Denounce Torture

Yesterday, AIUSA Executive Director William F. Schulz said the following regarding the ruling in favor of releasing additional Abu Ghraib photos:

"Sadly, while the U.S. government argues that the release of photos might endanger our troops, it has failed to articulate clear guidelines with respect to the treatment of detainees and provide sufficient training to troops in the field. This lack of responsibility at the top of the command structure has created a climate in which high-ranking government officials need not fear being held accountable for abuses against prisoners and other detainees by U.S. personnel on the ground. Meanwhile, continued allegations of abuse only increase anger toward U.S. soldiers.

Until those who set the policies that led to torture, ill treatment and other abuses are brought to justice, and until the Geneva Conventions and other international standards become doctrine, the threat to our soldiers will persist, whether or not these photos are released."

See "Statement of Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA, regarding today's federal court ruling in favor of releasing Abu Ghraib photos."

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has ordered that photos of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq be released.  Judge Hellerstein stated:

"My task is not to defer to our worst fears, but to interpret and apply the law, in this case, the Freedom of Information Act, which advances values important to our society, transparency and accountability in government."

See "Judge orders release of Abu Ghraib photos."

According to The Hill's Roxana Tiron, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) charged the Pentagon and other federal agencies for not providing its contractors clear rules on abuse and ill-treatment.  Tiron reported that, "Poor Army oversight also led to allegations of torture on behalf of the contractors."

See "Contracting faulted in Abu Ghraib abuse."

The Post published a letter today sent by Capt. Ian Fishback to Sen. John McCain on September 16 that outlines Fishback's numerous attempts to raise to military leadership's attention concerns about abuse of detainees in Iraq.  Fishback said in the letter:

"My approach for clarification provides clear evidence that confusion over standards was a major contributor to the prisoner abuse. We owe our soldiers better than this. Give them a clear standard that is in accordance with the bedrock principles of our nation.

"Some do not see the need for this work. Some argue that since our actions are not as horrifying as Al Qaeda's, we should not be concerned. When did Al Qaeda become any type of standard by which we measure the morality of the United States? We are America, and our actions should be held to a higher standard, the ideals expressed in documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution."

See "A Matter of Honor."

An editorial appearing in the Arizona Republic this morning said:

"But if we forget our deep national commitment to human rights and the inherent dignity of the individual, we risk losing more than the war on terrorism.

"We risk losing ourselves.

"We risk turning the high ideals on which this nation was founded into empty rhetoric. Those ideals never were - and never should be - seen as anything less than a challenge to greatness.

"We can win the war on terrorism without losing our sense of decency.

"This is America.

"We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard.

"That's the only way we will win anything worth having."

See "A higher standard."

The charges against the low-level soldier carried a total of nine years. According to the Associated Press, Pfc. Lynndie England apologized to the detainees and their families before she was sentenced on Tuesday. The Times Online reported that Iraqis were outraged by what they regarded as a lenient sentence. One Iraqi university lecturer stated:

"The Americans want to pretend they defend human rights and are a civilised nation. I believe that England would not have committed these crimes without orders from above."

See "Soldier gets three-year term for prisoner abuse."
See "Iraqis furious about 'lenient' Abu Ghraib abuse sentence."

According to Democracy Now!, England was found guilty on six counts of abuse and indecent acts and will face up to ten years in jail. The Washington Post quoted Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, as saying:

"The photographs led us to the scandal, but they also misled us because they suggested that the night shift at Abu Ghraib was the only problem. If it wasn't for the photos, we would not have had the same kind of scrutiny of detention operations, we wouldn't have had hearings, we wouldn't have had the press coverage of the issue."

Amnesty International finds unacceptable the United States' failure to conduct a fully independent investigation up the military and civilian chain of command and is concerned that the conditions remain for further abuses to occur.

See "Reservist Convicted in Abuse of Iraqis."

An officer spent nearly a year and a half trying to bring abuses to the chain of command's attention, but was consistently ignored, said the Human Rights Watch Report.  Abuses included breaking a detainee's leg with a metal bat "to relieve stress." According to Washington Director of Human Rights Watch Tom Malinowski:

"The administration demanded that soldiers extract information from detainees without telling them what was allowed and what was forbidden. Yet when abuses inevitably followed, the leadership blamed the soldiers in the field instead of taking responsibility."

See "New Accounts of Torture by U.S. Troops."

Monday begins our special week of Congressional district office lobbying. Some delegations have kicked off early and we are already hearing great reports! Pictured here is Phil Villers' delegation meeting with Representative Marty Meehan (D-MA). Villers said:

"We were tremendously pleased with the fact Meehan supports [H.R. 3003; a bill proposed by Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) that would establish an independent commission to investigate detainee abuse] and considers this as a vital issue in terms of what America has always stood for and should continue to stand for."

The staff at Amnesty International USA is extremely excited about the impact your collective actions will have. Consider the numbers -- more than 200 delegations organized in 47 states across the country. It is incredible!

Learn more about AIUSA's Denounce Torture special lobby week.

According to the Washington Post's T.R. Reid, Army Pfc. Lynndie England's attorney says that the U.S. Army is to blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib.  England's attorney characterized her as a "compliant personality" taking orders from military superiors.  The attorney also criticized the army for having:

"[...]recruited England despite her lifelong struggle with mental and learning disorders, and assigned her to one of the world's most dangerous prisons even though she lacked training in police work or corrections."

Amnesty International is calling on Congress to immediately establish a fully independent commission to publicly investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in U.S. detention centers around the world. Learn more about how you can get involved.

See "England's Lawyer Says Army is to Blame."

The ACLU reported today that documents detailing the investigation of at least three U.S. military units' detainee operations showed a "systematic failure to train soldiers how to treat detainees." According to ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero:

"Once again we have evidence of widespread abuse, but no high ranking government official or member of the military has been held accountable for the actions that occurred on their watch."

See "New Documents Contradict Army Report Denying Systemic Failures in Treatment of Detainees."

Plan a teach-in to educate people in your school or community about torture and ill-treatment in the context of the U.S. led "war on terror" and inspire them to take action to end abuses.

Download the Denounce Torture Teach-in Guide (PDF).

Please join us for our chat with Amnesty International USA's Legislative Coordinators Bob Pearson and Erick Veliz to learn some important tips on how to be an effective congressional advocate for our special denounce torture lobby week.

Join the chat.
Learn more.

Join us for day 2 of our three-day online training for those participating in our denounce torture lobbying week. Today, we'll focus on the key messages you should take up with your Congressional Representatives during your visits -- if you haven't joined yet, there's still time.  Get involved!

View a special two-minute slideshow and download the issue brief, talking points, and responses to counter arguments.

Check out our Denounce Torture! training page.

Today is day one of our special three day online training in preparation for the week of Congressional district office lobbying happening from September 26th - 30th where activists will call on Congress to immediately establish a fully independent commission to publicly investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in U.S. detention centers around the world. Through Wednesday, we will be helping activists learn how to get the most out of their meetings with their elected officials. 

View today's presentation: Meeting with your elected official.

Still haven't signed up for a delegation?  Join now!

Orange jump suit-clad activists from UK rights group Reprieve converged on the headquarters of Hiatts, a handcuff manufacturer established more than two centuries ago, to protest the mistreatment of Gitmo detainees.  Present at the demo was Clive Stafford-Smith, an attorney known worldwide for his work on behalf of inmates on death row, who commented:

"If an ethical foreign policy means anything, it means not profiting from the torment of our own people. The most effective counter-terrorism weapon available is to respect human rights, not abuse them."

See "Activists target handcuffs firm."

According to Z Magazine reporter Caroline Muscat, women detainees have allegedly been "at risk of torture or ill-treatment as detainees in the custody of U.S.-led forces."  She states that:

"Reports about the torture and inhuman treatment of detainees in Abu Ghraib prison and other U.S. detention centers in Iraq have included allegations that women have been subjected to sexual abuse, possibly including rape. Several women detainees have spoken to Amnesty International after their release from detention on condition of anonymity."

Muscat cites Amnesty's February 2005 report, "Decades of suffering, now women deserve better," which highlighted the heightened violence faced by women in Iraq as a consequence of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Muscat's article was also cited in Amnesty International USA's Stop Violence Against Women Blog.

See "Insecurity for Women in Iraq."

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein expressed tentativeness this week about the release of additional photos and video footage depicting abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. According to CNN, he also acknoweldged that:

"...the pictures might be useful to the public as it answers questions about the prison scandal, including whether those in command knew about the abuse and how extensive it was."

See "Judge cites reluctance to release Abu Ghraib photos."