NRCAT Press Releases

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National interfaith anti-torture group supports Florida State Senate bill to limit solitary confinement of juveniles
Interfaith group’s feedback comes in advance of today's hearing on the bill

WASHINGTON– Representatives on behalf of a national interfaith anti-torture group will be among those to testify in support of a bill the Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice will consider today at a hearing in Tallahassee, Senate Bill 812, known as the “Youth in Solitary Confinement Reduction Act.” S.B. 812 includes provisions that strictly limit the use of solitary confinement both for children under 18 years old and for youthful offenders, defined as those between the ages of 18-24. On behalf of its more than 320 diverse faith-based organizational members across the United States, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture issued its support today for the bill’s passage.

“All major faith traditions include a call to protect the well-being of future generations,” said Laura Markle Downton, director of U.S. prisons policy and program for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. “Members of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture care deeply about eliminating prolonged solitary confinement, particularly for youth. Florida holds more young people under age 18 in adult state prisons than any other state. Once detained in adult prisons, youth are treated as adults. There is no state law in Florida or any Department of Corrections regulation on solitary confinement to differentiate minors from adults. The potential damage to young people is particularly great. We strongly support the passage of Senate Bill 812 as an important step toward eliminating this destructive practice.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2013

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National interfaith anti-torture group supports Montana State House bill to limit solitary confinement of juveniles and the mentally ill
Interfaith group's feedback comes in advance of today's hearing on the bill

WASHINGTON – A national interfaith anti-torture group today sent a letter to Montana House Judiciary Committee Chairman Krayton Kerns and other members of the committee, in support of a bill that would restrict the use of long-term solitary confinement in Montana state prison facilities. On behalf of its more than 300 diverse faith-based organizational members across the United States, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture issued its support for the bill's passage.

"The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, whose members represent all faith traditions, care deeply about eliminating prolonged solitary confinement. Research consistently demonstrates that the psychological effects, particularly among children and people with mental illness, are devastating. We strongly support the passage of House Bill 536, particularly its provisions to end the use of solitary confinement of youth under 18, inmates with serious mental illness, and other prisoners needing special consideration, as well as its support for limiting long-term solitary confinement for all inmates," said Laura Markle Downton, director of U.S. prisons policy and program for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 14, 2013

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SUNDAY in LA: Clergy, People of Faith Gather to Share the Facts About Torture
"Zero Dark Thirty" motivates people of faith to clear up misconceptions about efficacy of torture

LOS ANGELES – As "Zero Dark Thirty" continues to win accolades including several Academy Award nominations, people of faith and human rights advocates will gather Sunday to express their disapproval with the misleading manner in which the film conveys that torture led to finding Osama bin Laden. Sunday's events will include an informational program at Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, followed by a procession and silent witness as people of various religious faiths gather at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue – where the Academy Awards ceremony will be held on February 24. Participating clergy will be wearing clerical attire.

During the gathering this Sunday, members of diverse communities of faith will share how each of their religious beliefs motivate them to oppose torture under all circumstances. Across the country, communities of faith are working to build moral consensus that torture is always wrong. Sunday's program in Hollywood is co-sponsored by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and Los Angeles Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (LARRCAT) and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP), Los Angeles-area partners of NRCAT.

"Hundreds of thousands of people have seen or will see 'Zero Dark Thirty,' and many of them will walk out of the theater believing they saw the truth," said Rev. Richard Killmer, NRCAT's executive director. "But the film is not based on the facts about torture. It is a work of fiction that depicts graphic acts of torture; it is neither investigative journalism nor congressional oversight. The movie's inappropriate – and dangerous – implication that the use of torture by U.S. authorities produced critical intelligence, including finding Osama bin Laden, is inaccurate."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2013

CONTACT: Samantha Friedman, Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications, (202) 265-3000 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

National Interfaith Campaign Welcomes Announcement of Assessment of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced that the Federal Bureau of Prisons has agreed to a first-ever comprehensive and independent assessment of its use of solitary confinement in U.S. federal prisons, to be conducted through the National Institute of Corrections.

“Assessment of the use of solitary confinement in U.S. federal prisons is a critical step in working to end torture in U.S. prisons,” said NRCAT’s director of U.S. prisons policy and program, Laura Markle Downton. “The United States is a world leader in holding prisoners in prolonged solitary confinement, with at least 80,000 people in the U.S. criminal justice system held in isolation on any given day.  For people of all faith traditions, such violation of human dignity is of grave concern.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2013

Contact: Samantha Friedman, Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications, (202) 265-3000 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NRCAT Joins Groups Asking U.N. to Investigate Solitary Confinement in N.Y. Prisons

Washington, D.C. – The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a vocal opponent of the controversial and frequent use of prolonged solitary confinement in prisons across the United States, joined more than three dozen representatives from human rights, civil rights, mental health and faith-based organizations, in submitting a letter to the United Nations this week, requesting an investigation into the use of solitary confinement in New York state prisons.

On behalf of NRCAT, Rev. Richard Killmer, NRCAT’s executive director, signed the letter, spearheaded by the New York Civil Liberties Union and addressed to U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez. The letter alleges that New York’s use of solitary confinement is inhumane, unsafe and arbitrary, and that it infringes upon fundamental human rights protections, including “the right to be protected from torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”

“Prolonged isolation violates individuals’ God-given dignity and worth,” Killmer said. “The diverse faith traditions that comprise the National Religious Campaign Against Torture recognize the inherent dignity of every human being, a quality that does not disappear behind prison gates.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2013

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12 p.m. TODAY: Silent Vigil Outside Oscar Nominees Luncheon
“Zero Dark Thirty” motivates people of faith to clear up misconceptions about efficacy of torture

LOS ANGELES – As Oscar nominees arrive TODAY, MONDAY, February 4, at the Beverly Hilton for the annual nominees luncheon, they will be greeted by a silent witness of human rights advocates, gathering to express their disapproval with the misleading manner which the film “Zero Dark Thirty” conveys that torture led to finding Osama bin Laden.

The 12-person silent witness is being convened by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, a Los Angeles-area partner of NRCAT.

The vigil will send the message: “Zero tolerance for torture.”

For Immediate Release: January 10, 2013

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People of Faith to Leaflet across U.S. to Tell the Public the Truth about Torture
National release of "Zero Dark Thirty" provokes people of faith to clear up misconceptions about torture

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the national opening this weekend of the controversial new film "Zero Dark Thirty," the National Religious Campaign Against Torture is gathering religious leaders and people of faith to greet moviegoers as they walk into the theater on the film's opening night Friday and throughout the weekend, to share with them via leaflet handouts the facts about U.S.-government-sponsored torture.

Fact Not Fiction, a national effort organized by NRCAT, is intended to share with the public across the country why "Zero Dark Thirty" is misleading and how Americans can learn more about the inefficient, illegal and immoral use of torture by U.S. authorities in the post-9/11 era. The cities at which people of faith are distributing the truth about the illegality, immorality and inefficacy of torture include New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; Buffalo, N.Y.; West Hartford, Conn.; New Haven, Conn.; and Austin, Texas.

For Immediate Release: January 8, 2013
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FRIDAY: National Interfaith Coalition Holds Prayer Service Supporting Closure of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center

Groups mark 11th anniversary of first detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo, repeat ask to Obama to keep his promise to shutter detention camp

Washington, D.C.  – This Friday, the 11th anniversary of the day the first detainees were imprisoned at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, leaders of the diverse faith groups comprising the National Religious Campaign Against Torture will come together for an interfaith prayer service in a united call for President Barack Obama and Congress to close the detention center, which has become a symbol of U.S.-sponsored torture.  

During the 2:30 p.m. interfaith prayer service at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish leaders will describe why each of their traditions opposes torture. Also, U.S. Army Capt. Jason Wright will discuss why the use of torture denies justice. Wright is a U.S. Army lawyer who was appointed by the military to defend Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

The prayer service will conclude a series of activities Friday, all part of the National Day of Action Against Guantanamo, organized by a coalition of 28 human rights and faith-based nonprofits. The earlier events include a 12 p.m. gathering in front of the Supreme Court building for a rally and a march from the Supreme Court to the White House. Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, will address the crowd.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2012          

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Fact Not Fiction: People of Faith Say the Public Needs to Know the Truth about Torture

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On December 31, Senators Diane Feinstein (D. – Calif.), John McCain (R. – Ariz.) and Carl Levin (D. – Mich.) sent a letter to Acting CIA Director Michael Morell seeking information provided to the makers of the film, “Zero Dark Thirty,” a film that falsely portrays torture as an effective intelligence gathering method. In response to the senators’ action, Rev. Richard Killmer, executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, released the following statement today:

"Torture is illegal, immoral and counterproductive. The film, “Zero Dark Thirty,” falsely implies that torture provided key evidence leading to finding Osama bin Laden. According to Senators Feinstein, McCain and Levin, a recently concluded investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee refutes that implication. These senators have contacted the CIA to determine what information, if any, the agency provided to the filmmakers to lead them to their inaccurate implication.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2012

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National interfaith coalition calls for public release of torture report findings; says public release is needed in light of “Zero Dark Thirty”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Intelligence Committee adopted a more than 6,000-page report on its three-year investigation into the U.S. government’s past use of torture during interrogations.  This comes shortly before the release of “Zero Dark Thirty,” a film that some people think shows that torture led to the capture of Osama bin Laden.  This claim is contrary to what military, intelligence and psychology experts have said about the effectiveness of torture.  In response to the outcome of the bipartisan vote, Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, released the following statement:

Americans of all faiths have reason to applaud the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee today.  The outcome of the committee’s three-year investigation into U.S.-government-authorized torture is a 6,000-plus page report that contains the facts about torture.  Through its bipartisan vote to adopt the report, the committee has created a document that may help settle the debate over the use of torture by providing facts that show that torture harmed our national security.