For Immediate Release: September 20, 2011
Contact: Samantha Friedman, office: (202) 265-3000 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Religious coalition encouraged by Administration’s plan to shutter Guantanamo Bay prison
Faith groups say now Administration must follow through on promise
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement today at the European Parliament that the Obama administration wants to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay "as quickly as possible," Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, released this statement:
"In his second full day in office, President Obama made a promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It’s good to hear Attorney General Holder reiterate that vow. As a site where torture is known to have occurred, Guantanamo remains a symbol of America’s use of torture, and the fact that it is still open raises concerns about the strength of our country’s commitment to never again use torture. People of faith from around the nation have called on President Obama to act more aggressively to close Guantanamo, and we will continue to do so until our nation lives up to its moral obligations and closes this terrible chapter of American history forever.
"While we appreciate the Administration’s renewed attention to this issue, we cannot help but note that in the past, the President has signed legislation that placed restrictions on his ability to close Guantanamo, which resulted in the prison remaining in operation almost three years after President Obama took office. As the Attorney General noted, ‘Some people [in Congress] have made this a political issue.’ If President Obama is to fulfill his promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, he will have to take a brave stand against those that use the issue for political gain, and he will need to veto legislation that would otherwise prevent him from closing Guantanamo."
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For more, see a story from the Associate Press.
