Thousands of messages have been send to US president-elect Barack Obama from around the world, including 200 from New Zealand, calling for the closure of Guantanamo Bay. The messages have been sent to the White House in time for Obama’s inauguration on 20 January. The messages have been written on orange jumpsuits, clothing that has become synonymous with the American military prison. One message described Guantanamo Bay as “a bloody scar on the American nation.”

The jumpsuit petition was devised by Amnesty New Zealand as part of a wider 100-day challenge for Obama to tackle some of the most pressing human rights issues related to the War on Terrorism
“Guantanamo is a symbol of the human rights violations committed in the name of security that has had devastating consequences on people around the world,” said spokesperson Rebecca Emery in a press release. Amnesty is also calling on the New Zealand Government accept detainees as Germany and Portugal have. 50 to 60 of the 250 detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been cleared for release or transfer but cannot be sent to their countries of origin because they risk facing torture or other human rights violations.

While the US has the prime responsibility to resolve the human rights scandal it has created at Guantanamo, other governments must do what they can to offer protection to detainees who cannot safely return to their home countries

Stated Emery. Amnesty International was one of the first organisations to call for the closure of Guantanamo and has run an international campaign against counter-terrorism abuses since 2001.