Amnesty International is an organization for the protection of human rights worldwide. One topic Amnesty has been advocating for is the closure of Guantánamo Bay . The local Amnesty chapter at the University held a rally Thursday in front of Coffman for the closure of Guantánamo. Amnesty is calling for President Barack Obama to shut down the detention center that has come under fire for suspected torturing of prisoners, including water boarding. As a leader in the world, the United States is a role model to other countries. The detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay have diminished the United StatesâÄô reputation, providing a magnet for criticism from allies and enemies alike. By showing them that we can, in fact, not torture our prisoners from the âÄùwar on terror,âÄù it is likely that other governments would do the same. In his first 100 days in office, we would like Obama to announce a plan and date to close Guantánamo. In addition, Amnesty would like Obama to issue an executive order to ban torture and other ill treatment, as defined under international law. We also hope our new president will ensure that an independent commission is set up to investigate abuses committed by the U.S. government in its âÄúwar on terror.âÄù University of Minnesota students are doing their part to support AmnestyâÄôs issues by showing up to the rally, where petitions were signed and sent to the new president. Hopefully the United States is turning over a new leaf in policies against torture. To learn more about human rights and what you can do to help, come to Amnesty meetings on campus, room 202 in Coffman on Fridays at 3:30. Erin Cowles University student