Overture 64
Petitions Against Torture—From the Presbytery
of San Francisco.
The Presbytery of San Francisco overtures
the 217th General Assembly (2006) of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to approve the following petitions
to the Attorney General and to the Congress of the United States
and instruction to the Stated Clerk:
1. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) petitions
the Congress of the United States to convene an investigative
body with the independence, stature, and broad investigative
powers of the September 11th Commission to inquire into whether
any official or officer of the United States government bears
direct or command responsibility for having ordered or participated
in violations of law in the mistreatment of persons detained
by the government of the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Abu
Ghraib Prison, or elsewhere or in transporting persons into
detention in nations with known records of brutality and torture;
to publish its findings and, if appropriate, to recommend the
appointment of a special prosecutor if one has not been previously
appointed.
2. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) petitions
the attorney general of the United States to obtain the appointment
of a special counsel with full authority to investigate and
prosecute any official or officer of the United States government
who bears direct or command responsibility for having ordered
or participated in violations of law in the mistreatment of
persons detained by the government of the United States at Guantanamo
Bay, Abu Ghraib Prison, or elsewhere, or in transporting persons
into detention in nations that have known records of brutality
and torture.
3. The 217th General Assembly (2006) of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) directs the Stated Clerk to petition
the Congress and the attorney general of the United States to
undertake the remedial actions described in this overture; to
inform the congregations of this church of the approval of this
overture, and to coordinate the efforts of our congregations
in furtherance of the overture; to cooperate with other denominations
and groups as appropriate to realize the goals advanced by this
overture; to make its contents public, and to persist in urging
the Congress and attorney general of the United States to respond
to its call for action.
Rationale
As members of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.), we declare that the following acts shock the
Christian conscience and are a cause for Christian repentance:
1. torture and related violations of law
by military and civilian agents of the government of the United
States in the maltreatment of persons detained at Guantanamo
Bay, Abu Ghraib Prison, and elsewhere;
2. forcible transportation of persons into
the custody of nations with known records of brutality and
torture. (See Minutes, 2004 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
General Assembly, Part I, pp. 902, 903.)
As citizens of the United States, members
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we openly admit our shame
at allegations and disclosures of these acts and condemn such
acts as a repudiation of the high standards of decency and morality
to which our nation has historically held itself, its officials,
officers, and armed forces.
Justice, fidelity to the rule of law, affirmation
of the moral authority and honor of the United States and of
its armed forces, and the preservation of an open democratic
society demand the following:
1. That an independent inquiry be conducted
into whether any official or officer of the United States
government bears direct or command responsibility for having
ordered or participated in violations of law in the mistreatment
of persons detained by the government of the United States
at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib Prison, or elsewhere, or in
transporting persons into detention in nations with known
records of brutality and torture, and that the findings of
such inquiry be entered into the public record.
2. That violations of law in the mistreatment
of persons detained by the government of the United States
or transported by it for detention in nations with known records
of brutality and torture cease, and be prosecuted and punished
regardless of the rank or station of the offender.
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