Human Rights Organization Highlights Abuses as U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Harsh Interrogation Techniques

WASHINGTON - Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) will bring its national tour of a life-size Guantanamo prison cell replica to Washington, DC on Wednesday, June 25; activists will gather at noon east of the Washington Monument on the National Mall to experience the cell and push the Bush administration to shut down Guantanamo.

Larry Cox, AIUSA’s executive director, will kick off the event at which many participants will be dressed in Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuits and holding signs. Visitors will be encouraged to experience the interactive cell on display at the event. The cell replica includes a steel toilet, florescent lights and a sliding metal door. Many detainees are held in isolation in similar conditions for as long as 23 hours a day; hundreds of detainees have never been charged with a crime.

The cell replica visits the nation’s capital as a U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee is expected to hear testimony on harsh interrogation techniques from Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington and former U.S. Justice Department lawyer John Yoo. This hearing is slated for Thursday, June 26, the World Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

During the same week, Amnesty International will release two relevant reports: an evaluation of abuses related to Tunisia’s counterterrorism policies and a review of Europe’s role in the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret renditions program.

The cell replica will be on exhibit on the National Mall beginning Wednesday, June 25, through Sunday, June 29. Visitors may tour the cell and record a 30-second reaction video that will be posted on youtube.com and AIUSA’s tearitdown.org, as well as sign the global petition to shut Guantanamo down. Previous stops include Miami, Philadelphia and Portland, Me., at which more than 1,000 visitors have toured the cell.

AIUSA will also host a concert on Wednesday, June 25, from 6-10 p.m. east of the Washington Monument. Local musicians and activists will call for the closure of the U.S.-controlled detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. All events are free and open to the public.

EVENT: National Tour of Guantanamo Cell Replica Visits DC

DATE: Wednesday, June 25

TIME: Rally-style kick-off begins at noon

LOCATION: East of the Washington Monument on the National Mall

Intersection of 15th Street and Constitution Avenue

Washington, DC

For more details, including photographs and videos from recent cell replica tour stops, please visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/.

Amnesty International
CONTACT: AIUSA media office, +1-202-544-0200 x302

Web site: http://www.amnestyusa.org//

Posted: 06|21|08 at 7:47 am. Filed under: Press Release.