Could Guantanamo Bay Become PETA’s ‘Empathy Center’?

On the heels of President Barack Obama’s unveiling of a plan to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, PETA sent a letter this morning to newly appointed Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure Lee Wolosky with a proposal to turn the shuttered facility into an “Empathy Center.”

In its letter, PETA shares its vision for an exhibit space that will teach the values of justice, respect, understanding, and compassion for all living beings, regardless of race, religion, ability, gender, or species.

“The closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility represents an opportunity to turn a symbol of torture and injustice into a place of peace and understanding for people of all cultures and nations,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s Guantanamo Bay empathy exhibit would teach the powerful lesson that suffering is suffering, no matter whether the victim shares our race, our face, our religion, or our species.”