..so allow me to begin it with one good deed. Read it and pass it on. That
is all:
Dear Corbid,
You and I have a message to send.
What the Bush Administration chooses to do about the horrific scandal of
torture and abuse of prisoners in Iraq will determine what kind of country
we are going to be for decades to come.
We must make certain the Administration does the right thing. I want every
Amnesty supporter to know how we are responding to this crisis and to ask
for your immediate help. If you are a current Amnesty member, please make an
emergency contribution now by clicking here.
If you are not yet a member, there has never been a more important time to raise your
voice.
For nearly a year Amnesty has been raising concerns about allegations of
torture and abuse of detainees by U.S. and Coalition forces in Afghanistan,
Guantanamo, Iraq and elsewhere based on our interviews with former detainees
and other sources. We have had no meaningful response from the Bush
administration. And, despite repeated requests we have been denied access
to all detention facilities run by the U.S. Amnesty is openly calling for
specific, verifiable steps to end this horrific crisis, including:
(1) A public declaration stating that the torture and humiliation of
prisoners will not be tolerated;
(2) A halt to all ill-treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody;
(3) Granting independent human rights monitors unrestricted and regular
access to the government’s numerous detainees in all detention centers;
(4) Compensating victims of abuse and conducting future interrogations of
prisoners in accordance with strict human rights standards; and
(5) An end to incommunicado detention.
In the days and weeks ahead, Amnesty will mobilize actions including an
International Day to End Torture in key cities and towns across the country.
Amnesty activists have begun organizing our members and other Americans of
good will to create citizen demonstrations on behalf of justice, human
rights and an end to the use of torture, wherever it may be found, whoever
may be perpetrating it. As part of this mobilization, we plan to mount a
major media/public education campaign to publicize the reports delivered
directly by Amnesty International staff to the most senior administration
officials a year ago detailing allegations of torture and ill-treatment in
Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Iraq. Just this past week we taped an urgent
public service spot with actress and activist Susan Sarandon. We will be
seeking national distribution for the spot, which you can hear by clicking this link
We will also press for permission to dispatch an Amnesty delegation to
enter U.S. detention centers not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan,
Guantanamo Bay and various undisclosed locations. It is crucial that these
delegations include experts on the Geneva Conventions and other
international laws pertaining to prisoners of war, as well as experienced
human rights investigators. In the weeks ahead, please check out our Web
site for updates on our progress which your generous help makes possible.
And if you have already made a recent gift, please accept my warmest thanks.
With special appreciation for your enduring commitment and support.
Sincerely,
Bill Schulz
Executive Director
Amnesty International USA
P.S. Your membership in Amnesty sends a powerful message about what America
is really about. You can join or donate right now using
our safe and convenient online form.
P.S. (from me): Go thou and do likewise…