05674
Dec. 14, 2005

Presbyterians to witness against torture

Jan. 6 event in Miami will feature
speeches, organizing, strategizing, prayer

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE — As the Bush administration denies allegations of torture by U.S. forces, a grassroots network of Presbyterians and others will gather next month to demand fair treatment of prisoners held in connection with the war on terror.

        The two-day “No2Torture Epiphany” will start on Jan. 6.

        The event at Riviera Presbyterian Church in Miami, FL, will focus on information and strategy for ensuring the humane treatment of detainees by the United States and its allies, according to Rick Ufford-Chase, the moderator of the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

        Ufford-Chase is one of the organizers of the gathering, which will be sponsored by the No2Torture group, a grassroots movement launched during the 2005 Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference.

        He said participants will produce a statement on the “fundamental principles of our faith” regarding torture and propose using the document as an organizing tool, seeking signatures to convey the signers’ convictions and identify people interested in joining the movement.

        “Our hope for our time together is that we will lift up the best of our religious convictions and call on our political representatives to live out the core convictions that make us proud to be U.S. citizens,” Ufford-Chase said.

        The moderator and the Rev. Edward T. Brogan, director of the Presbyterian Council of Military Chaplains, have urged Presbyterians to stand against abusive treatment of prisoners through prayer, study and action.

        The No2Torture Epiphany will provide updates on legislation and legal action regarding detainees. It will also include theological and ethical reflection on the implications of torture. There will be guest speakers, networking, discussion and prayer.

        Participants will worship and witness on the beach facing Guantanamo, Cuba, where about 500 prisoners are held in the U.S. military prison at the Guantanamo Bay naval station. Some have been held for more than three years without being charged or seeing a lawyer.

        Allegations of torture have dogged the Bush administration since April 2004, when photographs of Army reservists mistreating prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq became public.

        About 14,500 detainees are in U.S. custody, primarily in Iraq.

        That number has grown steadily since the first CIA paramilitary officers arrived in Afghanistan late in 2001, setting up more than 20 detention facilities, including the “Salt Pit,” an abandoned factory outside the Afghan capital that is used for CIA interrogations.

        In Iraq, the number of people in military custody peaked in November, according to military figures; nearly 13,900 suspects were in U.S. custody.

        The detentions and interrogations have brought complaints from Congress and human-rights groups.

        Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, a former torture victim in Vietnam, is demanding that the White House endorse his proposed ban on the use of torture. That measure, presented as an amendment to a defense bill, would ban “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment” of anyone in U.S. custody. The White House responded by threatening to veto the bill for reasons of national security.

        House and Senate negotiators would like to resolve the issue before adjourning for the year.

        In recent months, the No2Torture movement has gathered momentum, as people around the country have joined the No2 Torture Yahoo Group.

        One of the speakers at the Florida event will be George Hunsinger, a theology professor at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ, whose address is titled, “Unpacking the Ethical Issues.”

        Retired chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Kermit Johnson will speak about torture and its implications for the military. Catherine Gordon, the associate for international issues in the Presbyterian Washington Office, will provide an update on legislation and public policy.