On January 11, 2012, PHR joined a rally at Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, marking the ten-year "anniversary" of the US detention center at Guantánamo Bay. PHR Anti-Torture Program Director Kristine Huskey read this poem written by a Guantánamo detainee.
"SEPARATION IN THE REAL WORLD"
by Guantánamo detainee Obaidullah
Somewhere in the far corners of oceans,
In far away islands,
I was feeling so next to you
Through the dream of my Spring hopes.
Such is the decision of fate
that caused our separation
in the real world.
Give me a hand through my dream,
I am fallen into darkness.
Although I am alongside others' laughter,
I have been living ever in deep sorrows.
I am living on a great ocean's shore,
But always in shackles.
From its powerful waves
I hear the songs of its pride.
Strange accusations have deprived me of love.
Angels in the sky show me
The innocent desires of kindness,
On sacred pages they bring the good news
To hearts oppressed.