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Torture in Your Backyard: National Religious Campaign Against Torture March 20th, 2012

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) has released a 20-minute film, Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard, as a resource for parishes and religious congregations to learn about the destructive use of prolonged solitary confinement and to engage people of faith to call for an end to prolonged solitary confinement in their state. The film features several former prisoners discussing the mental harm they endured as a result of being held in solitary confinement and highlights how the religious community in Maine helped secure a seventy percent reduction in the number of Maine prisoners held in solitary confinement. The Missionary Oblates JPIC office is a member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT)

 

December 10th: Human Rights Day December 6th, 2011

Celebrate Human Rights Day in your congregation the weekend of December 9-11. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), of which Missionary Oblates JPIC is a member, has prayers, worship and action resources for Human Rights Day available on their website. Visit NRCAT: Human Rights Day and work to prevent torture.

Action Alert: Torture is Never Permissible July 2nd, 2011

The National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT) of which Oblate JPIC is a member, is concerned about statements made in Congressional testimony by General David Petraeus regarding torture. On June 23, in a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on his nomination to be the Director of the CIA, General Petraeus suggested that the U.S. needed procedures for using “more than the normal [interrogation] techniques” during a ticking time bomb-like incident.

Yet, as NRCAT points out in an action alert, there are no situations — even a ticking time-bomb — in which torture is permissible, moral, or legal. General Petraeus has opened a door that he and President Obama need to close. Please write to President Obama and ask him to publicly reject General Petraeus’ June 23rd testimony on “more than normal” interrogation techniques.

People who support torture often refer to the hypothetical “ticking time bomb” to make their argument. Yet torture is always wrong and always illegal.

As people of faith, we know that, above all, our country must act morally. General Petraeus may have misstated his own position, but he and President Obama need to immediately reaffirm their unequivocal opposition to torture in all instances.

Please write to President Obama today and ask that he and General Petraeus immediately reaffirm their opposition to torture and other abusive interrogation techniques.

 

Take Action on Torture June 24th, 2011

June 26th is United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Several years ago, religious and human rights organizations in the United States declared the month of June to be Torture Awareness Month as a way to provide greater visibility to this issue and provide an opportunity for coordinated actions across the country.

Over the next few months, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is expected to finish a report on their investigation into past interrogation practices by the US military and US government agencies. Ask members of your faith community to join you in signing petitions or postcards, asking that this report be made public. See The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) for postcards which you can use.

NRCAT has also prepared Sample Sermons to be used during this period to help raise awareness about torture:

• Sample sermon based on Because It Is Wrong: Torture, Privacy, and Presidential Power in the Age of Terror
• “Islam Condemns Torture” a Khutba (Islamic sermon)

Prayers:

• A prayer and bulletin insert

2009 State Department Human Rights Country Report on Sri Lanka Now Available March 12th, 2010

The 2009 US State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices were released on March 11, 2010.

For the report on Sri Lanka, please go to:

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/sca/136093.htm

The Annual Human Rights reports are put out by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the US Department of State.

Clergy Resources for Advent on Torture November 10th, 2009

Torture is a Moral Issue…

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has created excellent materials for clergy to use during Advent. Advent 2009: Resources for Christian Clergy provides commentary on the scriptures and sermon notes that help connect the scriptures with today’s national dialog on the use of torture.

Learn more and download the resource…

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