Friday, February 14, 2020

And if you are in NYC next week...


Guantánamo [Un]Censored:

Art from Inside the Prison

Khaled Qasim
Marking the 18th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo Bay prison, a new art installation features works created by men incarcerated without charge or fair process at the infamous facility.

Exhibition Opening Reception
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 6:00 pm
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law

The exhibit showcases artworks — the majority of which have never before been displayed — of eleven current and former Guantánamo prisoners, and includes a range of artistic styles and mediums. From acrylic landscapes on canvas to model ships made from scavenged materials such as plastic bottle caps and threads from prayer rugs, Guantánamo [Un]Censored celebrates the creativity of the artists and their resilience. Regarding his artwork, Moath al-Alwi, a Yemeni national and client of CUNY Law School’s Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic (INRC), said “Despite being in prison, I try as much as I can to get my soul out of prison. I live a different life when I am making art.”

Guantánamo Bay has become a symbol of injustice, abuse, and flagrant disregard for the rule of law. Since the prison camp opened in 2002, 780 men have been unlawfully imprisoned. Many were subjected to torture and other brutal treatment. Today, 40 men remain, nearly all held without charge or trial. While some have already been cleared for release by the U.S. military and national security agencies, they continue to languish in prison.

Special thanks to the artists at Guantánamo for sharing their works — and to their lawyers who provide hope.

Featured Artists: Mansoor Adayfi, Moath al-Alwi, Djamel Ameziane, Mohammed al-Ansi, Ghaleb al-Bihani, Towfiq al-Bihani, Assadulah Haroon Gul, Khalid Qasim, Sabry Mohammed al-Qurashi, Ahmed Badr Rabbani, Abdulmalik al-Rahabi, Mohamedou Salahi


More torture drawings by Abu Zubaydah

Abu Zubaydah has been drawing pictures of the torture techniques used on him by my government. I tried in the past to copy and paste the drawings but that did not work out so well. So click here and view his drawings yourself.