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Tell Your Members of Congress: Close Guantanamo
Each year Congress passes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes the Department of Defense to conduct its various activities. For more than a decade, Congress has included language in the NDAA that bars Guantanamo prison detainees from being transferred to the U.S. for any reason – even for trial or for necessary medical treatment. This year, however, the House of Representatives passed a "clean" version of the NDAA that does not include that language. Instead, the House bill would allow Guantanamo detainees to leave the prison and be transferred to the U.S. for medical treatment or to be tried in U.S. courts.
Please write to your Members of Congress and tell them that you support allowing Guantanamo detainees to be transferred to the U.S. and that you want them to pass a "clean" NDAA.
Thank You
The Mauritanian Viewing and Discussion Guide - As more congregations and organizations return to in-person activities, you might consider organizing a screening or discussion of The Mauritanian, which tells the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi and his fight for freedom after being detained, tortured, and imprisoned without charge in Guantanamo. Tahar Rahim (Golden Globe nominee), Jodie Foster (Golden Globe winner) and Benedict Cumberbatch star in the new film, which accurately depicts both the torture and other inhumane treatment inflicted upon Guantanamo detainees, and the Kafkaesque lengths that the U.S. government has gone to keep them locked up regardless of their guilt or innocence. The film is available for streaming on major on demand services and available on DVD. You can see the trailer for the film and options for streaming it at https://www.themauritanian.movie/.
For additional background on the history depicted in the film and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, as well as suggestions for what you can do to help close Guantanamo, check out NRCAT's The Mauritanian Viewing and Discussion Guide.
Do you have an anti-torture banner? You might hang one for the Dec 10th Human Rights Day or in January as the prison at Guantanamo marks 20 years of operations. If you don’t have a banner but would like to display one, banners are available at a reduced rate or free of charge for congregations to display with messages including “Close Guantanamo” or “Solitary Confinement = Torture.” Please contact Rev. T.C. Morrow at 202-547-1920 or tmorrow@nrcat.org if you interested in acquiring a banner from NRCAT.