More than 25 Organizations Join BORDC’s Coalition Letter on Torture and Transparency

More than 25 Organizations Join BORDC’s Coalition Letter on Torture and Transparency
By Amy E. Ferrer | Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Today, November 24, 2009, a coalition of more than 25 national and regional organizations representing a diverse array of interests wrote to President Barack Obama, calling on him to end continuing secrecy surrounding evidence of torture. Seeking the transparency repeatedly promised by the President, and the accountability for potential crimes required by international law, the coalition urged the administration to reconsider its refusal to disclose evidence of torture.

Specifically, the coalition’s letter requests that President Obama direct the Department of Defense to comply with court orders mandating disclosure of photos documenting detainee abuse, rather than exercise an authority recently granted by Congress to keep them secret. It also “explain[s] why transparency and robust accountability are a strategic national security imperative, and…expose[s] the self-interest of voices counseling against accountability.”

Organizations endorsing the letter represent a wide range of interests, including those of civil liberties supporters, marginalized communities, the peace and justice movement, religious and interfaith communities, medical professionals, and more. Initiated by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), the coalition also includes the Alliance for Justice, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Center for Constitutional Rights, Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, Code Pink: Women for Peace, Progressive Christians Uniting, Veterans for Peace, and Witness Against Torture. The letter reads, in part: Read more.