Torture

October 30, 2007 -- "We need an Attorney General who has the strength to challenge this Administration when it is wrong, who is committed to reestablishing the independence of the Department of Justice and to restoring respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. I am deeply troubled by Judge Mukasey’s continued unwillingness to clearly state his views on torture and unchecked Executive power.    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today issued the following statement on his opposition to Judge Michael Mukasey’s nomination as attorney general:

“After the dismal performance of the last attorney general, I had hoped that Judge Michael Mukasey would represent a badly-needed change in direction for the Justice Department and the nation. But his testimony before the Senate was stunning.    » read more »

Biden to Oppose Mukasey Nomination; Reiterates Call on Colleagues to Support his Legislation Banning Waterboarding and Other Forms of Torture

October 30, 2007 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement today after Judge Michael Mukasey responded to a request for clarification regarding his evasive testimony on waterboarding:    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) called on his colleagues today to support his legislation, the National Security with Justice Act (S. 1876), which among other things prohibits all United States personnel from engaging in waterboarding or any other form of torture. The full text of the letter is below and it was sent to all 99 other Senators this morning:

Dear Colleague,    » read more »

Des Moines, IA (October 5, 2007): Yesterday, reports in the New York Times revealed that the Bush Administration authorized U.S. personnel to torture detainees and subject them to inhumane interrogation techniques. The authorization came in the form of secret Justice Department memoranda issued by new Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2005, just months after the Department had publicly withdrawn a prior memo condoning torture, stating, "Torture is abhorrent both to American law and values and to international norms."    » read more »

Oct 5, 2007 -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, Senator John Edwards made the following statement regarding President Bush’s claim that his administration has not tortured terrorism suspects, despite the revelation of secret Justice Department memos authorizing the CIA’s harshest interrogation techniques including waterboarding and the use of frigid temperatures:    » read more »

Gonzales And Administration Officials Should Be Investigated

(New York, October 4, 2007) – Reports of two new “torture memos” underscore the need for the next US attorney general to declassify and repudiate secret government legal opinions that permit abusive interrogations, Human Rights Watch said today.

Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, whose confirmation hearings are upcoming, should not be confirmed unless he repudiates legal opinions that justify or defend abusive interrogation or detention techniques, Human Rights Watch said.    » read more »

October 04, 2007 -- Chicago, IL -- Barack Obama today released the following statement in response to the new report in the New York Times this morning about the Bush administration's secret authorization of brutal interrogation techniques. For full story, click here:    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

October 4, 2007 -- "Mr. President, I rise today in response to the shocking news reported on the front page of the New York Times: the Department of Justice gave legal advice authorizing the use of extreme interrogation techniques not only in 2002 and 2003, but also at least two more times in 2005. This revelation shows that the Justice Department has fallen even lower than we had realized, and that it is up to Congress to take a firm stand against torture because this Executive can never be trusted to do so.    » read more »

October 4, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Today’s news revealed the Justice Department produced secret memos condoning the use of torture and other abusive interrogation techniques on detainees. U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) asked his colleagues to join him in condemning not only the Administration’s duplicity with Congress and the American people, but also its policy permitting torture. He reiterated his call for the Senate to support his legislation, which prohibits the torture, abuse, or mistreatment of any detainee in United States custody.    » read more »

Repudiates The Administration’s Torture Policy; Applies Army Field Manual Interrogation Standards To All U.S. Government Interrogations

August 3, 2007 -- Washington, DC— Senator Edward M. Kennedy, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a bill to apply the Army Field Manual’s established interrogation standards to all U.S. Government interrogations. The legislation relies on the military’s expertise to establish effective and transparent interrogation techniques.    » read more »

Regional Government Must End Detainee Abuse and Violations of Due Process

(New York, July 3, 2007) – Kurdistan security forces in northern Iraq routinely torture and deny basic due-process rights to detainees, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

Human Rights Watch urges the Kurdistan Regional Government to end torture and ill-treatment of detainees in the custody of the security services. The Kurdish authorities should treat all detainees according to international standards and ensure their right to due process and fair trials.    » read more »

WASHINGTON - Today, Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd, a leading advocate for restoring Constitutional rights eroded over the last six years, sent the following letter to the 2007 Presidential Scholars in response to their letter to President Bush, which condemned torture. Dodd, the author of the Restoring Constitution Act, also appeared today at the ACLU Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice Rally, where he condemned the Military Commissions Act and made his case for restoring America's moral authority.    » read more »

June 25, 2007 -- Freedom House today urged President Bush to unequivocally ban the use of torture or other cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment by any official or individual working for or on behalf of the U.S. government.    » read more »

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, to be observed on 26 June:

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is an occasion to highlight the unambiguous and absolute prohibition on torture and all forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. It is also an opportunity to express solidarity with the suffering of torture victims and their families, and to reaffirm the need for a global commitment to rehabilitate all victims of all such abuse.    » read more »