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July 19, 2011, New York – The Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement today support of the hunger strikers at the Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit:
"The Center for Constitutional Rights is in full support of the hunger strikers at the Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) and the thousands of other prisoners who are striking in solidarity. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) must comply with the strikers’ five core demands, and CCR agrees that the treatment of the prisoners amounts to serious violations of the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).
"CCR has been defending the rights of men detained at Guantánamo Bay since 2002. We are all too aware of the effects of long-term confinement and isolation, the lack of decent food and sunlight, the absence of human contact, the deprivation, and the ultimate dehumanization that results from such treatment. Immediate action by the CDCR can avert any additional suffering and other possible consequences.
"CCR stands with all of the other activists and organizations who have expressed their solidarity, and we will provide assistance in any way we are able to pressure California authorities and help urge others to take action."
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.