Images: Pyjama Protest At US Embassy In Wellington
Pyjama Protest At US Embassy In Wellington
Photos and Story By Cameron Burnell
Today Stephanie Mills staged a protest against the torture of Iraqi prisoners by marching, along with her 5 month old son and 4 year old daughter, to the US Embassy dressed in nothing but their pajamas. She was inspired by 10 year old Shane Ellis, who wore his PJs to school after seeing Images in the Dominion Post of torture victims at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. She and her kids were joined on the demonstration by several other children and adults aged as young as 9 months.
“These incidents are not the result on a few “bad apples” in the US military. Rather, I fear, they were the expression of a culture of brutality and a lack of respect for human rights institutionalized from the very top of the US administration.” Said Stephanie Mills. “The Bush administration has rejected multilateral action through the UN and invaded Iraq illegally.” she went on to say the US encouraged and permitted the intimidation and inhumane imprisonment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and Iraq.
Upon arriving at the Embassy the group was met by the deputy ambassador who received a letter from Stephanie outlining her disgust at the way the prisoners were treated in Iraq.