Torture

This will be an opportunity to hear from Robert King, one of the Angola Three, about the use of prolonged isolation in our prisons. Robert King was held in solitary confinement for 29 years. Since his release King has worked tirelessly to expose the injustices of the American penal system perpetrated against African-Americans and poor people.

We will also hear from family members whose children are in isolation and explore actions that we can take to end prolonged isolation in our prisons.

This summer's JustFaith 'JustMatters' group is coordinating a public witness and prayer service for an end to torture. On Tuesday, June 26, the United Nation's International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the JustMatters group will lead a public witness on the corner of University and Merle Hay Rd. The public witness will take place from 5:30-6pm, with a prayer service at St. Theresa Church to follow from 6-6:30pm.

The Des Moines Anti-Torture Collective is hosting an all-ages benefit concert for victims of torture http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236758676348929 at the Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines. Proceeds will benefit the work of Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition (TASSC) International. http://tassc.org/blog/

If you are unable to attend, you may also make an online contribution at:

Prof. M. Cherif Bassiouni, President Emeritus of the International Human Rights Law Institute, UN human rights expert in Afghanistan, & author of  "The Institutionalization of Torture by the Bush Administration" (2010), refute George Bush's claim in his memoir that the torture committed with his approval was legal because his lawyers told him so.
 H. Candace Gorman, attorney for a Guantanamo prisoner, describe the torture detainees there endure and the ongoing imprisonment of 173 men at Guantanamo, despite President Obama's pledge to close it.