Witherspooner Rev. Betty Hale writes:

I would think the Center [for Victims of Torture] would be one of the best sources of perspective we can find....   It's still hard to believe that America is having a debate about this

shalom, salaam, peace
Betty

As the Administration presses for more freedom to use torture, it’s time to speak out together:

The Center is urging people to contact their representatives in Congress, calling them to hold the CIA accountable for the torture methods they have used.

Their call for action:

Last week the Administration put forward legislation to establish military commissions and procedures for trials of terror suspects. The legislation includes amendments to the War Crimes Act that undermine U.S. prohibitions on torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

The president's speech last week confirmed that a separate set of interrogation techniques was approved by the Administration for use by the CIA. This is in violation of the McCain amendment, which the president signed January 2006. The McCain amendment explicitly prohibited cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by all U.S. personnel - no exceptions.

The proposed legislation would amend the War Crimes Act so that those who violate the prohibition against humiliating and degrading treatment under the Geneva conventions or the McCain amendment could not be held accountable. The men and women who serve within the CIA deserve to have clear rules for interrogations just as the Defense Department does through the Army Field Manual. There should be no exceptions for the fair and humane treatment of all detainees and no exceptions for holding those responsible for abuse accountable.

Urge your Senators and Representatives to hold the CIA accountable for the treatment and interrogation tactics used on detainees. If the U.S. abandons basic principles of fair treatment and respect for the rule of law, we will be sacrificing what it means to be an American and endangering out troops abroad.

Click here for a suggested letter to Congress

And if you need more reasons, read on ...

Center for Victims of Torture speaks out on the realities of torture

What's At Stake:

Based on CVT's experience with torture survivors and understanding the systems in which they have been abused, CVT believes it is important that discussions about the U.S. use of torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment not be shaped by speculation but rather through an understanding of how torture is actually used in the world.

Torture does not yield reliable information. Well-trained interrogators, within the military, the FBI, and the police have testified that torture does not work, is unreliable and distracting from the hard work of interrogation. Nearly every client at the Center for Victims of Torture, when subjected to torture, confessed to a crime they did not commit, gave up extraneous information, or supplied names of innocent friends or colleagues to their torturers. Such extraneous information distracts, rather than supports, valid investigations.

Torture will not be used only against the guilty. Our clients are living testimony that once used, torture becomes a fishing expedition to find information. The estimate from the Red Cross was that at least 80 percent of those imprisoned at Abu Ghraib, for example, should never have been arrested, but were there because it was easier to arrest persons than to let them go (people feared letting go a terrorist more than protecting the innocent).

Torture has never been confined to narrow conditions. Torture has often been justified by reference to a small number of people who know about the "ticking time bomb," but in practice, it has always been extended to a much wider population.

Psychological torture is damaging. When torture is defined as strictly a physical act, many believe that psychological coercion is okay. CVT's clients say it was the psychological forms of torture that were the most debilitating over a long period. The source of their nightmares, 15 and 20 years later, was the mock executions or hearing others being tortured.

Stress and duress techniques are forms of torture. Every democratic nation's court system and international court which has reviewed them has concluded that they are forms of torture. (Source: Judgment on the Interrogation Methods applied by the GSS, Israeli Supreme Court, September 6, 1999)

We cannot use torture and still retain the moral high ground. The arguments we hear are not so different in form and content from those used by the repressive governments of CVT's clients, and which the U.S. has refused to accept from other nations that have used torture to combat their real or perceived enemies. Torture is not an effective or efficient producer of reliable information. But it is effective and efficient at producing fear and rage, both in the individuals tortured and in their broader communities.

The New York Times has reported in a December 16 editorial that the agreement by the President to accept Sen. John McCain’s amendment to ban the use of torture by the US has some serious limitations. These include:
- Habeas corpus is being restricted
- Coerced evidence will be allowed
- Attorney General Gonzales et al. still will not define techniques like waterboarding as torture
- Those charged with torture can use the defense that a reasonable person could have concluded they were following a lawful order

Dr. George Hunsinger, convener of the planned Princeton conference on human rights and torture, has sent this letter to religious leaders who are being invited to the conference.

Dear Friends,

There have been some important developments related to our ongoing efforts to end torture. After months of negotiations, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has convinced the White House for an amendment that would prohibit "cruel, inhuman, or degrading" treatment of any prisoner held by the U.S. As the Washington Post editorial pasted below the description of the torture conference at Princeton Theological Seminary notes, this was "a vital, and hard-won, opening move." We applaud Senator McCain for his courageous and tenacious efforts to take the debate this far. We also applaud the American people for their strong effort to convince their senators, representatives and the White House to end torture.

Unfortunately, this "opening move," has been diluted by other developments:

The Justice Department officials and others continue to "redefine" torture to circumvent the strictures of the McCain amendment.

The amendments to the Army Manual that McCain had counted on to limit cruel practices has been revised and may now permit what has previously been prohibited as cruel, inhuman, or degrading.

The Administration continues to advocate such policies as "extraordinary rendition," secret prisons, and preventing visits to detainees by the Red Cross.

These and other efforts by members of the Administration make it clear that the struggle to end torture is far from over and there is a clear need for an independent investigation. Rather, it calls us to renewed commitment and activism, for the passage of the McCain amendment will not stop torture unless strong, vigorous oversight is put in place. And at the same time that this victory is both partial and fragile, it also gives us hope that voices opposing torture can be heard, and indeed the McCain Amendment is an important tool to help lift up those voices.

We are grateful that at this moment of challenge and opportunity, we will be gathering from January 13-15th at Princeton Theological Seminary to ensure that religious voices are faithful and effective as we continue this work. As we face these challenges, we can come together to learn, share resources, and plan our next steps. We look forward to working with you.

Rev. Dr. George Hunsinger, Professor of Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

Rev. Barbara Green, Executive Director, Churches’ Center for Theology and Public Policy

Rev. Richard Killmer, Program Director, Churches’ Center for Theology and Public Policy

from the Presbyterian Washington Office

This statement comes originally from Amnesty International
[posted here 12-8-05]

The Senate recently voted on two important bills: the Defense Appropriations bill and the Defense Authorization bill. We are urging our members and supporters to weigh in with their elected officials to support and oppose specific provisions.

ACT NOW:

Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 1-800-426-8073 and ask for your Representative, and if you have more time call again to ask for your Senators. If you do not know who your Members of Congress are, click here. Once you are connected to the appropriate office, ask for the staff person who handles defense issues and tell them:

- As a constituent of [name of Representative or Senator], I am calling regarding to bills that are very important to me: the Defense Appropriations bill and the Defense Authorization bill.

- On the Defense Appropriations bill, I urge you to support the Anti-Torture Amendment as passed by the Senate 90-9 and offered by Senator John McCain. Please do not accept any revisions to the Senate passed version of the amendment. This country must not allow any exceptions for torture or inhuman treatment.

- On the Defense Authorization bill, I urge you to support the Anti-Torture Amendment there too, but not as an alternative to the Appropriations bill. This is an important amendment that belongs on both bills.

- The United States must stand without exception for the principle of human decency and against the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The world is watching.

Summary of Action Request

Defense Appropriation bill: The Defense Appropriations bill funds US forces around the world and must pass the House before it recesses for the year. Because this bill must pass, Amnesty International strongly supports inclusion of the Anti-Torture Amendment in this bill.

Support the McCain Amendment as passed by the Senate:

Defense Authorization bill: The Defense Authorization bill provides the laws and guidelines that govern US armed forces around the world. It usually passes every year. However, there is a chance that this year it will not pass for various reasons, including many controversial provisions and amendments.

Support the McCain Anti-Torture Amendment:

(Courtesy of Amnesty International)

Catherine Gordon Associate for International Issues
Washington Office, Presbyterian Church (USA)
100 Maryland Ave. Suite 410
Washington, DC 20002

A Reuters story highlights the uniqueness of the United States, in being willing to acknowledge that it is practicing torture, but redefining it as something less than that.

The article quotes Manfred Nowak, the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on Torture, as saying: "There was never a world where torture didn't exist," said, adding it is practiced "in a great many countries around the world. But usually, until recently, those governments would never actually admit they're torturing" He added: "Now we have for the first time both an academic and a political debate saying 'We are living under new conditions. Sept. 11 has changed the rules of the game and that's why we have to rethink the absolute prohibition on torture.'"