90 Arrested in Action Inside U.S. Federal District Court in D.C., Hundreds March Through Captiol Hill

Hundreds marched through the streets of D.C. today, winding a path from the Capitol to the Supreme Court and ending at the U.S. Federal District Court House. Throughout the morning other activists entered the court house to file Habeas Corpus petitions and await the presentation of the prisoners.

After filing a motion with the Chief Judge of the Federal Court, activists gathered inside the atrium of the court house and began reading the litany of prisoners. Many dropped banners reading “Shut Down Guantanamo” from the balconies overlooking the atrium. The activists were then ordered to leave and arrested.

The action inside of the court house was complimented by a multi stage march of 200 men and women in hoods and orange jumpsuits, representing the prisoners of Guantanamo. They were joined by 300 supporters as they marched solemnly to the Supreme Court, where a prisoner account was read, and then to the U.S. Federal District Court, where 40 people representing detainees tried to enter the court house for their day in court. The 40 detainees were denied access and proceeded to block the entrance to the building, which they held for several hours. The rally that unfolded in support of them included a reading of the litany of Guantanamo prisoners, a puppet show and a demonstration of water boarding.

The protest was organized by Witness Against Torture, a group of Christians that marched to Guantanamo and held a vigil in December 2005. There were over 100 protests held throughout the world to mark today, the 5th anniversary of the first arrival of prisoners to Guantanamo.
Article taken from the “Witness Against Torture” website.