 April 2005
American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Sara Burke, Jaime Lederer Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
Ground the Torture Planes Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), made this statement, excerpted below, at a press conference on March 10, 2005. We are here to talk about "extraordinary rendition," the practice by which government agencies transfer detainees to countries which practice torture. Extraordinary rendition:
We are not talking about the deportation of illegal immigrants, or about the extradition of a criminal. We are talking about an extrajudicial, secret process in which a US entity acts as prosecutor, judge, and jury and -- without any due process -- may send a detainee to any country in the world. The Bush Administration has refused to officially disclose how many people have been rendered under this practice. It is estimated that between 100-150 people have been rendered since September 11, 2001. There are reports of suspects being arrested, stripped, drugged, and shackled on planes bound for countries, primarily in the Middle East, which routinely practice torture. Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen, was picked up at John F. Kennedy Airport, accused of terrorist ties, and sent to Jordan and then to Syria. He was held and tortured for nearly one year. No proof has ever been offered that Arar was a member of any terrorist organization. Arar was never charged or convicted of any crime in the United States, Canada or Syria. My bill would prevent such episodes from happening again. It would:
We urge the Congress to take up H.R. 952, end this practice, and tell the Bush Administration to ground the torture planes. Other initiatives against torture Maher Arar and the Center for Constitional Rights (CCR) have sued the US for damages. Donald Rumsfeld is being sued by the ACLU and Human Rights First for promoting torture. All three organizations are calling for a special prosecutor to investigate the administration's torture practices. See: www.ccr-ny.org, (212) 614-6464; www.aclu.org, 212/549-2585; or www.humanrightsfirst.org, 212/845-5200. 
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