Waterboarding: Is it Torture?

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group will hold a presentation and discussion entitled "Waterboarding: Is it Torture?" at the Walpole Public Library on Monday, January 28th at 7:30 pm. The acceptance of waterboarding has been a controversial subject since 9/11. It has apparently been used by the CIA on terrorism suspects. The Military Commissions Act, passed in 2006, permits the use of coerced evidence and gives the President the power to define what torture is. Secret government memos attempt to justify it as an allowable interrogation technique. Congress and the Justice Department are currently investigating the CIA's destruction of tapes documenting the harsh interrogation of two Al Qaeda's suspects in 2002, which appears to have included waterboarding. It has become an election issue with some candidates defining it as torture while others have been unwilling to do so.

Join us for an informative presentation and discussion and make your own decision whether waterboarding and other "harsh interrogation" techniques are torture. The presentation will define what waterboarding is and give a history of its use. A brief segment from the video, "Breaking the Silence - Torture Survivors Speak Out" will be shown, where Carlos, a doctor from Paraguay describes his horrendous experience with waterboarding. A form of water torture was used in the Philippine-American War. Japanese military officers were tried as war criminals following World War II for using waterboarding. The presentation will summarize the applicable U.N and international treaties pertaining to torture as well as summarize U.S. laws. We will also review the moral implications and how the press and churches have responded and then end with an open discussion.

This presentation is a follow-up to Demissie A. Gebremedhin's compelling talk earlier this month about his own experience as a torture survivor and the work that Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC) is doing to stop torture. The talk is open to the public.

Follow-up on TASSC Talk on Torture

On this past Tuesday, Demissie A. Gebremedhin, director of Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC), gave an informative and sobering talk on torture and the disturbing policy of the Bush administration policy to justify torture as an acceptable interrogation method. The mission of TASSC is to "end the practice of torture wherever it occurs and to empower survivors, their families and communities wherever they are." TASSC is an important moral voice against torture, which can never be justified. You can find additional information about TASSC at their web site, http://www.tassc.org/. The talk was sponsored by the Walpole Peace and Justice Group.

January 11 is the 6th year anniversary of Guantanamo and "marks six years of torture, detention and abuse at Guantánamo." We invite you to join with TASSC and other peace groups in calling for shutting down Guantanamo, repealing the Military Commissions Act, restoring Habeas Corpus, and charging or releasing all detainees. The Military Commissions Act (MCA) "rejects the right to a speedy trial and allows a trial to continue in the absence of the accused" and most disturbing, "permits coercive interrogations and torture." Please see the web site http://www.witnesstorture.org/ for more information on the campaign to close Guantanamo. One action you can take is to contact Senator Kennedy, http://kennedy.senate.gov/, Senator Kerry, http://kerry.senate.gov/ , and Representative Lynch, http://www.house.gov/lynch/index.shtml and express your opinion.

Peace Vigil on Walpole Common, Sat Jan 5, 10 AM

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group invites you to join us for the our first peace vigil of the New Year to protest the Iraq war on Saturday, January 5, 2008 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at the Walpole Common, across from the Post Office. We regularly hold a vigil at the Walpole Common on the first and third Saturday of the month.

Next Speaker: January 8 at 7:30 at Walpole Public Library - Demissie A. Gebremedhin, Director of the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International Group (TASSC) will speak on his own personal experiences as a torture survivor, as well as, TASSC’s work in dealing with torture. He will also provide information about the Military Commissions Act that was passed last October by Congress and TASSC’s efforts to repeal it. Demissie is a citizen of Ethiopia who was repeatedly tortured by the Ethiopian government because of his political opinions and race and because of his reporting of the misappropriation of funds by a government run aid organization. TASSC is the only organization founded by and for torture survivors. The mission of TASSC is to end the practice of torture wherever it occurs and to empower survivors, their families and communities. TASSC has created a world-wide network of International Communities of Healing for torture survivors and their families. TASSC tries to influence domestic and international policies regarding torture through advocacy, social action, public testimony and targeted media campaigns.