SUBJECT:  Teleconference (1/14):  Religious Leaders Urge Action on Torture

NATIONAL RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE
MEDIA ADVISORY

Broad Coalition of Prominent Religious Leaders Urge President-Elect Obama to Sign Executive Order Ending Torture On the Day He Takes Office

NRCAT to Start “Countdown to End Torture: 10 Days of Prayer."
Countdown starts 9:00 am (EST) January 11;
Clock starts “count up” at 9:00 am (EST) on January 21.

National Telephone Press Conference - Wednesday, January 14 at 10:00 am EST

Contact: Steve Fox, Fenton Communications, 202-822-5200 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rev. Richard Killmer, NRCAT, at 202-547-1920 (cell 207-450-7242) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, January 14, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) will host a telephone press conference to discuss their “Countdown to End Torture: 10 Days of Prayer” campaign.  This campaign is designed to unite the religious community in a final push to ensure that President Barack Obama makes the signing of an executive order ending torture one of his first official acts in office.  As part of this campaign, close to three dozen prominent religious leaders, representing America’s diverse faith traditions, have signed a letter (pasted below) to President-elect Obama.

The letter to President-elect Obama contains the following statement, conveying the religious leaders’ belief that immediate action is needed:  “We respectfully ask you to … issue an executive order on Inauguration Day or as early as possible.  We believe such a step will help the United States to regain the moral high ground and restore our credibility within the international community at this critical time.”

A NRCAT-led delegation will be holding a meeting with the Obama transition team following the press conference on Wednesday to emphasize the message and sentiment contained in the letter.

Prior to the press conference, NRCAT kicked off its “Countdown to End Torture: 10 Days of Prayer” campaign and encouraged congregations around the country to incorporate an interfaith prayer (available here) in services either on January 11, the seventh anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, or sometime over the Martin Luther King Day weekend. 
 
Another feature of the “Countdown” campaign is a countdown clock that will appear on the NRCAT Web site.  This clock will begin running on January 11 at 9:00 am (EST) and will run until the same time on January 21.  NRCAT hopes that President Obama will sign an executive order by the time the clock hits 00:00:00:00.  If he does not, the clock will begin counting up, conveying the hours Americans and the world will be waiting for the Obama administration to end the torture policies of the past.

WHAT and WHEN:  

NATIONAL TELEPHONE PRESS CONFERENCE
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 – 10:00 am EST

WHO:  

Linda Gustitus, President, National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT)
Rev. Dr. John Thomas, President and General Minister, United Church of Christ
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President, Islamic Society of North America
John Carr, Executive Director, Justice, Peace and Human Development, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, Director of Education and Outreach, Rabbis for Human Rights – North America
Rev. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, member of the Steering Committee, Evangelicals for Human Rights

For more information about the campaign
Click “Countdown to End Torture” at www.tortureisamoralissue.org

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The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a growing membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, more than 240 religious groups have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Roman Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and local congregations.