Protests outside American embassy
By politics.co.uk staff
A demonstration will take place this afternoon outside the American embassy in Grosvenor Square at the same time as Barack Obama is inaugurated as president of the United States.
The activists are conducting the protest to ensure the new president abides by his promise to close Guantanamo Bay.
Organisers are also focussing on the use of ‘extraordinary rendition’ flights to ferry terrorist suspects to secret prisons.
“The argument that kidnap and secret transportation to an equally secret prison where torture and rape can be used to justify the national security of the USA is unacceptable, and worthless in terms of achieving that security,” said Abduljaleel Bain, from the London Guantánamo Campaign.
“Extraordinary rendition is the CIA’s way of getting around international law and human rights.”
President-elect Obama is on the record saying he will shut down the prison in Cuba, but there are no formal promises to end the secret flights.
A petition will be handed in to the embassy demanding immediate action on both Guantanamo and ‘extraordinary rendition’ at around 16:00 GMT by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather, who is chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Guantánamo Bay and an MP for two former Guantánamo detainees and victims of extraordinary rendition.
The demonstration is being held in solidarity with Witness Against Torture, an American grassroots organisation with shared objectives, who are commencing a 100 day campaign outside the White House today.
The protest begins at 18:00 GMT.
