More than six months after the release of the summary of the Senate torture report, and in recognition of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Amnesty International has organized demonstrations in eight cities across the country to raise awareness of the Senate report on CIA torture and inaction by the Department of Justice. On Friday, June 26, hundreds of activists will gather in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Raleigh, and Amherst, Mass. to publicize the report summary’s findings and call for the Department of Justice to ensure accountability.
In Washington, D.C., nearly two hundred activists will gather at the Department of Justice from 4-5:00 p.m. to call on the DOJ to investigate and prosecute torture committed by agents of the United States. Amnesty International will be joined by several other anti-torture organizations including Witness Against Torture, Women For Peace, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and the Center for Constitutional Rights.
“As human rights activists, it is our duty to hold governments accountable,” said Steven Hawkins, Amnesty International USA’s executive director. “The Justice Department should review evidence of criminal wrongdoing in the Senate’s report on CIA torture and appoint a special prosecutor to bring all those responsible for torture to justice. These rallies will show the Justice Department that we will not stand for torture being committed in our names.”