President Obama: Close Guantánamo

He's only been President for roughly an hour, but there isn't any time to spare: President Obama, it's time to close Guantánamo.

Today we relaunched our www.closegitmo.com site: check it out, and learn exactly why closing Guantánamo and ending the military commissions can't wait.

We're also thrilled to feature a guest post today by Andy Worthington, author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison. Andy is one of the authorities on the Gitmo detainees: he shares his thoughts on yesterday's hearing and the cases of Omar Khadr and Mohammed Jawad.

President Obama said today in his inaugural address:

[W]e reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

President Obama has inspired many with his inauguration. We're asking him to show the world that America adheres to the rule of law, rejects torture and indefinite detention, and can once again be a beacon of human rights. Join us: Call on President Obama to close Guantánamo and end the military commissions.