FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 26, 2013

Contacts:

Alli McCracken, CODEPINK DC Coordinator, 860.575.5692, Alli@codepink.org

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Co-founder, 415.235.6517, medea@codepink.org

Noor Mir, CODEPINK DC Coordinator, 845.625.3725, Noor@codepink.org

CODEPINK ACTIVISTS & ALLIES ARRESTED AT WHITE HOUSE DEMANDING CLOSURE OF GUANTANAMO PRISON; DIANE WILSON ARRESTED ON WHITE HOUSE LAWN, MEDEA BENJAMIN BRUTALIZED BY POLICE

Washington DC -- At 1 pm EST, CODEPINK and other human rights organizations and activists from all over the US — including several Americans on open-ended fasts in solidarity with hunger striking Guantanamo prisoners -- were arrested while peacefully protesting in front of the White House, calling on President Obama to immediately close Guantanamo prison.

Compelled to take drastic action, Diane Wilson, cofounder of CODEPINK, a former Army medic and fourth-generation shrimp boat captain in Texas, jumped the White House fence in attempt to deliver her message to the White House front door. She was soon prevented from moving closer to the White House by the police, pushed to the ground, and escorted away. She said, “I decided to take drastic action because in this situation time is of the essence, and if President Obama doesn't hear our message and act soon, the blood of the men on hunger strike in Guantanamo will be on his hands. I have been on a water-only hunger strike since May 1 in solidarity with the Guantanamo prisoners. I'm appalled at how the prisoners are being force fed. Instead of shoving metal-tipped tubes down their throats, President Obama should be giving them justice."

While attempting to help an elderly woman on hunger strike who was having difficulty walking, CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin was violently slammed to the ground and arrested by a police officer, who then shouted obscenities at peaceful protesters standing nearby. It has been over a month since Medea Benjamin spoke out during President Obama's foreign policy speech at the National Defense University, urging him to fulfill his promise to close Guantanamo prison, but he has not taken any meaningful action. She has since been release by the authorities and is available for interviews (415.235.6517).

Activists arrested at the White House while demanding President Obama close Guantanamo include the following: Jodie Evans, 58, Los Angeles, Diane Wilson,  Paki Wieland, 69 from Northampton, MA; Eve Tetaz; Leslie Angeline, 56, San Francisco, Day 13 of a hunger strike; Gael Murphy, 59, Washington DC; Ellen Taylor, 50, Washington DC; Judy Homanich, 54, Binghamton, NY; Megan Connolly, 59, Phoenixville, PA; Cameron Caharah, 22, Washington DC; Carmen Trotta, 50, New York City; Mark Colville, 51, Catholic Worker, New Haven, CT;  Gregory Williams, 23, Catholic Worker, New Haven CT; Owen Andrews, 23, New York City; Erica Brock, 30, New York City; Martha Hennessy, 57, New York, Catholic Worker; David Barrows, 55, Washington DC; Helen Jazzard, 58, Seattle, Washington; John Pope, 48, West Palm Beach, Florida; Martin Gugino,  Buffalo NY;  and Janice Sezre-Deszynska, 63, Roman Catholic Priest, West Lexington, Kentucky.

When asked why she was willing to arrested for this cause, CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans stated, "In light of the recent CODEPINK trip to Yemen and the heartbreaking stories we heard from family members of Guantanamo prisoners who are on hunger strike resonated with me, and the urgency of the situation made me realize that drastic times call for drastic measures. I refuse to leave the front of the White House until these stories and these cries for justice are heard. The prisoners cleared for release must be sent home from Guantanamo now. I will continue to do what I can to shed a light on what is yet another blight on the history of the United States."

“As far back as 2008, President Obama pledged that he would close Guantanamo Bay Prison,” remarked CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin. “Yet here we are in 2013 and he is still talking the talk, but failing to walk to the walk.” Benjamin and other CODEPINK members recently returned from a delegation to Yemen, where they met with families whose loved ones are in Guantanamo. “We saw how the wives, mothers and children of these men are suffering,” says retired Colonel Ann Wright, who was on the delegation. “The situation is critical. It's time for our President to stop blaming Congress and immediately transfer the Guantanamo prisoners who have already been cleared for release, and provide a fair trial to the rest of the men still being held. The hypocrisy of this blatant violation of American values is hurting our reputation throughout the world.”

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