Maine Coalition Marks 6th Anniversary of Guantanamo
Mainers Call on Collins and Snowe to Close Guantanamo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 11, 2008

Portland – Today the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the Maine Council of Churches, Amnesty International of Maine, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Portland Branch, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, and Peace Action Maine called on the Maine Congressional delegation to close Guantanamo.  The groups delivered a letter to the Portland offices of Congressman Allen, Senators Collins and Senator Snowe.  MCLU members are wearing orange armbands to mark the anniversary.

“Guantanamo represents a tragic departure from traditional American values of fairness and due process under the law,”  said MCLU Executive Director Shenna Bellows.  “It’s time to close Guantanamo and restore our commitment to the Constitution and human rights.”

Guantanamo Bay, for six years now, has denied its detainees basic civil liberties and human rights.  Detainees are held without the right to challenge their detainment, otherwise known as habeas corpus, and the right to due process of law. 

The practices at Guantanamo are in direct conflict with constitutionally guaranteed rights.  To uphold the sanctity of our constitution, the Close Guantanamo Coalition commands the Maine representatives to work to end the shameful practice. 
Across the country, a variety of activities sponsored by the ACLU are taking place including a prayer vigil in New York City and a demonstration in Washington, DC.  The ACLU and MCLU are calling on Americans to wear orange this Friday as an expression of opposition to torture and indefinite detention at the U.S.-run prison. The color orange was chosen for its symbolic value; orange was the color of the jumpsuits worn by prisoners at Guantánamo as depicted in  the first photographs  released by the Department of Defense in 2002.

To see a copy of the Maine coalition letter, click here.

More information on the Close Guantánamo campaign and details of the scheduled events are available at: www.aclu.org/closeGuantanamo