witness against torture
Letter to Department of Justice
On Tuesday, June 15th -- a day after the acquittal of Witness Against Torture members in DC Superior Court of charges stemming from a January protest -- a coalition of groups and individuals met with Portia Roberson, the head of the Office of Public Liaison at the Department of Justice. more...
Torture activists arrested at US Capitol acquitted [AP]
WASHINGTON - A judge has acquitted two dozen anti-torture activists who were arrested at the U.S. Capitol. more...
Twenty-Four Anti-Torture Activists Acquitted in Trial for Protest at the US Capitol Calling for Guantanamo's Closure and the Investigation of Deaths at the Prison
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. more...
Acquittal: no convictions in Jan 21 civil disobedience case
Saying that "In my opinion, the defendants were not properly charged in this case," D.C. Superior Court Judge Russell Canan today acquitted 24 activists of unlawful assembly in connection with civil disobedience this past January 21 at the U.S. Capitol. more...
Fast and Vigil for Justice - Final Report
From January 11 - January 22, over one hundred and fifty people spent the last 12 days fasting, vigiling, lobbying and then, finally, engaging in civil disobedience to call for a closure of Guantanamo and an end to all torture. Below is a short summary of our daily activities and links to some reflections. Be sure to poke around witnesstorture.org for a bounty of videos, photos, press clippings and more. more...
At 78 years, lifelong protester racks up convictions, marches on [Washington Post]
It's a familiar scene for Eve Tetaz. She sits in the cold, damp holding cell, crammed together with other women. Some, like her, were arrested for protesting. Others are locked up for drugs, assault or prostitution. more...
Day 12: Fast and Vigil for Justice
All of our friends who spent last night and the better part of today in jail, have now been released. After 30 hours locked up, the system slowly grinded on, and people have a first court date of March 18. We'll keep you in the loop as details around a possible trial come together. From those who were arrested, there were stories of joy as well as frustration… more...
Inside the Capitol Rotunda (Jan 21)
Fourteen Witness Against Torture activists entered the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol while dozens more were gathered outside. The Rotunda is site where U.S. presidents are waked, before burial. The U.S. government calls it the "Temple of Liberty" and the "Stage of the Nation." The activists formed a semicircle around the white circle in the Rotunda which designates the spot from which a new president departs for his inauguration and to which a president's body is returned after he dies. more...
Day 11: Fast and Vigil for Justice
Today was a busy one. As I sit to write this brief update, forty-two friends are in DC jail after simultaneous actions inside and outside the US Capitol. Rather than re-count the actions here, we encourage you too look through our site for photos, videos and other reports. Please forward links around, post them on facebook, e-mail them to friends and family, not to highlight what we have done, but to draw attention to the continuing crime of Guantanamo. more...
42 Arrested at U.S. Capitol in Day of Action to Denounce Obama’s Broken Promises on Guantanamo
Washington, DC - In a dramatic protest, 42 activists with Witness Against Torture were arrested this afternoon at the U.S. Capitol. Most of the arrestees had been fasting since January 11th.
The protest, which comes on the eve of the since-voided deadline President Obama had set for closing the prison camp at Guantanamo, was part of nationwide set of actions today that included dozens of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans lobbying Congress; a campaign by human rights organizations - with the support of the rock superband, Coldplay - to flood Twitter with the "CloseGitmo" message; and, a press conference held by retired Generals at the National Press Club. more...