Guantanamo campaigns

Photos and Report: Global Close Guantánamo Vigils Resume As Trump Begins Illegally Holding Migrants in the Prison

12.2.25

Photos from, and my report about the coordinated monthly global vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and in London, Brussels and Mexico City on February 5, 2025, and the week after. The vigils have been taking place on the first Wednesday of every month for the last two years, and will continue under Donald Trump, especially as he has now shocked the world by illegally sending migrants to the prison as part of the vile “war on migrants” that he launched when he took office.

Photos and Report: Close Guantánamo Vigils Marking the 23rd Anniversary of the Prison’s Opening, January 11, 2025

13.1.25

Photos from, and my report about the vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and in London on January 11, 2025, the truly shameful 23rd anniversary of the opening of the prison. Most of those involved are part of the coordinated monthly global vigils that have been taking place on the first Wednesday of every month for the last two years, and which will continue under Donald Trump. With 15 men recently released, the vigils involved a huge sense of relief that Biden had finally taken action after 20 months in which no prisoners were freed, but 15 men still remain, all held in what I describe as “varying states of lawlessness.”

Guantánamo at 23: Global Vigils on January 11 and an Ongoing Photo Campaign Marking 8,400 Days on January 9

6.1.25

Publicizing the imminent 23rd anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, on January 11, marked by vigils taking place across the US and around the world, as well as the Close Guantánamo campaign’s ongoing photo campaign, marking 8,400 days of the prison’s existence on January 9. I also stress the urgent need for the Biden administration to resettle 14 men long approved for release before leaving office. in just 13 days’ time. If they’re not freed, they’ll be entombed at Guantánamo for another four years under Donald Trump.

Photos and Report: The Crucial “Free the Guantánamo 16” Monthly Global Vigils on Dec. 4, 2024

8.12.24

Photos from, and my report about the ten monthly coordinated global vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and around the world on December 4, 2024. These vigils — the 23rd — marked the last opportunity for campaigners to urge President Biden to urgently implement a resettlement plan for the 16 men (out of the 30 still held) who have long been approved for release. The next vigils will move, for one month only, from the first Wednesday of every month to Saturday January 11, 2025, marking the 23rd anniversary of the prison’s opening, and will resume on the first Wednesday of every month on Wednesday February 5.

Free the Guantánamo 16! Two Letters to President Biden; Signatories Include Former Prisoners, Ex-US Government Officials, UK Parliamentarians

6.12.24

Publicizing two letters sent to President Biden, urging him to take urgent action to free 16 men still held in the prison at Guantánamo Bay (out of 30 in total) who have long been approved for release — between two and four years ago, and in three outlying cases nearly 15 years ago. The first letter (US and international) is signed by 100 individuals and organizations — including 36 former Guantánamo prisoners, 36 ex-US government officials, lawyers, academics, psychologists and public figures, and 28 rights organizations — while the second, UK-based letter is signed by 40 British MPs and peers, academics and the CEOs of UK rights organizations. The former prisoners signing the first letter include the authors Mansoor Adayfi and Mohamedou Ould Slahi, and the supporters include Larry Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the musician and activist Roger Waters. The UK letter includes 20 Parliamentarians, the Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, and the film director Kevin Macdonald (‘The Mauritanian’).

Photos and Report: Dismay and Determination at the Global Vigils for Guantánamo’s Closure on November 6, 2024

9.11.24

Photos from, and my report about the nine monthly coordinated global vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and around the world on November 6, 2024, the day after the US Presidential Election that, alarmingly, will see Donald Trump reinstalled in the White House on January 20. It was a difficult day, of course, although it sharpened all our realizations that now President Biden has no more excuses for inaction, as he has just two months left to salvage something of a legacy on Guantánamo by finding new homes for the 16 men long approved for release who are still held.

The Bleakness of Guantánamo, as Biden’s End Nears

22.10.24

A crucial update on Guantánamo, with just two weeks left until the Presidential Election, in which I review Biden’s progress — or the lack of it — towards the prison’s closure over his nearly four years in office, look at what can be expected, and what should be pushed for after the election, and celebrate the importance of the efforts made by opponents of Guantánamo’s continued existence — via our ongoing monthly vigils, and our ongoing photo campaign — to pierce the fog of amnesia and inertia that engulfs the prison. With no one freed from Guantánamo for the last 18 months, I look at the plight of the 16 men still held despite being long approved for release, and mark the recent passing of Tina Kaidanow, the former ambassador appointed to facilitate resettlements for these men, whose efforts were stymied by her bosses when she negotiated resettlements in Oman that were cancelled because of the “political optics” after October 7 last year. I also examine the wreckage of the military commissions, where necessary plea deals with the 9/11 accused, whose prosecutions are impossible because of the torture to which they were subjected, were overruled by defense secretary Lloyd Austin, and I also provide a reminder about the absolutely devastating report and opinions about Guantánamo that were issued by UN Special Mandate holders last year, which were shamefully brushed aside by the Biden administration.

Photos and Report: Nine Global Vigils for the Closure of Guantánamo on October 2, 2024, The Last Before the Presidential Election

5.10.24

Photos from, and my report about the nine global monthly coordinated vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and around the world on October 2, 2024, the last vigils before the Presidential Election on November 5. The vigils take place on the first Wednesday of every month, and the next date is November 6, the day after the election, when I urge people to turn out to demand the release of prisoners before the end of the Biden presidency.

Photos and Report: Eleven Coordinated Global Monthly Vigils for Guantánamo’s Closure on September 4, 2024

15.9.24

Photos from, and my report about the eleven global monthly coordinated vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and around the world on September 4, 2024. The vigils take place on the first Wednesday of every month, and the next date is October 2.

Photos and Report: The Ten Coordinated Global Monthly Vigils for the Closure of Guantánamo on August 7, 2024

10.8.24

Photos from, and my report about the ten vigils for the closure of Guantánamo that took place across the US and around the world on August 7, 2024, marking 18 months of coordinated monthly global vigils that I initiated in February last year. The vigils take place on the first Wednesday of every month, and the next date is September 4.

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Andy Worthington

Investigative journalist, author, campaigner, commentator and public speaker. Recognized as an authority on Guantánamo and the “war on terror.” Co-founder, Close Guantánamo and We Stand With Shaker, singer/songwriter (The Four Fathers).
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