FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, (202) 547-1920 or
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Anti-Torture Events in Washington State in September
Washington, DC - In August, a settlement was reached in the ACLU’s civil case against the two psychologists who designed and implemented the CIA's post-9/11 torture program. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is glad for the small measure of accountability representated by this settlement with James Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen.
NRCAT is pleased to co-sponsor the following events with the Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture and other partners. Originally scheduled to coincide with the anticipated court dates for the case, recent actions of the Trump Administration make it as important now as ever to resist the use of torture.
- September 6 at the Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane - The Legal Obligation to Prevent and Prosecute Torture with keynote by Juan Mendez, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. This will be live-streamed if you cannot join in person.
- September 9 in Spokane - Why Torture is Wrong with keynote by Curt Goering, Executive Director, Center for Victims of Torture and response by Rev. Rich Lang, District Superintendent, Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church, Seattle District.
- September 26 at the University of Washington Law School in Seattle - Panel discussion on the Moral and Political Obligation to Resist Torture. Speakers: John Kiriakou, former CIA whistleblower who first made public the CIA's use of waterboarding, will discuss the role of internal dissenters. Lisa Hajjar, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, scholar and author, will discuss the legal resistance to torture. Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), will discuss the importance of resistance from the position of human rights and faith-based organizations. Rob Crawford, co-founder of the Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture (WSRCAT) and Professor Emeritus from the University of Washington, Tacoma, will discuss grassroots resistance to torture.
The events are free and open to the public.
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, more than 300 religious organizations have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and local congregations.
NRCAT.org @NRCATtweets facebook.com/nrcat
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