FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 7, 2021
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Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Closing Guantanamo

WASHINGTON – At 10 AM today, December 7, the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene a hearing titled: “Closing Guantanamo: Ending 20 Years of Injustice.” The hearing, which will explore steps President Biden can take to close Guantanamo, comes after Senator Durbin (D-IL) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to close Guantanamo, and after the House passed a version of the bill that removed restrictions on transferring Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. for trial.

Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torutre, said this about the hearing:

“The Senate Judiciary Committee is right to hold a hearing on the 20 years of injustice at Guantanamo. Many of the people held in Guantanamo were tortured by U.S. personnel, and most have never been charged with or tried for any crime. President Biden should act to close Guantanamo by rapidly transferring Guantanamo detainees to other countries where their human rights will be respected. Congress should support President Biden in his pledge to close Guantanamo by removing the legal prohibitions on transferring detainees to the U.S. for trial or for necessary medical treatment. Twenty years of injustice is 20 years too long. Guantanamo prison needs to be closed now!”

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, more than 300 religious organizations have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and local congregations.

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