Friday, July 11, 2008

Aaron Tovo Statement Against Torture June 26, 2008

Statement by Aaron Tovo, Seattle Coordinator of Amnesty International, at June 26, 2008, Press Conference held by Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture (WSRCAT)

Amnesty International applauds the creativity and leadership demonstrated by members of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. When a government's leadership loses its moral compass, as ours has in its use of torture, then it is up to the citizens to lead the leaders back to the moral high ground. That is what this banner project is about. Americans want our government to Counter Terror with Justice, not with its own brand of terror.

Our government has violated not only its own laws but its very principles by denying basic human dignity and fair trials to torture victims in Guantanamo and its network of secret prisons. Last week the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that said Guantánamo detainees have a right to challenge their detention before a legitimate court. Sadly this is the third Supreme Court ruling against our government's policies in Guantanamo and previous rulings have been met with attempts by Congress and the White House to circumvent the rulings, denying basic due process to prisoners as young as the 15-year old Canadian Omar Khadr. Meanwhile the torture and ill treatment continue away from public scrutiny as the erstwhile "free press" is denied access to the prison network. Clearly our government's leaders have lost their way.

These banners call our attention to the basic moral imperative to treat all humans with basic dignity - not doing so denies our own dignity as well as the prisoners'. They are a much needed message to our government to Counter Terror with Justice because that has clearly been forgotten.

Speaker: Aaron Tovo, Coordinator of AI Local Group 4, Seattle
Group 4 Website: www.scn.org/amnesty
AI on Torture: www.amnestyusa.org/torture

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