Accountability for U.S. Torture

When President Obama signed Executive Order 13491, which effectively ended the torture policies of the Bush administration, he signaled a return to a core American value: the right to be free from torture. But it wasn't enough. Not only is torture immoral, it is also illegal. The government officials who authorized interrogation techniques such as water boarding violated the U.S. Constitution and the Geneva Conventions and must be held accountable. This is critical to the continued success of U.S. democracy.

In order to ensure that torture is never authorized or used by the United States again, we must first understand who was responsible for policies that resulted in Abu Ghraib and then hold them responsible for those crimes. It is incumbent upon everyone in the United States to call for a full investigation of the Bush torture policies through an independent commission of inquiry.

UUSC and the Center for Victims of Torture have brought grassroots groups working on US accountability for torture together to coordinate on key issues of accountability.

Who UUSC supports

• Unitarian Universalists and activists working to hold the United States accountable for torture

• Grassroots organizations working to hold the US government accountable for torture

What UUSC does together with grassroots partners

With the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and the Center for Victims of Torture:    

• Leverage the voice of UUs in holding U.S. officials accountable for authorizing torture

• Work to ensure that government reports on US use of torture are made public

• Pressure decision makers to establish an independent commission of inquiry

• Educate people on the facts of U.S. use of torture

• Build long-term grass roots momentum accountability