GUANTANAMO PLUS 10

On the tenth anniversary of the opening of the US MIlITARY prison on Guantanamo Bay Cuba, there were only somber and sober words from civil rights attorneys, prisoner advocates and educators in front of Downtown Los Angeles Federal Building.

On January 11th, 2011, Interfaith Communities United For Justice and Peace (ICUJP) brought together a highly experienced and impassioned group of speakers to shine a light on the grim past, present and future of the international embarrassment that America's torture program has created.

The Speakers Included the following;


Michael S. Rapkin Michael Rapkin is a long time Los Angeles attorney who began representing detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2005.  Michael has been to Guantanamo a few times to meet with his clients.  He has been a frequent speaker and op-ed writer on the evils of torture, prosecuting government officials who authorized torture and habeas corpus.  He is a member of the ACLU Union and Foundation Board of Directors and dedicates a significant portion of his law practice to performing pro bono legal services for the homeless and others.

Anne Richardson
Anne Richardson is a local civil rights attorney from the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Keeny Richardson & Renick.  She is currently representing a detainee at Guantanamo Bay who comes from Afghanistan.

Victoria Don of Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris Hoffman & Harrison LLP of Venice and South Pasadena, representing Syrian Kurd Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak Al Janko, tortured prior to his 2009 release from Guantánamo. OR

Julie Gutman Executive Director of Program for Torture Victims OR
Julie Gutman is an attorney who has devoted her career to the fight for human dignity--advocating for the rights of workers, immigrants and underserved communities.  She has done human rights work in Guatemala,  and recently served as Senior Labor Advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Ms. Gutman  is now the Executive Director of the Program for Torture Victims, a non-profit human rights organization that is the first of its kind in the country, providing comprehensive services to help rebuild the lives of thousands of torture survivors from over 65 countries across the globe.

Stefan Ali, is a third year law student at Southwestern Law School. He is currently the chair of the National Lawyers Guild Chapter on his campus and he works as an advocate for immigrant and children's rights at the Southwestern Law School Law Clinic. 
Ameena Mirza Qazi Staff Attorney and Deputy Executive Director, CAIR-Los Angeles

Hector Villagra, Executive Director of ACLU- So CA OR
Hector Villagra has been Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California since February 2011. He launched the Orange County Office of the ACLU of Southern California in September 2005 and served as its Director until October 2009 when he became Legal Director for the ACLU of Southern California. Before joining the ACLU, Mr. Villagra served as Regional Counsel for the Los Angeles Regional Office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) from 2001 to 2005 and as a staff attorney at MALDEF from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Villagra has served as counsel in civil rights cases involving such issues as educational equity, religious discrimination, immigrants' rights, and voting rights. He began his professional career as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert N. Wilentz, Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt, circuit judge on the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Villagra graduated from Columbia University and Columbia University School of Law. 
Kendra Castaneda, is a California prison rights activist for human rights

Dr. Dennis Loo Award winning scholar, journalist and activist. He is an author and a Professor of Sociology at Cal Poly Pomona, and serves as a Steering Committee Member of World Can't Wait. OR
Dr. Dennis Loo has won national awards in three separate categories: as a scholar, as a journalist, and as an activist. He is Professor of Sociology at Cal Poly Pomona, author of the new book, Globalization and the Demolition of Society, co-author of Impeach the President: the Case Against Bush and Cheney (2006), co-author of the "Crimes Are Crimes No Matter Who Does Them" statement, and a Steering Committee Member of the World Can't Wait.

Virginia Classick Coordinator of the Los Angeles Region Religious Campaign Against Torture OR
Virginia Classick is on the board of directors of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and coordinates its Regional Partner, the Los Angeles Region Religious Campaign Against Torture.  She also serves on the boards of Peace Action, Peace Action West, Progressive Christians Uniting, and Co-chairs the Vestry Peace and Justice Committee at All Saints Church, Pasadena.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Guantanamo Bay
• Torture
• ICUJP
• 10th Anniversary
• GITMO
• Stephen Rohde
• Dennis Loo
• Virgina Classick
• Kendra Cataneda
• Hector Villagra
• CAIR
• Stefan Ali
• Julie Gutman
• Program for Torture Victims
• Anne Richardson
• ACLU
• Michael S. Rapkin
• US Military
• Ameena Mirza Qazi

[bluewombat2]

I was at the event, and this video does a very good job of capturing what it was like to be there.