Malden resident Tom Feagley was part of a dramatic stand on U.S. foreign policy.
Feagley recently went abroad with the Witness Against Torture (WAT) group to try to pay a visit to a group of prisoners detained by the United States government at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The 25-member group was organized by concerned members of the War Resisters League of New York City and the New York City Catholic Workers, according to Feagley.
Yesterday, the United Nations released a report recommending the closure of the Guantanamo Bay camp and the immediate trial or release of Guantanamo Bay detainees. The White House rejected the report.
Many allege that improper treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo constitutes a violation of the Geneva Conventions against Torture, which the United States has ratified.
In the wake of Sept. 11, the United States has used the facility to house prisoners from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria suspected of involvement with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Feagley and the group spent two weeks this past December in Guantanamo Bay to protest the prisoners' treatment and bring media attention to the issue.
The participants aimed to act as witnesses against what they consider unjust foreign policy.
When members of the group flew into Cuba on Dec. 5 from various foreign countries, they had not informed the U.S. government of their intentions.
"We didn't apply for authorization from the government. Some of our representatives did meet with the Cuban consulate to the United States...to let them know what our intentions [were]," Feagley said.
Initially, Cuban officials were skeptical about the group's efforts. "They were concerned that we might be cause for conflict," Feagley said, noting the Cuban government's worries that the group might provoke anger from the U.S.
After several meetings, however, the travelers had some success. "I think we managed to convince them that we are sincere in what we wanted to do," Feagley said.
Even so, officials did not grant them access to the camp. "There was a disappointment to find out that we couldn't [go to the camp, but] I don't think it was a shock to anybody."
The group was allowed to cross a white security line in the ground. Members of the public are not usually allowed to pass this line, so the group came closer to the prisoners than most of the detainees' families ever had. "That was incredibly potent to know that we were that close," said Feagley.
The members were also able to meet with officials from the Cuban equivalent of the State Department, officials overseeing religious affairs, and the Mayor of Guantanamo.
Throughout the entire trip, the group conducted various marches. All told, they completed a 70-mile course from the Cuban city of Santiago to Guantanamo.
"We believe that marching is an important part of getting ourselves into the right frame of mind to be part of a witness or a vigil," Feagley said.
Feagley also said that the group observed an extended water-only fast. "We felt that it was really important that we approach the experience with humility and simplicity ... we didn't want to be arrogant or foolhardy about how we approached that."
While there, the WAT group also participated in several religious activities. "We prayed that the men would be able to know that we were there," Feagley said.
Although the group was primarily Catholic, Feagley described it as "more of a faith-based experience than a Catholic experience," noting that there was religious diversity, especially among the interpreters.
Throughout the entire trip, the members maintained their simple wish for the prisoners. "Charge them, put them on trial, or set them free," Feagley said of the detainees.
He stated that he had been concerned about American foreign policy with regards to terrorism from the outset of the war. "My regard for the war is that it was a huge mistake to begin with," he said.
"We ought not to be occupying another country or dictating to them how their politics or their government should be formed," Feagley said. Instead, he believes, we should have "one world, one people," or a "world without borders."
On campus, his message was received warmly by some. "It's important that people continue to take a stand on this issue and try to force it onto the agenda," said sophomore Arlen Spiro, President of the Tufts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
He said that by actually going to Cuba, the WAT group was completing one step of a larger process.
"We need people in Washington, we need people writing to their congressmen, and we need people at least attempting to get to the scene of the crime," he said.
According to Feagley, although the group does not have any concrete plans for the future, it intends to keep the pressure on the government.
"Part of our thinking is that we are continuing as a community to come up with other actions that we can do to bring to the public eye what is happening in Guantanamo," he said.
Most participants in WAT are from the East Coast and live in Catholic Worker houses.
