On Friday 11 January activists from Amnesty International in Oslo lit candles opposite the American Embassy. With posters stating that “6 years are enough – close Guantanamo!” they marked the 6th anniversary of the opening of the camp. (14-JAN-08)
Text and photo: HRH F / Ane Tusvik Bonde.
Members of the Alumni Group of the University of Oslo lit 275 candles, one for each of the detainees at Guantanamo. Amnesty International claims that the USA’s secret detention programme should be immediately and permanently ended. Likewise, all detainees held at Guantanamo should be released immediately unless they are to be charged and given a fair trial. Released detainees should not be forcibly sent to any country where they may face serious human rights abuses. All US officials should desist from further undermining the presumption of innocence in relation to the Guantanamo detainees and others captured as part of the ‘war on terror’. Further, US authorities should invite the five UN experts – four Special Rapporteurs and the chairperson of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – to visit Guantanamo and other US run detention centres without restrictions. There should be no restrictions on the experts’ ability to talk privately with detainees. To sign a petition to tear down Guatanamo, click here. 
