Dear 5849376, Twelve years ago, the first detainees arrived at the Guantánamo Bay detention center. My client, Fahd Ghazy, was imprisoned without charge at age 17 and has been cleared for release by both the Bush and Obama administrations. But, at 29 years old, Fahd is still languishing at Guantánamo after 12 years without charge or trial. President Obama has repeatedly promised to close Guantánamo, but words are not enough to end the indefinite detention of men like Fahd. That's why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to President Obama, says the following: President Obama, this January 2014 marks 12 years of indefinite detention without charge or trial at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo. The National Defense Authorization Act recently approved by Congress and signed into law by you has made it even easier for you to finally keep your promise to close the prison. By easing restrictions on transferring men out of Guantánamo, Congress has done as you've asked. Now there is no excuse to fail to close Guantánamo. You can begin by releasing the men your own administration has approved for transfer without delay. Tell President Obama to keep his promise and close Guantánamo now. President Obama acknowledged last year that Guantánamo needs to close and said it's "inefficient," damaging to our "international standing," and "should never have been opened" in the first place. Yet many prisoners like Fahd -- who continues to suffer the pain of separation from his wife and young daughter -- remain in detention only because Obama has lacked the political will to send them home. Fahd is just one of the clients my colleagues and I represent at the Center for Constitutional Rights who continue to face indefinite detention at Guantánamo without charge or trial. I recently visited his family in Yemen, who miss him desperately and long for the day he returns. Recently, Congress opened the door to closing Guantánamo. By passing the National Defense Authorization Act (2014 NDAA), which Obama signed into law in December 2013, Congress eased legislative restrictions that complicated the administration's efforts to release detained men and close Guantánamo. With this newfound flexibility, now is the time for Obama to finally fulfill his repeated promise to close Guantánamo for good. Every day in indefinite detention at Guantánamo deepens Fahd's despair. It is the responsibility of all people of conscience to urge President Obama to close Guantánamo, now. Please sign my petition to help secure justice – at long last – for Fahd and for the rest of the men at Guantánamo. Will you join me and add your name to my petition to President Obama urging him to release prisoners already cleared for transfer and close Guantánamo for good? Thank you for your support. Omar Farah |