Our Mission

The following statement has been endorsed by the individuals and organizations listed below.

January 11, 2012 marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Bush Administration's "war on terror" prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

On his second day in office, President Obama pledged to close Guantánamo within a year. Yet it remains open, undermining America's values and national security.

Over half of the remaining 166 prisoners – 86 men in total – were cleared for release or transfer more than two years ago by an interagency Task Force established by President Obama, which was made up of the top intelligence and law enforcement officials in the nation. Many of these men were previously cleared by the Bush Administration – some as long ago as 2004.

It is unacceptable that the U.S. government continues to hold men that its own national security experts have recommended for release or transfer, and that Congress has intervened to maintain this deplorable state of affairs.

We call for the immediate closure of Guantánamo.

Guantánamo harms our nation every day it stays open, and it continues to serve as a potent symbol for terrorist recruitment. As President Obama explained in a speech in early 2009, “instead of serving as a tool to counter terrorism, Guantánamo became a symbol that helped al-Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantánamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained.” That remains true today.

Guantánamo also undermines our bedrock commitment to the rule of law, making that fundamental principle less secure for all Americans.

We call on the President to honor the principled and pragmatic commitment he made on taking office, and we insist that Congress stop making Guantánamo – and the fate of the men imprisoned there – into a cynical game of political maneuvering.

• David M. Brahms, Esq., BGEN USMC (Ret.)
• Center for Constitutional Rights
• John A. Chandler, attorney
• Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, attorney
• Morris Davis, Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), former chief prosecutor for the Military Commissions at Guantánamo, and professor at the Howard University School of Law
• The Hon. John J. Gibbons, former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• Elizabeth P. Gilson, attorney
• Donald J. Guter, Rear Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
• Jonathan Hafetz, attorney
• Scott Horton, contributing editor, Harper's Magazine
• Human Rights First
• Human Rights Watch
• John D. Hutson, Rear Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
• Gary A. Isaac, attorney
• Rob Kirsch, attorney
• Joseph Margulies, attorney
• George Brent Mickum IV, attorney
• Matthew J. O’Hara, attorney
• Stephen Oleskey, attorney
• David Remes, attorney
• Clive Stafford Smith, attorney and director of Reprieve
• Thomas P. Sullivan, attorney
• Lawrence Wilkerson, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.), former Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and visiting professor of government at the College of William and Mary
• P. Sabin Willett, attorney
• Tom Wilner, attorney
• Andy Worthington, journalist and author

The individuals above have endorsed our Mission Statement; this list is in formation and as we receive new signers we will add their names here. Content on the rest of the website does not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the signers of this statement.

Please join us, and then spread the word to all your friends and contacts. Let's make 2012 the year that we close Guantánamo!

For further information, please contact Andy Worthington, senior writer for "Close Guantánamo," and a member of the steering committee with Tom Wilner.