From the 9/11 families:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2009
Member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
will Join other 9/11 Relatives In Meeting with President Obama
at the White House to Discuss Closing Guantanamo
Contact: Valerie Lucznikowska cell: 917-757-7031
Adele Welty ph: 718-461-8837
Valerie Lucznikowska, a member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, will be among the relatives of 9/11 victims meeting with President Obama at 3:30pm today in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of The White House. Ms. Lucznikowska will be delivering a letter signed by over 100 people who lost relatives on 9/11 who support the President's actions to shut down Guantanamo.
In the letter, 157 signers call for a full return to the American justice system for prosecutions of terrorism suspects so that due process can be restored. They write: "As 9/11 family members we care deeply that justice be served in these prosecutions, which are often perceived by others as vindication for our loved ones."
The full text of the letter is as follows:
Dear Mr. President,
As people who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001, we support your decision to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and to end the Military Commissions that are being conducted there. It is our belief that these proceedings violate not only our own Constitution, but the Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law, putting into question the validity of any verdict. It is especially egregious to us that the detentions, torture and trials have been conducted in the names of those family members we lost on 9/11.
We are deeply troubled that the Guantánamo proceedings have not only denied the detainees their rights as human beings, they have tainted the reputation of this country around the globe. We hope that the evidence against these defendants will be presented in Federal Court in compliance with due process of law under the Constitution. After consulting with Constitutional lawyers, we are confident that it can be done. As 9/11 family members we care deeply that justice be served in these prosecutions, which are often perceived by others as vindication for our loved ones.
We look forward to continuing our conversation with you on this issue.
Peaceful Tomorrows was founded, in 2002, by family members of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. who have united to turn their grief into action for peace and justice. Their founding mission statement called for "a multilateral, collaborative effort to bring those responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks to justice in accordance with the principles of international law."
We are ALL watching you, Mr. President. Do the right thing.