 |
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, September-October 2008, page 59 Human Rights AFSC Focuses on Torture
DR. GEORGE Hunsinger, founder of the Natural Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), discussed “Torture Is a Moral Issue” at a June 10 program in the Los Angeles headquarters of the L.A. American Friends Service Committee. More than 130 religious organizations have joined NRCAT since it was founded in January 2006. Its goal is to bring about changes in U.S. policy so that—without exception—all U.S.-sponsored torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees are prohibited. Despite George W. Bush’s claims that “we don’t torture,” Dr. Hunsinger stressed, the president has put into effect a special program known as “enhanced interrogation.” These techniques, which do not leave visible marks on the body, include waterboarding, extreme sleep deprivation, and shackling the arms and legs in bent positions for more than 10 hours. Documentation of torture in Vietnam and El Salvador only occurred after those wars ended, but in Iraq, evidence of torture was released soon after it began, Dr. Hunsinger pointed out. Although the CIA destroyed many tapes recording this shameful behavior, which is ordered from the highest levels of the military and government, he disclosed, the United Nations and the World Court possess documentation of torture ordained by the Bush administration. These individuals will have to be careful where they travel in the future, Dr. Hunsinger warned, or they may be arrested for war crimes. For more information, visit <www.tortureisamoralissue.org>. —Samir Twair |
|||||
