Amnesty International USA Brings Guantanamo Cell Replica to Philadelphia

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20080527/pl_usnw/amnesty_international_usa_brings_guantanamo_cell_replica_to_philadelphia

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) brings its national tour of a life-size Guantanamo prison cell replica to Philadelphia beginning Friday, May 30 until Sunday, June 1. On Saturday, May 31, AIUSA members and other activists will gather from noon to 2 p.m. in Dilworth Plaza (adjacent to City Hall) in Philadelphia, to listen to local musicians, the Late Nite Drifters and Tom Mullian, experience the cell and continue to push the Bush administration to shut down the U.S.-controlled detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Ellen Dorsey, chair of AIUSAs executive board, will kick off the event, at which many participants will be dressed in Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuits. Activists will hold signs urging the U.S. government to stop torture, halt indefinite detention practices and end the use of secret prisons. Visitors will be encouraged to experience the interactive cell on display at the event.

This cell replica will visit cities and towns across the United States. The cell is designed to provide all visitors with a tangible glimpse into the life of a Guantanamo detainee. The replica includes a steel toilet, florescent lights, frosted windows and a sliding metal door. Many detainees are held in isolation in similar conditions for as long as 23 hours a day.

The cell replica will be on exhibit at Dilworth Plaza on Friday, May 30 (1 to 7 p.m.), Saturday, May 31 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Sunday, June 1 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Visitors may tour the cell and record a 30-second reaction video that will be posted on youtube.com and tearitdown.org, as well as sign the global petition to shut Guantanamo down.