FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 10, 2022
CONTACT: Rev. T.C. Morrow,
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and 202-547-1920
Coalition Letter Calls for Transparency and Accountability in Biden Administration's Counterterrorism Review
WASHINGTON, DC - On August 10, 2022, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture joined 25 faith, human rights, and other civil society groups in sending a letter to President Biden calling for transparency and accountability around his administration’s ongoing review of counterterrorism policy, especially as it relates to lethal strikes outside of war zones. Amid new reports of planned strikes in Somalia, the letter reiterates the call of over 110 groups last June, to disavow and end the lethal strikes program for good.
The letter states:
"The U.S. has, across multiple administrations, justified lethal operations in Somalia and beyond using a myriad of shifting legal and policy rationales, including a virtually limitless theory of “collective self-defense.” Without proper oversight and accountability, the executive branch's unilateral military actions have all too often violated not only U.S. law but also international human rights law safeguards and protections against unlawful use of extraterritorial force.5 We urge your administration to set a new course.
In particular, we ask you to:
● Ensure meaningful consultation with civil society to inform your ongoing counterterrorism review;
● Finalize and publicly release a review that acknowledges the tremendous harm caused by decades of ill-defined use of lethal force against vulnerable communities, overhauls prior lethal force policies to align with U.S. and international law, and centers human rights and the protection of civilians;
● Publicly disclose and explain the legal and policy rationale for any proposed lethal operations in Somalia, in light of past harms to civilians and the requirements of U.S. and international law;
● Commit to addressing past U.S.-caused civilian harm in Somalia, including by ensuring full assessments and investigations of all reported cases, publicly acknowledging civilian harm, and offering amends or redress for harm, including but not limited to condolence payments and formal apologies; and
● Adopt a conflict-sensitive approach centered in human rights, peacebuilding, the rule of law, and diplomacy."
You can read the full text of the letter here.
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.
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