3 Things You Can Do To Stop Indefinite Detention & Close Guantanamo

December 12, 2011

©PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Congress is poised to force through a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would violate human rights and undermine the rule of law.

Provisions that were snuck into the bill with little notice from mainsteam media could spell indefinite detention without a hearing, keep Guantanamo open, and hinder fair trials. With your help, we can ensure that human rights violating provisions in the draft bill do not become law.

Here are three things you can do right now:

  1. Call on President Obama to veto the NDAA if Congress passes the bill with detention provisions that violate human rights. You can call the White House comment line at 202.456.1111 and send an email to the President.
  2. Sign up to join us in Washington DC on January 11th (the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo prison) to protest Guantanamo, Bagram and indefinite detention.
  3. Call each of the members on the House and Senate Conference committee who are meeting behind closed doors to reconcile differences between the House-passed and Senate-passed versions of the bill. This is the last step before the reconciled bill is voted on the House and Senate floors and sent to the President.   Below you’ll find the list of Conference committee members by state and sample text – call as many as you can, especially if you live in their state or district!

Hello, my name is ___________ and I am calling to urge Representative (or Senator)____________ to oppose detention provisions in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act–or in any other legislation–that would keep Guantanamo open; continue and possibly expand the use of indefinite detention; hinder federal trials of terror suspects; mandate military custody for some terror suspects; or otherwise violate human rights. Guantanamo detainees must either be charged and fairly tried in US federal court, or be released. Guantanamo must be closed. Thank you.

To those in red below: Express your disappointment that these Senators voted against an Amendment by Senator Udall that would have amended the rights-abusing detainee provisions.

To those in green below: Please thank the Senators and Representative for opposing the detainee provisions. And urge him or her to fight to remove the problematic provisions in conference committee.

 Sen. Mark Begich ( D – AK – JR ) (202) 224-3004

Rep. Mike D. Rogers ( R – AL – 03 ) (202) 225-3261

Sen. Jeff Sessions ( R – AL – JR ) (202) 224-4124

Rep. Tim Griffin ( R – AR – 02 ) (202) 225-2506

Sen. John McCain ( R – AZ – SR ) (202) 224-2235 <-vocal supporter of the bad detention provisions

Rep. Howard Berman ( D – CA – 28 ) (202) 225-4695

Rep. Susan Davis ( D – CA – 53 ) (202) 225-2040

Rep. Duncan Hunter ( R – CA – 52 ) (202) 225-5672

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon ( R – CA – 25 ) (202) 225-1956 <-vocal supporter of the bad detention provisions

Rep. Loretta Sanchez ( D – CA – 47 ) (202) 225-2965

Sen. Mark Udall ( D – CO – SR ) (202) 224-5941 <- vocal opponent of the bad detention provisions, thank him

Sen. Richard Blumenthal ( D – CT – JR ) (202) 224-2823

Rep. Joe Courtney ( D – CT – 02 ) (202) 225-2076

Sen. Joseph Lieberman ( I – CT – SR ) (202) 224-4041

Rep. Jeff Miller ( R – FL – 01 ) (202) 225-4136

Rep. Tom Rooney ( R – FL – 16 ) (202) 225-5792

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ( R – FL – 18 ) (202)
225-3931

Rep. Allen West ( R – FL – 22 ) (202) 225-3026

Sen. Saxby Chambliss ( R – GA – SR ) (202) 224-3521

Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo ( D – GU – 01 ) (202) 225-1188

Sen. Daniel Akaka ( D – HI – JR ) (202) 224-6361

Rep. Dave Loebsack ( D – IA – 02 ) (202)225-6576

Rep. Bobby Schilling ( R – IL – 17 ) (202) 225-5905

Sen. David Vitter ( R – LA – JR ) (202) 224-4623

Sen. Scott P. Brown ( R – MA – JR ) (202) 224-4543

Rep. Niki Tsongas ( D – MA – 05 ) (202) 225-3411

Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett ( R – MD – 06 ) (202) 225-2721

Sen. Susan Collins ( R – ME – JR ) (202) 224-2523

Rep. Chellie Pingree ( D – ME – 01 ) (202) 225-6116

Sen. Carl Levin ( D – MI – SR ) (202) 224-6221 <-vocal supporter of the bad detention provisions

Rep. John Kline ( R – MN – 02 ) (202) 225-2271

Rep. W. Todd Akin ( R – MO – 02 ) (202) 225-2561

Sen. Claire McCaskill ( D – MO – SR ) (202) 224-6154

Sen. Roger Wicker ( R – MS – JR ) (202) 224-6253

Sen. Kay Hagan ( D – NC – JR ) (202) 224-6342

Rep. Mike McIntyre ( D – NC – 07 ) (202) 225-2731

Sen. Ben Nelson ( D – NE – SR ) (202) 224-6551

Sen. Kelly Ayotte ( R – NH – JR ) (202) 224-3324

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen ( D – NH – SR ) (202) 224-2841

Rep. Robert E. Andrews ( D – NJ – 01 ) (202) 225-6501

Rep. Frank LoBiondo ( R – NJ – 02 ) (202) 225-6572

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ( D – NY – JR ) (202) 224-4451

Rep. Steve Chabot ( R – OH – 01 ) (202) 225-2216

Sen. Rob Portman ( R – OH – JR ) (202) 224-3353

Rep. Mike Turner ( R – OH – 03 ) (202) 225-6465

Sen. James Inhofe ( R – OK – SR ) (202) 224-4721

Rep. Bill Shuster ( R – PA – 09 ) (202) 225-2431

Rep. James R. Langevin ( D – RI – 02 ) (202) 225-2735

Sen. Jack Reed ( D – RI – SR ) (202) 224-4642

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R – SC – SR ) (202) 224-5972 <-vocal supporter of the bad detention provisions

Rep. Jim Cooper ( D – TN – 05 ) (202) 225-4311

Rep. Mike Conaway ( R – TX – 11 ) (202) 225-3605

Sen. John Cornyn ( R – TX – JR ) (202) 224-2934

Rep. Silvestre Reyes ( D – TX – 16 ) (202) 225-4831

Rep. William “Mac” Thornberry ( R – TX – 13 ) (202) 225-3706

Rep. J. Randy Forbes ( R – VA – 04 ) (202) 225-6365

Sen. Jim Webb ( D – VA – SR ) (202) 224-4024

Rep. Rob Wittman ( R – VA – 01 ) (202) 225-4261

Rep. Rick Larsen ( D – WA – 02 ) (202) 225-2605

Rep. Adam Smith ( D – WA – 09 ) (202) 225-8901  <- vocal opponent of the bad detention provisions, thank him

Sen. Joe Manchin ( D – WV – JR ) (202) 224-3954