Solidarity with Haiti and Closing Guantánamo: (Capitol Calling Party: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2021)
Channel: CODEPINK
Date: 2021-03-24

On Tuesday, March 23, CODEPINK Congress focused on solidarity with Haiti and closing Guantánamo. 

Hosts Medea Benjamin, Marcy Winograd, and Hanieh Jodat-Barnes were joined by three guests: Dr. Mamyrah Dougé-Prosper, assistant professor of Africana Studies at Davidson University, Margaret Prescod, radio host of KPFK’s Sojourner Truth, and Chris Anders, an ACLU lawyer who served as an observer at military commission proceedings at Guantánamo Bay. 

In the last few years, thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets to protest Haiti’s corrupt US-backed President Jovenel Moïse, who refuses to step down despite accusations that he and his predecessor squandered billions in oil revenue provided by Venezuela to support regional development. Our guests will analyze events from an anti-colonial perspective and ask us to organize actions to support the upcoming International Day of Solidarity with Haiti on March 29th.

Following the discussion of Haiti, we heard from Chris Anders, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU, on the next steps in the campaign to close Guantánamo Bay Detention Center. Former prisoners are asking the Biden administration to release and resettle detainees never charged, name a US envoy to oversee the resettlement and prison closure, and eliminate military tribunals. 

After the presentations, we held a Capitol Calling Party to urge both Congress and the Biden administration to withdraw support for Moïse in Haiti and close Guantánamo. Take action: https://www.codepink.org/cpcongresshaitigitmo