Why undertake this Witness? Having been imprisoned myself for acts of peacemaking, I have great empathy for all prisoners. In this case, I've tried to imagine what it would be like if I were a Guantanamo prisoner and experiencing the following realities:
- being held 3-4 years without charges and denied access to lawyers
- being tortured and abused
- being held incommunicado and not allowed to have any contact with family and friends
I am outraged that US authorities kidnapped over 500 people, mostly Arabs and Muslims, and have held them in this secret military prison. Many of the prisoners have engaged in a hunger strike, some of whom are now critically ill, as a desperate plea to the world community to end their brutal confinement. I've asked myself: if I were a prisoner at Guantanamo what would I want people to do for me? I would certainly want people to visit me and to call for my immediate release. Inspired by torture survivors I know and compelled by my faith in the tortured, crucified and risen Christ, I join this witness to try and make the Word flesh: to proclaim release to the captives and to let the oppressed go free!