From the Archive

Case Dismissed: A Personal Reflection

Case dismissed! On Monday morning eight bewildered-looking ex-defendants filed out of Courtroom 116 at DC Superior Court after the prosecution stated the government was “not ready,” and the case was immediately dismissed. I was one of the eight, and I felt a sort of comedic relief that overcame my letdown. After working for months on trial prep conference calls, we’d had a grueling mock trial the night before in front of our mock judge, attorney Mark Goldstone. “Fantastic performance,” according to Mark, who knows how to bring out the best in us, but we defendants were not so sure. It was a restless night for each of us. And so hearing “case dismissed” after only 30 seconds in front of the judge felt like a balloon popping! Maybe that “balloon” was our collective ego. We had so much to tell the court, so much that was so, so important. And now our “statement” came down to the simple act of standing before the judge. Well, we showed up ready to roll, right? Unlike the government! We lamented it was too early to go out for a beer, so we debriefed over coffee in the courthouse coffee shop instead. And by the time we emerged from the courthouse for our post-dismissal group photo, we were all smiles!

What the Court Would Have Heard

In June 2015, members of Witness Against Torture went on trial for disrupting the Senate with an anti-torture message in January of the same year. They all had their cases dismissed. If the trial had moved forward, however, here are the opening and closing statements the court would have heard.

Witness Against Torture (WAT) on Trial

CONFRONTING RACIST VIOLENCE FROM GUANTANAMO TO FERGUSON

Anti-Torture Activists Stand Trial for Alleged Disruption in US Capitol;
Condemn Lack of Accountability for Torture and Racist Police Violence

WAT Members on Trial

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Photos of WAT in DC, June 2015

Join us in DC for Torture Awareness Week

Rights Groups Send An Open Letter to President Obama and Ashton Carter: Free the 57 Guantánamo Prisoners Approved for Transfer

Together the undersigned organizations call for the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to be closed, and we ask President Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to swiftly transfer the 57 prisoners at Guantánamo who have already been cleared for transfer—the majority for over five years—and release or charge in a federal court those who have not been cleared for transfer.

Rights Groups Send an Open Letter to President Obama

Our Latest Press Release: Rights Groups Send An Open Letter to President Obama and Ashton Carter: Free the 57 Guantánamo Prisoners Approved for Transfer

Witness Against Torture and HOOD share the Ally Award from CCR

Witness Against Torture is honored to receive this year the Ally Award of the Center of Constitutional Rights (CCR).  It will be presented at the Annual President’s Reception in New York City on May 6.   The award is a testament to the dedication of the WAT community and its close partnership with CCR. We are honored to share the award with the The National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (HOOD), a Yemen-based human rights organization demanding an end to torture and the closure of Guantanamo, among many issues. . The following is a letter sent to HOOD about sharing this award with them.

May Newsletter: Protest outside U.S. Embassy, Take Action, Join us in DC!

Dear Friends,