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January 23, 2008

World Wide Torture Survivors call for prosecution of human rights abuses  

WASHINGTON D.C. — One day after President Barack Obama ordered the closure of the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and secret CIA-operated detention sites worldwide, torture survivors from around the world called on the commander-in-chief to take swift steps to investigate key members of the Bush Administration for authorizing illegal torture policies.

Harold Nelson, Advocacy Coordinator for the Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC), the only international human rights organization founded by and for torture survivors, said Obama is responsible for bringing to justice the perpetrators of human rights abuses within the United States government.

"The very oath the president took to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States requires a thorough investigation into the Bush Administration's torture policy," he said. "If warranted, prosecution of those involved must follow."

Nelson said Obama's administration must confront the abuse of the past if the president intends to give substance to the calls for change and hope that marked his campaign and ignited cheers from the more than 1.8 million people at his inauguration Tuesday.

"If no one is held accountable for ordering these crimes against humanity, it follows that no crimes were committed. This is legally and morally unacceptable," Nelson said. "Those who ordered the practice of torture must be judged publicly and, if warranted, prosecuted to the fullest extent for violating U.S. law and our most basic American values."

Founded in 1998, TASSC International is the only human rights organization established by and for torture survivors committed to ending the practice of torture worldwide.

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