Public photos

Taken at Tackling Torture at the Top's monthly meeting, Wed. Mar. 9, 2016. Standing: Gary King (also Amnesty International head for Minneapolis and St Paul, MN), Sara Olson, Vanessa Lawrow, Sonja Johnson, Brigid McDonald. Sitting: Patty Guerrero, Diane Steen-Hinderle, Scott Moen, Debbie Andresen, Suzanne Al-Kayali (Women Against Military Madness's brand new Director), Coleen Rowley. Taking the photo: Tom Dickinson. Tackling Torture at the Top is a committee of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), a Twin Cities based peace organization.

Hanna says, "I'm Hanna from Switzerland! Last year I read the book 'Guantánamo Diary' from Mohamedou Ould Slahi, I really hope he will be a free man soon and reunites with his family! Come on Obama!"

Steve Lane, from Bethesda, Maryland, says, "Guantánamo Bay concentration camp is a leftover from the era of George W. Bush's war crimes. It violates the ideals enshrined in our Constitution. Radical Islamists all over the world point to it when they attempt to justify murdering us. Some of its victims hate their life there so much that they try to starve themselves to death. Why it still there?"

Steve Lane, from Bethesda, Maryland, hooded in solidarity with the Guantánamo prisoners.

Justin Norman, photographer, filmmaker and web designer, Des Moines, Iowa. Justin is the designer and photographer for Witness Against Torture, and also designed the We Stand With Shaker website, for the campaign to free Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in Guantánamo, who was freed in October 2015.

Christina Cowger, who leads North Carolina Stop Torture Now, at a NCSTN vigil in March 2016. Photo by Steve Wilson.

Joan F. Walsh at a North Carolina Stop Torture Now vigil in March 2016. Photo by Steve Wilson.

Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, North Carolina Council of Churches, at a North Carolina Stop Torture Now vigil in March 2016. Photo by Steve Wilson.

Allyson Caison at a North Carolina Stop Torture Now vigil in March 2016. Allyson lives in Johnston County, where Aero Contractors are based, who flew rendition flights for the CIA. Photo by Steve Wilson.

Beth Brockman of Witness Against Torture at a North Carolina Stop Torture Now vigil in March 2016. Photo by Steve Wilson.

This photo, and the six below, are of supporters at a North Carolina Stop Torture Now vigil in March 2016. Photos by Steve Wilson.

Julisa Wescott, from Sarasota, Florida, USA, says, of the campaign "to close the disgraceful and inhumane Guantánamo Bay," "I am proud to support this campaign, as I have shown my support for the We Stand With Shaker campaign. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, and may God grant freedom to the people being held by injustice at Guantánamo Bay."

Lindis Percy, in Leeds, UK, wrote, "Still time, Barack Obama. You promised to close Guantánamo. Please do it."

Jamie Kearney wrote, "According to testimony on 3/23/16 before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Defense Dept. special envoy for Guantánamo closure, Paul Lewis, said U.S. allies have repeatedly called closing the military prison the 'greatest single action the U.S. can take to fight terrorism.' Thank You!"

Jan Strain, in Seattle, says, "President Barack Obama only has 300 more days to fulfill his promise to the planet. Shut It Down!"

Detroit Amnesty International Society posted these nine photos on Facebook.

Margaret Safrajoyv of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM); Mnar Muhawesh, Founder of Mint Press News and her sister, at a WAMM meeting in Minnesota.

Vanessa, at a Women Against Military Madness meeting in Minnesota.

Sarah Martin of Women Against Military Madness at a WAMM meeting in Minnesota.

Bob Palmer, at a Women Against Military Madness meeting in Minnesota.

Dave Logsdon, President of Chapter 27, Veterans for Peace, at a Women Against Military Madness meeting in Minnesota.

Tom B, at a Women Against Military Madness meeting in Minnesota.

Tom Dickinson, concert pianist and member of Tackling Torture at the Top Committee, at a Women Against Military Madness meeting in Minnesota.

This photo, and the six below, are of members of the Exeter Amnesty International Society, who invited Close Guantánamo co-founder Andy Worthington to come and speak to them about "The Struggle to Close Guantánamo and to Free Shaker Aamer" on February 25, 2016.

Tim Lind, Three Rivers, Michigan, USA.

Suzanne Lind, Three Rivers, Michigan, USA.

Rick Burgess, Disabled Human Rights Activist, UK.

Martijn van Gils.

Tom Hall, Broomfield, Colorado, USA.

Rosalind Belanger, in Canada, says, "Thanks for your perseverance with this campaign."

Ludwig Watzal, editor and journalist, from Bonn, Germany, says, "President Obama, keep your promise and close Guantánamo Bay as long as you are in the White House otherwise it will stay open forever." See Ludwig's article about Guantánamo here.

Joanna Czerwinska says, "I am happy to take part in the photo campaign."

Bernard Sullivan, from Bourton, in North Dorset, says, "This cynical upturning of human rights, whereby someone can suffer extraordinary rendition, extreme torture, indefinite imprisonment without trial or evidence has not only tainted the international reputation of the USA, but also that of Britain as one of its greatest allies. Such actions not only give rise to copycat actions by extremists, but make the likelihood of us becoming targets even greater. Obama, Shut it Down, Free the many innocent detainees and Stop putting all our lives at risk."

Susie Sullivan, from Bourton, in North Dorset, says, "Let's Bring The Closure Soon."

Robert, Yasmin and Shadrach MacInnes.

This photo, and the eight below, are from the Seattle Fellowship of Reconciliation meeting on March 20 where the topic was "Guantánamo: 14 years of torture." This is Emily Paulson.

Rosy Betz-Zall.

Marian Karpoff.

Dvorah Kost.

Lynn Levine and Ruby Philips.

Mary Lou Findlay.

Amanda Blake.

Jennifer Delanty.

Michael Browser.

From Ann in Michigan. This photo and the 12 photos below were taken at an event on February 24, 2016 about drones. Most of these people are long time peace activists and members of "Women Against Military Madness" in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

Madison & Jamie say, "We support you!"

Coleen Rowley (former FBI agent, and whistleblower) wrote, "Today at our annual meeting of the Women Against Military Madness, we took the attached photo to help you push to close Guantánamo. The large black sign is one that our Tackling Torture at the Top Committee made a few years ago (along with three others that trace the history of US going away from the rule of law to the 'dark side')."

Mary in Alaska.

Jeff Merrick wrote, of this photo and the 33 below, "These are photos taken at the Orange County Great American Write-In. Organized by Women For: Orange County. Photos taken by Orange County Peace Coalition."

Kat, in Westland, Michigan, USA, says, "This is a most wonderful campaign. As someone who suffered physical and emotional abuse as a child, I have been appalled by the inhuman way these people have been treated. I think the U.S. government needs to start taking responsibility for the many war crimes and atrocities committed in the name of our country."

Steve Lane in Bethesda, Maryland, says, "Guantánamo Bay concentration camp is a disgrace to the United States and to our values. It demeans us in the eyes of the world. It gives jihadists something to hate us for. But most importantly, it subjects innocent men to imprisonment, torture, and in some cases, death."

Tackling Torture at the Top, a committee of Women Against Military Madness, in Minnesota, supports the Countdown to Close Guantánamo. Front, L to R: Patty Guerrero, Carol Walker, Brigid McDonald, Debbie Andresen, Diane Steen-Hinderle. Back, L to R: Tom Dickinson, Vanessa Lawrow, Jo Ann Maus, Sara Olson.

Jan Strain, from Seattle, says of Guantánamo, "Shut it down!"

Will Thomas, of New Hampshire Veterans for Peace, says, "I, Will Thomas, say that justice for these detainees is long overdue. Free them now and close Guantánamo!"

Wendy Thomas, of New Hampshire Veterans for Peace.

Kujtim, New Jersey, USA.

Sarah Reynolds, from St. Paul, Minnesota, says, "Mr. President, there are less than 350 days left to close Guantánamo."

Ken Jones, Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

From Jim Duffy, California, USA -- his children Michael (age 13) and Julia (age 16). Michael says: "Gitmo sucks! Close it!"

Aida Bardissi, CODEPINK DC office intern.

Rebecca Green, CODEPINK DC office intern.

Tom Dickinson, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, says, "Thanks for this project. So many awful, cruel things going on in the world. So hard to turn the train. But closing this hell is part of the turning." Tom is a member of Tackling Torture at the Top, a Committee of Women Against Military Madness, "a group of women and men who work to expose complicity in torture by our country’s decision-makers, and to hold people to account for that complicity so that it does not continue."

From Pioneer Valley No More Guantánamos in Massachusetts. From L to R: Nancy Talanian, Reverend Peter Kakos, Bruce Miller, Sherrill Hogen, Bob Hawley, and Mary McCarthy. Sherrill Hogen said, "Try them or free them. No to transfer to solitary confinement: Solitary is torture." Reverend Peter Kakos said, "If your sons were there without charge, what would you do?"

Paki Wieland of Pioneer Valley No More Guantánamos in Massachusetts.

Jackie Parker says, "It is wrong to hold people without a fair trial, the closing of Guantánamo Bay is long overdue."

Robert Parker says, "Guantánamo Bay is holding people who have never even had a trial -- this cannot be right. It is time to close it and should be done so now."

Leah Bolger, Commander, US Navy (retired) & past president of the national board of Veterans For Peace, Corvallis, Oregon.

Bart Bolger, Commander, U.S. Navy (retired), Chairperson, Veterans For Peace, Linus Pauling Chapter 132, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.

Helen Schietinger, Witness Against Torture, Washington, D.C., USA.

Judith Kelly, nonviolent activist, Arlington, Virginia.

Rael Nidess, M.D., in Marshall, Texas, says, "Thanks for all the work you've done on behalf of those oppressed by our policies and for those of us not equipped to do what you've done and are doing. Thanks also for making a record of this shameful period of human history. I only hope that, at some future time, wiser folks than us will see the record you'll have left and will have the humanity to say, 'Never Again!'"

Dot Young, London.

Tyler Worthington, London.

Pastor Jonathan Neufeld, Seattle Mennonite Church. This photo and the ten photos below were sent by Elaine Hickman in Seattle.

Pastor Megan Ramer, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Bob Kauffman, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Larry Scheffler, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Marvin Miller, Seattle Mennonite Church. Marvin is with a figure representing Mohammed Bwazir (aka Bawazir), a Yemeni prisoner who was recently offered the chance to leave Guantanamo, but was so fearful of being given a new home in an unknown country that he refused to leave.

Mary Miller, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Mary Moore, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Michael Roe, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Pat Lagerway and Ana Lena Melke, Seattle Mennonite Church.

A supporter, Seattle Mennonite Church.

A supporter, Seattle Mennonite Church.

Zareen, Cambridge Stop the War.

Anna, Cambridge Stop the War.

Dave, Cambridge Stop the War.

David, Cambridge Stop the War.

Denise, Cambridge Stop the War.

Jannie, Cambridge Stop the War.

Martin, Cambridge Stop the War.

Sam, Cambridge Stop the War.

Tom, Cambridge Stop the War.

From Mira Leslie. This photo and the 12 below are from the monthly meeting of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Seattle, WA on Sunday Feb. 21.

Bernard Sullivan, Bourton, North Dorset.

Susie Sullivan, Bourton, North Dorset.

Cynthia Howard, MIT alumna.

Rosalind Belanger, in Canada.

Pearl says, "Close Guantánamo NOW!"

Marion Heads, Bowmore, Islay, Scotland.

Norrie, Bowmore, Islay, Scotland.

Jason Bond, Bowmore, Islay, Scotland.

John Mahoney Codd, Morristown, New Jersey.

Monica Ward, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, says, "Let's end this travesty!"

Salman Soheili says, "I am Salman Soheili from IRAN. I Love Roger Waters. And I hate Fascism and it's shining emblem, Zionism. Guantánamo is a big distraction. You know terrorists are manipulated by corporations outside Guantánamo. So stop fooling people and close the hell."

Snoor Gholamveisi says, "I am Snoor Gholamveisi, Salman's friend. I support Close Guantánamo campaign too. I hate Fascism."

Carolyn Burch, Launceston, Cornwall, UK.

Barbara Glassman, in Nashua, New Hampshire, USA, says, "President Obama: Please do whatever it takes to close Guantánamo."

Tim Lind, Three Rivers, Michigan, USA.

Suzanne Lind, Three Rivers, Michigan, USA.

Judith Neibrief, Washington, D.C., USA.

Catrina Bevilacqua, musician, SF Bay Area, California, USA.

Madeleine Crozat-Williams, Houston, Texas, USA.

Mira Leslie sent this photo and the three below. Two of those in the photos are holding up copies of Michelle Alexander's excellent book "The New Jim Crow," exposing how the imprisonment of millions of African Americans us "the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States," in which those imprisoned are "relegated to a permanent second-class status -- denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement."

Leslie Angeline, CODEPINK, California, USA.

Marga, Kenwood, California, USA.

Andy Mesches, environmental and Native American activist, Bennett Valley, California, USA.

Laura, Santa Rosa, California, USA.

Jeff Widener, Santa Rosa, California, USA.

Margaret Nisly. This photo and the two below were sent by Elaine Hickman in Seattle.

Weldon Nisly.

Pat Lindstadt and Martha Baskin.

Lois Brooks, Ferndale, Michigan, USA.

Andy Worthington, journalist, and co-founder, Close Guantánamo and We Stand With Shaker, says, "With one year to go until President Obama leaves office, we want to do all we can to encourage him to fulfill the promise to close Guantánamo that he made when he first took office seven years ago. Indefinite detention without charge or trial ought to be anathema to all Americans who claim to respect the rule of law, and yet it continues at Guantánamo. The prison must be closed by next January, because the failure to do so will not only undermine President Obama's legacy, but will also continue to undermine the U.S.'s standing in the world." See Andy and Roger Waters discussing the launch with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!

Matt and Jamie Kearney, from Iowa City, Iowa, with their pets Sheeba, Grant and Jimmy, say, "Thank you for working on this important issue."

Chelsea Byers manages the Communities Organizing to Demilitarize Enforcement campaign in CODEPINK's L.A. office.

Maysoon Otaibi, from Toledo, Ohio, says, "President Obama, close Guantánamo ... Let them Go Home."

CODEPINK campaigners.

Michael Aiken says, "Thank you for the opportunity to participate in something so meaningful."

Pamela from Oakland, California says to President Obama, "Guantánamo is a horrendous abuse of basic human rights and the rule of law."

Laura Barua and Nadir Ansari say, "Obama, Close Guantánamo, please."

Diana Murtaugh Coleman, academic and campaigner, USA.

Judith Kelly, nonviolent activist with Witness Against Torture, Arlington, Virginia.

From Jim Duffy, California, USA -- his children Michael (age 13) and Julia (age 16). Jim says, "Their grandfather, my father, was a POW in Stalag IX B in Bad Orb, Germany. What we are doing at Gitmo is on par with what was done at Bad Orb. Inexcusable."

Rabia.

From Amy at Syracuse University, NY -- the message to President Obama hung on a replica of Jean-Antoine Houdon's lifesize sculpture of George Washington.

Annie Capestany says, "Human rights aren't just for Americans, they are for all people. Live up to American ideals and close Guantánamo."

Shari Wagner.

Beth Cioffoletti, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.

Elaine Hickman, Twila Slind and Cathy Cooper, Washington State, USA.

Chantal deAlcuaz, from Anchorage, Alaska, says, "Thank you for all your work!"

Hassan Bohra, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

Gayatridevi.

Chris Brandt, writer, performer, teacher and activist, New York City, says, "President Obama, you're the bloody Commander in Chief. Guantánamo is a military prison. You can close it by ordering it closed. Simple syllogism. Do it!"

Debra Sweet, National Director, The World Can't Wait, says to President Obama, "End the practice of indefinite detention NOW. Continuing it is the torture you say the United States does not practice."

"Brooklyn based blogger The Talking Dog, President Obama's undergraduate classmate and fellow political science major in Columbia's class of 1983, poses here less than a mile from that university's campus, and is seen here wearing the university's stocking cap, strongly urging the President to step up his efforts to close Guantánamo in his remaining time in office, ideally on the terms suggested by the Countdown to Close Guantánamo or in a similar manner of his own devising, lest he graduate from the office of the Presidency with a glaring mark of 'incomplete' on his signature promise of closing Guantánamo (originally promised within his first year in office, and now, promised before he leaves office.) As if the facts actually matter in American politics (or life here in general), for the record, the convenient fiction that Guantánamo still serves, or has ever served, any purpose toward 'keeping Americans safe' is belied by the fact that nearly 90% of its occupants have now been released (and over a third of those 91 men remaining are cleared for, and possibly even scheduled for, release themselves), and we have not suffered anything close to another 9-11 type event, and indeed, the world has simply not ended. The overwhelming evidence is that Guantánamo never held more than a handful of captured enemies (let alone 'terrorists'), but always did hold a whole bucketful of men guilty of simply being in the wrong place when the United States was buying prisoners from Afghan warlords, the Pakistani government, or other willing sellers. It is bad enough that in a week or so, President Obama will have presided over Guantánamo longer than President Bush. Perhaps this is the appropriate moment for the President to exercise some uncharacteristic humility and recognize his own errors along the way, when dealing with Congress, his own Defense Department and intelligence services, and all other appropriate stakeholders and decision-makers, in bringing this long-running national disgrace to a close, in the interest of his personal legacy if nothing else. Courage."

Cat Watters, activist, New York City, says, "President Obama, stand up to Corporations and tell Congress to do the same. Stop selling out the innocent and STOP killing innocent people in the Middle East!"

Shahela Begum, in New York City, says, "I would like to tell President Obama: It is time to end the embarrassment and shame that has come upon our government, we need to close Guantánamo immediately. You promised to close Guantánamo under your administration, the world is holding you to that promise and we are watching. Release the men who have been cleared for release immediately, the review board must speed up the process for those who are waiting, and trials must be held for the men awaiting trials. The world and these prisoners, most of whom have insufficient evidence against them, cannot wait any longer for justice to be served. It is disgusting that our government would hold these men indefinitely without credible evidence and under various forms of torture. Some of these innocent men will die in confinement, waiting for their cases to be reviewed and processed. It is time that you appointed a senior official under your administration to make sure that Guantánamo is closed before you leave office. The world is waiting for justice to be done and although there is no way to give these men their lives back, the one thing you can do is give back their freedom."

Yarah and Talulah David, Mells, Somerset, U.K.

Rosalie Riegle, from Evanston, Illinois, says, "Mr. President: in 2006, I traveled to DC to vigil that Guantánamo be closed. It's still open! Close it now!"

Steve Lane, from Bethesda, Maryland, USA, says, "Guantánamo Bay concentration camp is not just a powerful recruiting tool for terrorists. It is also a betrayal of American values. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that 'the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial,' but men have been held at Guantánamo Bay without a trial for large parts of their lives. The Sixth Amendment voices a sacred American value. Why is that value not applied to everyone?"

Ken Jones, from Asheville, North Carolina, USA, sends a message to President Obama: "Let them go home!"

Martin and Janie Stein, from Laporte, Colorado, USA, send a message to President Obama: "Shut it down!"

Barbara Cole-Kiernan says to President Obama, "Close Guantánamo Now!!"

Laurie Childers, Corvallis, Oregon.

Bill Hayden, Corvallis, Oregon.

Kathryn Hayden, Corvallis, Oregon.

This photo, and the two below, are from Kitty, in Virginia, who says, "I happened to watch Democracy Now! last night and finally saw something I could actually do about something I have felt so outraged about for Y E A R S!!! Thank you for your efforts."

Of this photo and the 11 below, John Bito says, "The Phinney Neighbors for Peace and Justice was founded on December 12, 2002 in response to a call from Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation, The Church Council of Greater Seattle and other activist groups that sought to bring people together in opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Our group has been a presence in Seattle ever since, frequently calling for the closure of Guantánamo as well as opposing militarism and supporting peace and justice. Please find attached photos of the members present at the January monthly meeting."

Andrew Picard says to President Obama, "You promised, if we speak out, you will hear us and do it, if you can!!!"

"Steve Benson, Surry, Maine, USA, regretting these many years of chronic violations of Cuban sovereignty, of internationally honored traditions of law and justice, and of the human rights of innocent individuals, families and communities traceable to our practices in the notorious Guantánamo prison. Close it and turn it over to Cuba, once and for all. Allow the peoples of the world to consider the U.S. government as once again capable of just and humanitarian decisions."

Rosalind Belanger, in Canada, says, "This matter has bothered me for a long time. President Obama has the executive power to close this hated prison, why doesn't he use it? Good luck with the campaign."

From Laura Lance in South Carolina: "Guantánamo is an ugly, festering wound -- evidence of the madness to which a society can succumb in the absence of checks and balances, law and order. It is also one of the biggest lies ever perpetuated before the American people. Sadly, most Americans still believe that these detainees were guilty of more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The secret has long been out: the vast majority of these men and boys are actually innocent human souls who were captured and sold to the American government by ruthless bounty hunters for a few thousand dollars, then subjected to upwards of 15 years imprisonment, of torment, torture and ill-treatment. It's time to end the charade, President Obama. Let justice do its work. Give the innocents their freedom. Close Guantánamo. Open this festering wound and its sordid history to the light, so that our nation may have some hope to never again succumb to such madness."

"I am Salman Soheili from IRAN. Down with Fascism. Down with Zionism. This is me for the campaign of Close Guantánamo. I love you Waters."

Thomas Brown wrote, "Thank you for this effort."

Andi Vincent, composer and civil rights activist, Edinburgh.

Miles Solay, frontman of the band Outernational, at Revolution Books, New York City.

A supporter at Revolution Books, New York City.

Richie Marini, New York City.

Adrienne Bubbins, New York City.

Stephanie Rugoff, War Criminals Watch, New York City.

Juana, New York City.

Adrienne Luendo, New York City.

C. Clark Kissinger, manager, Revolution Books, New York City.

Roarke Martin has this message for President Obama: "Please close this embarrassing chapter in history now for the sake of the human race."

Scott D. Morrow, from Leadville, Colorado, says, "Dear POTUS Obama, Hard to believe Congress is able to stop you from following through on your executive order to close the criminal operations at Guantánamo Bay. Seems to me you have a legal and moral responsibility to close it down and let go everyone already cleared. For any of the illegally held detainees that one of the USA agencies believe are dangerous, try them, give them their day in court or let them go!"

John Mahoney Codd, Morristown, New Jersey.

Lois Brooks, from Ferndale, Michigan, says to President Obama, "Close Guantánamo now." To the Close Guantánamo campaign, she says, "Thanks for everything you are doing to close this awful place."

Danny Hammons.

Barbara Glassman in Nashua, New Hampshire, USA.

Jenny Hughes in France says, "I can't believe what I read, is it really true? Please can the administration provide percentage calculated risk for each person (men only, why, are women a lesser risk?) and explain clearly and simply how they weighed up the independent evidence (obtained when, where, by what means/by whom?) that made them SO afraid that they decided to lock up these humans 'just in case' without accusing them of any crime and without impartial legal representation of equal cost/quality to that which the Administration enjoys, immediately. Crimes against humanity - in my opinion. This picture is me."