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Momentum builds to stop U.S.-sponsored torture, extraordinary rendition!
UUSC position
The right to be free of torture is one of the most fundamental human rights recognized by the global community today. In the United States, torture has been deemed abhorrent to our values and legal principles since the framing of the Constitution. Patrick Henry himself spoke passionately on the subject, insisting that the rack and the screw were barbaric practices that must be left behind in the Old World, "or we are lost and undone." It is the firm position of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee that any government-sponsored acts of torture under any circumstances are profoundly immoral, unjustified, and illegal. This includes any such actions by the United States. We are committed to bringing such practices to an end.

STOP Campaign
UUSC initiated its Stop Torture Permanently (STOP) Campaign in response to the human rights crisis created by the U.S. torture and abuse of detainees in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantánamo Bay. The STOP Campaign began its efforts with a formal statement in the New York Times on June 25, 2004.

Priorities
The STOP Campaign will primarily focus on the official authorization and use of torture, whether mental or physical, direct or "by proxy," by United States officials, agents, military personnel, and contractors abroad. We fully recognize, however, that torture has long been a problem within the United States as well, from slavery and the Trail of Tears to the recent Abner Louima torture case involving the police in New York City. Such cases of torture in our homeland will always be included in our campaign.

What you can do

  • Join the Human Rights Defenders STOP network and participate in our urgent actions, national petitions, and other similar events. Visit our eWire sign up page.
     
  • Build up our coalition against U.S.-sponsored torture. Help us organize a new and broad coalition to abolish U.S. torture practices. Reach out to your local interfaith and human rights organizations and form strong and organized networks around this issue.
     
  • Help educate and mobilize our grassroots. Organize a study group or a series of community meetings to thoroughly teach about the history, legal issues, and security consequences of U.S.-sponsored torture. We will be happy to recommend speakers on the subject, and you should feel free to utilize all or parts of our formal mock trial, which is available on our website. We have also listed excellent videos, talking points, frequently asked questions, and resources on our website. Workbooks will be available soon.
     
  • Organize STOP torture events and protests in your community to raise public awareness about the issues and build our grassroots coalitions.
     
  • Help gather signatures. We are seeking signatures of as many clergy and religious leaders as possible from all different faiths for our interfaith petition. We would like to gather as close to 1,000 signatures as possible.

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  • Reach out to your local media through letters to the editors, op-eds, and radio and television interviews. Model letters and op-ed pieces, together with guidance, are also posted on our website, along with the most commonly asked questions and answers about torture.
     
  • Join our monthly Call-In Campaign to educate our national leadership and advocate against U.S. sanctioned torture.
     
  • Work with your elected representatives. Organize monthly delegations to visit the local offices of your U.S. representatives and senators.
     
  • Watch our website for special events!

Action of Immediate Witness
At the June 2005 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Fort Worth, Texas, UUSC sponsored a resolution demanding an end to U.S.-sponsored torture. The Action of Immediate Witness states that the systematic use of torture is a crime against humanity, and asserts that high-level U.S. officials must be held accountable for their involvement in authorizing or condoning acts of torture. The resolution was approved unanimously by the GA delegates. See General Assembly Resolution for the full text of the Action of Immediate Witness.

Call for Justice Weekend
On the weekend of September 24-26, 2005 more than 500 activists arrived in Washington, D.C., to participate in our Call for Justice Weekend, sponsored by UUSC and a coalition of interfaith and human rights organizations. The weekend included a formal mock trial of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former CIA Director George Tenet, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as well as presentations from numerous religious leaders and survivors of U.S.-sponsored torture from both abroad and here at home. The events culminated in a full day of advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. Help us build up our coalition and campaign efforts from here!

International
The STOP Campaign will also coordinate with international networks and organizations abroad to investigate and document cases of United States involvement in or support for torture; and to assist such groups in seeking a just solution.

SIGN UP! Together we can stop torture.
If you or your organization would like to participate in the STOP Campaign, please visit our sign-up page. We will send you all of our ongoing announcements, updates, urgent actions, invitations, and project descriptions. For more information, please contact us at stoptorture@uusc.org, or call Anna Bartlett at 800-388-3920.

Donations
UUSC is very grateful for financial contributions in support of our STOP Campaign. All charitable donations are tax deductible. Donations can be made online.