Denounce Torture

 

Talking Points for District Office Visits

Below is a list of talking points Amnesty International USA suggests you raise during the meeting with your Member(s) of Congress or their Congressional district office staff.

  • Thanks for meeting with us. We are very concerned about the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by US agents and look forward to this discussion.
  • Did you receive the background documents by Amnesty International we sent to you in advance of today’s meeting? (If yes, great. If no, offer to resend them. Or consider bringing copies of the documents with you in case they did not receive them)
  • Today more than 160 delegations like this one are meeting with the district offices of Members of Congress across the country to urge support for a fully independent and impartial commission to publicly investigate all allegations of torture and other forms of cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment in U.S. detention centers around the world.
  • We are concerned about the numerous accusations of torture and ill-treatment that have been reported by individuals who have been held in U.S. detention centers around the world. The U.S. Government has an obligation to respect federal statutes and international legal prohibitions against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
  • Although the U.S. Government has conducted multiple internal investigations, none have been truly independent, none have investigated across government agencies, and none have been given a mandate that would allow them to look at all levels of the civilian and military chain of command to determine who should be held accountable for policies that set the stage for abuses that have occurred.
  • The sheer number of allegations and investigations and the striking similarity of the charges that have followed the U.S. Government from Afghanistan to Guantanamo to Iraq and beyond, strongly suggest either a failure of leadership or policies that created a climate where abuses flourished.
  • We are calling on Congress to establish a fully independent and impartial commission to publicly investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment against those in U.S. custody around the world, to establish whether such acts violate relevant federal statutes and international law; to assess accountability and responsibility up the civilian and military chain of command; and to recommend safeguards to prevent further torture and ill-treatment.
  • The commission should be composed of credible experts, independent of the government, who have broad-ranging powers to examine the administration's detention policies and practices. Hearings and findings should be made public.
  • The United States Congress needs to send a clear message those of us here in America and people living around the world that torture and ill-treatment will not be tolerated, and that those who commit these heinous acts are held accountable.
  • Could you please describe what (the Senator or Congresswo/man) has done to help make sure that allegations of torture and ill-treatment of persons in U.S. custody is adequately addressed, that such acts are independently investigated, and that those who participated in such actions or set the policies that led to the abuses– regardless of rank on the military and civilian chain of command – are held accountable?
  • Can we get a commitment today that (the Senator or Congresswo/man) will actively search for opportunities to support legislation that establishes a fully independent and impartial commission to investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment by US agents around the world?