President Obama Acted to Close Guantánamo!!

It is only a beginning -- but it could open up a world of possibilities.
Last week's executive orders to close Guantánamo and end the use of torture were remarkable first steps towards a fundamentally different era for human rights here in our country and across the globe.

So, I want to stop and reflect with you about what's next -- what our vision for progress should be and what our efforts to advance human rights in this new climate have to entail. But, before looking forward with you, I want to express my deep appreciation for all you have done to stand up for human rights -- even at moments when others were all too willing to cast them aside.

Your actions, your persistence and your commitment helped shine a light on Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay, waterboarding, secret CIA prisons and all the other human rights outrages of the last eight years. And, even when we stood little chance of immediate progress in ending those abuses, you understood your responsibility to speak out.

Now, we are in a different situation -- one where how quickly we act, how clearly we speak, and how vigorously we organize can result in substantial progress. Indeed, working together, we can make this a watershed year for the global human rights movement.

You and I have to approach the weeks ahead with the knowledge that our actions can change our country and our world.

Here’s what it will take to make this a year of dramatic progress on human rights:
We have to completely dismantle the ugly worldwide system of abuse constructed by our own government. The steps taken so far are only a beginning. Together, we need to make sure that as quickly as possible those who suffer at Guantánamo either receive a fair trial or are released. We need to make sure those individuals held in other parts of the world receive the same. And we need to create a mechanism to make sure the whole truth of what's been done in our name is known, that those responsible are held accountable.

We have to act to protect human rights all across the globe. People in every corner of the world are counting on Amnesty to act decisively in 2009. That means urging the passage of historic legislation to stop violence against women and end capital punishment around the world. It means pressing for more effective action to end the killing and displacement in Darfur, the Congo, Gaza and many other places. It means fighting against the unjust detention and other abuses directed against immigrants. And it calls on us to campaign for and win the release of prisoners of conscience and stop unfair trials and torture around the world.

We have to look to the future of the human rights movement. As a leader in the global effort to sustain and expand human rights, Amnesty must also work to broaden people’s understanding of human rights. That means exposing the global crisis in maternal mortality that finds its roots in global injustice. It means exposing and fighting the human rights violations that cause and deepen poverty. And it means building and strengthening a global human rights movement strong, robust and diverse enough to meet the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

I am convinced that we can take on and meet these challenges, because long before “yes, we can” Amnesty supporters knew we could. Our movement is based on a powerful idea that is, once again, inspiring and challenging the world: the belief that individuals taking action and reaching out to protect one another can change the world. Indeed it is all that ever has really changed the world.
Let’s commit ourselves right now to moving forward to achieve all that is within our reach in 2009.
Sincerely,

Larry Cox
Executive Director, Amnesty International

If you are not already a part of the Amnesty International Action Network Check them out HERE!!