(2 May 2006)
1. Pan from United Nations building to protesters marching
2. Mid of protester in cage wearing orange Guantanamo prisoners'' jumpsuit
3. Protesters marching
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Anne Grady Flores, protester:
"I think we need to do whatever we can to bring attention to this atrocity and to the war crimes of the United States government, to the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld administration, we need to break open the story and we have to have justice for those that are being held."
5. Protesters'' feet
6. Cage containing person signifying a Guantanamo prisoner
7. T. Paracha speaking at a press conference in the United Nations Centre Chapel
8. Cutaway of people listening
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) T. Paracha, protester whose uncle is incarcerated at Guantanamo:
"What we hope to gain is to close Guantanamo. There''s no, there''s people in Guantanamo that would rather kill themselves. There are hundreds of detainees who are on hunger strike. You know, they''re tired of the torture, they''re tired of the beatings, they''re tired of being humiliated by the U.S. government."
10. US Mission building and marchers approaching
11. Protesters gathering at the US Mission entrance
12. Police officers
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Osagyefo Sekou, national co-ordinator of clergy and laity concerned about Iraq:
"We want to elevate the level of awareness around Guantanamo to help impact public discourse. And so we believe religious leaders at the forefront of this movement inside the U.S. calls us to do that in such a way that we might be able to inform religious communities."
14. Sekou with protesters
15. Police with a bag of plastic handcuffs
16. Protesters singing outside the US Mission
STORYLINE:
Protesters seeking a shutdown of the Guantanamo Bay US prison camp marched to the US Mission to the United Nations on Monday and held an interfaith service in its entryway after building owners asked New York police not to arrest them.
Nearly half the 135 demonstrators, many of them members of the clergy, had hoped to be arrested as an act of civil disobedience to protest what they say is torture at the US Camp.
A protester, Mary-Anne Grady Flores, wore a dark cloth over her head and an orange jumpsuit, symbolising the garb worn by Guantanamo prisoners.
"We need to do whatever we can to bring attention to this atrocity and to the war crimes of the United States government, to the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld administration, we need to break open the story and we have to have justice for those that are being held," she said.
A pre-march press conference was held at the United Nations Centre Chapel, where one protester gave testimony about his uncle''s incarceration at Guantanamo.
Sifullah Paracha was arrested in Bangkok, whilst on a business trip from Pakistan.
He is ostensibly being held prisoner at Guantanamo.
His nephew, T. Paracha would like to see Guantanamo closed.
"There''s people in Guantanamo that would rather kill themselves. There are hundreds of detainees who are on hunger strike. You know, they''re tired of the torture, they''re tired of the beatings, they''re tired of being humiliated by the U.S. government," he said.
When police announced they would not be jailed, protesters held a prayer service and sang before leaving the premises.
One protest organiser, Osagyefo Sekou, National Co-ordinator of Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq, said the protest was intended to follow up on the recommendations of five UN human rights experts.
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