March 12 in DC: Critical Thematic Hearing on Guantánamo Before International Human Rights Body

Date 

Add to My Calendar Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:00am

Location 

Join us at 9 a.m. on March 12 in D.C. for a critical thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis at Guantánamo and the ongoing human rights violations committed there by the United States government. Petitioners before this international human rights body include the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and Reprieve UK. This hearing marks the first time that the new Obama administration is being made to answer questions about Guantánamo in a formal public setting.
 
WHAT: Thematic Hearing on Guantánamo before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
WHEN: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
WHERE: IACHR, Padilha Vidal A Room, 889 F St., NW, Washington DC, 2006
 
 ** Free & Open to the Public
 

Expert testimony will be provided by speakers including:

* Omar Farah, Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)
* Viviana Krsicevic, Executive Director, Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
* Kristine Huskey, Director of the Anti-Torture Program, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
* Ramzi Kassem, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Immigrant & Non-Citizen Rights Clinic, CUNY School of Law; attorney for men detained at Guantánamo

The IACHR has repeatedly called for the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention center, and has requested permission to meet with the men detained there. The U.S. government has failed to allow this international human rights body permission to visit the men it detains at Guantánamo, and the IACHR is holding this hearing in the midst of the unfolding humanitarian crisis there to learn about current conditions at the prison from international experts in the fields of law, health, and international policy, including lawyers who represent men still detained. These experts will explore a range of issues, including the psychological impact of indefinite detention, the deaths of men at Guantánamo, the lack of access to fair trials, and illegitimate U.S. policies that restrict the closure of the prison.

The IACHR has also invited U.S. government officials to speak at this hearing about Guantánamo.

The Center for Constitutional Rights has led the legal battle over Guantánamo for the last 11 years – representing clients in two Supreme Court cases and organizing and coordinating hundreds of pro bono lawyers across the country, ensuring that nearly all the men detained at Guantánamo have had the option of legal representation. Among other Guantánamo cases, the Center represents the families of men who died at Guantánamo, and men who have been released and are seeking justice in international courts. In addition, CCR has been working through diplomatic channels to resettle men who remain at Guantánamo because they cannot return to their country of origin for fear of persecution and torture.

Last modified 

March 4, 2013