June, 25 2010, 09:34am EDT
ACLU Plans Torture Awareness Event Friday In New York
On Eve Of International Day In Support Of Victims Of Torture, Group Calls For Accountability
NEW YORK
The American Civil Liberties Union and the
New York Civil Liberties Union announce a "flash mob" event today, June
25, at 12:00 p.m. EDT in Union Square in New York City to remind the
public that the United States has yet to hold accountable government
officials who knew about and authorized torture under the Bush
administration. The event marks the signing of the Convention Against
Torture and the eve of International Day in Support of Victims of
Torture.
Through Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) litigation, the ACLU has unearthed thousands of pages of
documents that show that hundreds of prisoners were abused or tortured
in CIA and Department of Defense custody, and that the torture policies
were devised and developed at the highest levels of the Bush
administration. Despite extensive documentation, however, the U.S. has
yet to hold any high-level officials accountable for their roles in the
torture program. Today's event aims to visually depict the 150,000 pages
of torture documents made public through the ACLU's FOIA litigation and
renew the call for meaningful accountability.
Many of the formerly-secret documents
can be viewed online at www.thetorturereport.org, where the ACLU has been
posting and writing about them throughout June in observance of Torture
Awareness Month.
WHAT:
Torture Awareness Day public "flash
mob" event to remind the public about the need to hold government
officials accountable for the torture of detainees in U.S. custody
WHO:
Representatives of the American Civil
Liberties Union national office and NYCLU will converge in a
high-traffic area of Union Square to interact with members of the
public.
WHEN:
Friday, June 25
12:00 p.m. EDT
WHERE:
Union Square
Near 14th Street
New York, NY
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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