Gitmo Clock 2023 Photos
Photos of supporters, including former prisoners, marking 7,671 days of Guantánamo's existence, on Jan. 11, 2023, the 21st anniversary of its opening.
January 11, 2023 marked the shameful 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, a total of 7,671 days. This page shows photos of former prisoners, lawyers, activists and concerned citizens around the world, who have taken photos with posters in our ongoing photo campaign, via our website the Gitmo Clock, showing how long Guantánamo has been open and urging President Biden to close it without further delay, beginning with the 7,671 days poster for Jan. 11, and continuing throughout the year. We're delighted to announce that we received so many photos for the 21st anniversary that we've set up a second page for 2023, featuring additional anniversary photos, as well as photos throughout the rest of the year.
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Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, former Guantánamo prisoner Mansoor Adayfi, in Belgrade, Serbia (where he was resettled in 2016 after 14 years’ imprisonment without charge or trial), calls on President Biden to close it without further delay. 35 men are still held at the prison, even though 20 of these men have been approved for release, and yet, when it comes to actually freeing them, the Biden administration seems to have very little interest in doing so.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, former Guantánamo prisoner and torture survivor Mohamedou Ould Slahi calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, former Guantánamo prisoner Ahmed Errachidi, in Morocco, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, former Guantánamo prisoner Moazzam Begg, in the U.K., calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, former Guantánamo prisoner Abd al-Malik, in Montenegro (where he was released in in 2016 after 14 years’ imprisonment without charge or trial), who, in a tweet, said, "21 years have passed. I was in the first group to arrive. The pain is gone, but there is still another pain that remains. When I hear there are still detainees, and the prison has not been closed yet, unfortunately." One of the artists included in "Ode to the Sea: Art from Guantánamo," an exhibition at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York in 2017-18, he has a website here.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Clive Stafford Smith sent this photo from Guantánamo wearing a T-shirt from the gift shop that says "It don’t GTMO better than this" — and as he says, "it hasn’t got any better in 21 years."
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Close Guantánamo co-founder Andy Worthington, in London, says to President Biden, and to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "This is a truly shameful anniversary, the reasons for which can be laid squarely at your feet. 20 of the 35 men still held have been approved for release, and yet they continue to live in an unforgivable limbo, in which they still have no idea when, if ever, they will be freed. You, gentlemen, need to take a proactive role in helping Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, appointed last summer to deal with Guantánamo resettlements in the State Department, to do her job, arranging for the repatriation of the men who can be sent home, and working with the governments of other countries to take in those men who cannot be safely repatriated, or whose repatriation is prohibited through restrictions imposed annually by Republican lawmakers in the National Defense Authorization Act. You own Guantánamo now, and approving men for release but then not freeing them, because it requires some hard work and some diplomacy, is both cruel and unacceptable."
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Elise Swain of The Intercept calls on President Biden to close it without further delay. Elise recently wrote an astonishingly powerful article about Sabri al-Qurashi, a former Guantánamo prisoner who was resettled in Kazakhstan in 2014, but, like many former prisoners, has found himself stigmatized and abandoned by his host government. "Truly, my life now is just as bad as when I was in Guantánamo, and in many aspects even worse," he said. "At least there, I knew I was in prison and that I would get out one day. Now I’m living as if I’m dead and being told I am free when I am not."
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — in a wonderfully creative manner, Antonio Aiello calls on President Biden to close it without further delay. Antonio worked with former prisoner Mansoor Adayfi on his compelling memoir, “Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo,” which was published in 2021.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Stephen Rosenbaum, Frank C. Newman Lecturer at the School of Law, at the University of California, Berkeley, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Maria Hartwig, Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
January 11, 2023 was the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Ahmad Abdul-Quadir in the U.S. called on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Jeffrey Kaye, retired psychologist and investigative journalist, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Dr. David Nicholl, an NHS neurologist, who also spent many years campaigning for the closure of Guantánamo, says, "It never should have happened but 21 years ago today Gitmo opened, it’s well past its close by date."
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Jan Strain, in the U.S., says, "Who could imagine that the U.S. would allow this to continue for 21 years? The people have forgotten. The Congress doesn't care. With Biden in office, nothing will be done. It drives me mad." Jan also wrote, "This is an important anniversary — if for no other reason than to rattle some cages and confront those who condone this travesty through their silence," and quoted John Stuart Mill: "Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject."
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — longtime Close Guantánamo supporter Steve Lane in Bethesda, Maryland says, "President Biden, our Pledge of Allegiance ends with the words, 'with Liberty and Justice for All.' All, there, means just what it says — everyone, not just people who look like us. It means that we pledge to deliver justice to the men imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. How is it just to keep men in prison there for 21 years, without trial or even charge, as we do today?"
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, longtime Close Guantánamo supporter Natalia Rivera Scott in Mexico City calls on President Biden to close it without further delay. Natalia has traditionally held solo protests in Mexico City, but this year Amnistía Internacional México were involved, and there was a great turnout.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Alli McCracken of Amnesty International USA was in Mexico City, with Amnistía Internacional México, for a joint protest against Guantánamo’s continued existence. The seven photos below are also from this action in Mexico City.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Frida Berrigan of Witness Against Torture (WAT) calls on President Biden to close it without further delay. WAT are holding their annual 'Fast For Justice' in Washington, D.C.to mark the anniversary, holding protests and vigils at various prominent locations including, today, the White House, and the following 19 photos are from their gathering place in the capital.
Sherrill Hogan of Witness Against Torture.
Helen Schietinger and Matt Daloisio of Witness Against Torture.
Richard Sroczynski of Witness Against Torture (WAT).
Chrissy Stonebraker-Martínez and Marc Alvarado of Witness Against Torture.
Herb Geraghty of Witness Against Torture and Rehumanize International.
Paki Wieland of Witness Against Torture.
Chris Spicer Hankle of Witness Against Torture.
James Yee, a Muslim and the former Army chaplain at Guantánamo, who, in 2003, was falsely accused of "spying, espionage, aiding the enemy, mutiny and sedition," and imprisoned without charge or trial for 70 days, mostly in solitary confinement.
Art Laffin of Witness Against Torture.
Bill Ofenloch of Witness Against Torture.
Ellen Barfield of Witness Against Torture.
Brian Terrell of Witness Against Torture.
Sister Paulette of Witness Against Torture.
Mike Levinson of Witness Against Torture.
Mike Fiala of Witness Against Torture.
Lasse of Witness Against Torture.
Ellen of Witness Against Torture.
Pam of Witness Against Torture.
David of Witness Against Torture.
Jean of Witness Against Torture.
A supporter of Witness Against Torture.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Susan McLucas, in Somerville, MA, says, "Here I am on the 21st anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo, calling on the world to help us convince our government leaders to stop this insane injustice and cruelty of holding people without charge or trial for decades on end. If there is any decency left in this government, close Guantánamo! Even if there is no decency, let's close it for the public relations benefits. Let these people get on with what is left of their lives. Start with the 20 men who have been cleared for release and take it from there, one by one, until Guantánamo is closed!"
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Beth Brockman of Witness Against Torture (WAT) calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Joan Walsh of North Carolina Stop Torture Now calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Soph Myers-Kelley calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Sara Birch, the Convenor of the UK Guantánamo Network, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Justin Norman, the designer of the Gitmo Clock and the Gitmo Clock posters, in Des Moines, Iowa, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Sandy Maliga, in the U.S., calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Dot Young, an artist and teacher in London, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Tyler Worthington, a beatboxer and student in London, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Christina Cowger of North Carolina Stop Torture Now sent three photos from their protest in Raleigh, at which, as a report explains, "32 human rights supporters gathered outside the Federal Building to mark the 21st anniversary of the opening of the Guantánamo prison, and call on President Biden to close it immediately." This first photo is of Andy Silver of North Carolina Stop Torture Now.
Douglas Ryder of Veterans for Peace.
Patrick O’Neill of Fr. Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker House.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Susan Hogarth in North Carolina calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — campaigners in Berkeley, California, held a press conference inside U.C. Berkeley Law School, "asking the Biden Administration to close Guantanamo, release the 20 men cleared for release and still at Guantanamo, and prosecute U.C. Law Professor John Yoo for complicity in torture." Cynthia Papermaster, CODEPINK’s San Francisco Bay Area Coordinator, who sent the photo, is on the right. Campaigners have long sought the removal of Yoo from the university, and his prosecution as the author of the notorious "torture memos" of 2002, which fraudulently authorized the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, William V. Hudon, professor emeritus at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay, and says, "End the ongoing torture of indefinite incarceration. Let them go! SHUT DOWN GUANTANAMO."
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Timothy Lind, in Three Rivers, Michigan, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Susan Hall, in Colorado, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Tom Hall, in Colorado, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Deborah M. Weissman, Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law at the School of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Roger Wilson, in the U.K., calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Bernard Sullivan, in the U.K., calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Susie Sullivan, in the U.K., calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, longtime Close Guantánamo supporter Julie Alley, in the U.S., calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Ed Charles, the editor of the World Can’t Wait’s Spanish website, in Oakland, California, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Dorrine Marshall in Irvine, California, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Albert Valencia in Irvine, California, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Debra Sweet, the National Director of the World Can’t Wait, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay at the Close Guantanamo NOW Rally outside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue, organised by the World Can’t Wait, Witness Against Torture, Veterans for Peace, Raging Grannies and numerous other groups.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — blogger The Talking Dog, who has conducted numerous interviews, over the years, with lawyers and many other people working on Guantánamo, calls on President Biden to close it without further delay at the Close Guantanamo NOW Rally outside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Jeremy Varon of Witness Against Torture calls on President Biden to close it without further delay at the Close Guantanamo NOW Rally outside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Carmen Trotta of Witness Against Torture calls on President Biden to close it without further delay at the Close Guantanamo NOW Rally outside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Pardiss Kebriaei of the Center for Constitutional Rights calls on President Biden to close it without further delay at the Close Guantanamo NOW Rally outside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue.
This photo, and the 37 below, were taken at the Close Guantanamo NOW Rally outside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Nancy Talanian of No More Guantánamos, and the recently established Guantánamo Survivors Fund, took this photo, and the following seven photos, at a rally in Northampton, MA calling for Guantanamo’s closure.
Marking the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2023 — a total of 7,671 days — Bill Ofenloch of Witness Against Torture took this photo, and the five following photos, at a report on Guantánamo at the Catholic Worker in New York City on January 13.
Today, January 11, 2023, is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and, marking 7,671 days since the prison opened, Robert Kolkebeck in Park Forest, Illinois says, "21 years ago I wasn’t even a senior citizen. Steve Goodman wrote ‘Somebody Else’s Troubles’ four or five decades with the line, 'as long as fate is out there busting somebody else’s bubbles everything’s going to be all right.' It’s a song I always liked, but not at all applicable here, because it’s not 'fate' causing the troubles but successive U.S. administrations, from Bush to Biden. And all conscious Americans with any conscience feel the shame."
