New London Priest Hopes to Give Voice to Guantanamo Prisoners

[femmedem]

The Rev. Emmett Jarrett doesn't know much of anything about Osam Abdul Rahan Ahmad, the man whose name he gave when he was arrested in January for the crime of protesting at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jarrett, an Episcopal priest who lives and works at the St. Francis House in New London, was arrested along with 77 others for protesting the government's failure to extend habeas rights and basic criminal law protections to the more than 200 detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The protesters, carrying no personal identification, gave police the names of individuals being held in the detention center there instead of their own.

And, along with 33 others who refused a government offer to walk away and plead not guilty, Jarrett will return to court on Tuesday to make a simple gesture: placing the name of a detained man in the court record for the first time.

More at http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=ef6de6cd-4499-4b04-ae6d-023812a83ec1

Emmett is a friend of mine and an inspiration. From peace activism to working with our local homeless people to organizing community gardens and poetry readings, he shows me how to be true to one's values.