni man imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.

The Government has accused, and now convicted us, of transgressing a statute prohibiting free speech on the grounds of the Supreme Court. I am convinced our action was justified under international law, by the first amendment of our own Constitution and most importantly by truth and conscience.
My action on January 11th was not undertaken lightly. I was aware that there was a possibility, even a probability of arrest. Nobody in their right mind wants to be arrested, to be handcuffed, as it turned out for 9 hours and incarcerated for over 30. I was also aware that the court might not be sympathetic to our motives and that I might be
found guilty, fined and/or face time in jail - a loss of time, money and freedom which as a working man, I can little afford.

None the less, since I am aware of the torture of prisoners and removal of habeas corpus at Guantanamo Bay and other U.S. run prisons - if knowing this, I remained silent, did nothing, did not put myself forward in the most direct way when given the chance, then I would be compelled to consider myself guilty in a much deeper sense - guilty of
betraying my country and my duty as a veteran and a citizen, guilty of abandoning the men and their families whose lives are being devastated at Guantanamo, guilty of renouncing my humanity, guilty of being aware of injustice and being complacent.

I wonder, when the crimes of the Bush Administration are fully revealed, much as the atrocities of the Third Reich were revealed to posterity, how will we face our children, if we did not resist, did not speak out?

This court may have found us guilty as charged, but I believe and I think this court and even the prosecution know that we have not done anything wrong. What we did was right by every standard of decency and in keeping with a long tradition of American civil resistance to injustice.

If we are to lay the burden of guilt, then that guilt belongs massively to the Bush Administration and its agents. At this critical time, it is so clear that America desperately needs to pursue justice, to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes
against humanity, not those of us who nonviolently stand up for truth, justice and humanity.

I would also like to say that I am deeply grateful and proud to be part of this group dedicated to ending torture. I will continue my efforts in this direction until justice has been restored.