|
Deaths in Guantanamo - Take Action! |
|
|
|
Please write to your MP and ask the British government to take action
to close down Guantanamo and ask for an independent investigation into
the deaths of these men.
A draft letter has been provided
below, however your letter will have more impact if it is written
yourself so this draft could be used as a general template.
Sending
the letter is very easy, a website is provided below where you can find
out who your MP is from your postcode and submit your letter
electronically, it will then be faxed to your MP. The website providing
this free service collects statistics on how good or bad MPs are at
replying to their constituents which gives them a good incentive to
reply to you.
Writing to your MP can help because they can raise the issue in
parliament and put forward awkward questions to the Prime Minister. We
are aware that MPs do talk about current issues, so if MPs across the
country receive many letters about Guantanamo then the government can
be pressured and embarassed into action. This is an effective means for
keeping the issue on the table.
Here is the draft letter:-
(Alternatively you can download the Action Plan & Draft Letter if you would like to send this by post).
Dear M(r)(s),
I
am writing to you concerning the alarming news of the death of three
men detained at Guantanamo Bay on Friday 9 June 2006.
It was
reported on Saturday that three men, two Saudi nationals and a Yemeni,
being held at Camp 1 committed suicide by tying bed sheets together and
then hanging themselves. The US military, which was tardy in releasing
information about the identity of the three men, was quick to refer to
this act of desperation as an “act of warfare”.
Such comments
reveal the brutality of the US military and do nothing to hide the fact
that these men were detained in inhumane conditions without recourse to
due process, access to their families or lawyers for more than four
years.
I call on the British government to urge the US
government and military to launch an independent inquiry into the cause
of the deaths of these men and have it verified by an accredited and
independent third party and for the results of that inquiry to be made
public. This inquiry must include the full disclosure of medical and
psychological reports held by the US military about these men from the
date of their seizure to the date of their demise.I urge the British
government to urgently demand that the US military releases the bodies
of these men to their families in Saudi Arabia and Yemen as soon as is
possible and that they are buried in accordance with the requirements
of the Islamic faith so that their basic human rights may be honoured
in death even though they were not during their lifetimes.
I
also urge the British government to call for the immediate closure of
the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and for all the men held
there, without trial or charge, to be immediately sent to countries
where they will not face further abuses of their basic human rights and
before further tragedy strikes.
You are probably aware
that eight British residents are among the 450+ men currently being
held there; this news has done nothing to assuage their fears for their
loved ones. They too have had no direct access to their family members
for over four years and two of the residents have never seen their
youngest children. I call upon you to ask the British government to
immediately act on behalf of the British residents still held at
Guantanamo to obtain their immediate release from Guantanamo and their
return to Britain. The British government must also ensure the safety
and security of the British residents still detained at Guantanamo as a
matter of urgency. Families of these detainees, living in UK, must be
provided every comfort in these trying times including telephone and
direct contact with their loved ones held at Guantanamo.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
Send you letter to:-
[Your MP]
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
If you don’t know who your MP is find out at:-
http://www.writetothem.com
Please also address and send you letter to:-
The Home Secretary
John Reid
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Foreign Secretary
Margaret Beckett
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Kings Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
|
Action!