Days Against Torture: June 25 and 26
Organize an event in your community!
June 25 is Torture Accountability Action Day, and June 26 is the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Organize an event in your community to raise awareness about torture and accountability.
- Host a documentary screening. You can host a screening in your home, church, or local school auditorium. Download our flier, fill it in with information about your event, and post it on community bulletin boards. Some documentaries we recommend:
- Write letters to the editor. Gather some friends to write letters together and send them to every local newspaper. See our advice on getting published.
- Organize a speak out. Invite people to a local park to speak out about torture and its chilling affect on American values.
- Create a flier, video, political cartoon, or other artistic expression of how torture hurts our nation. Submit it to us and we'll share it with other organizers around the country.
- Pass out fliers at your local courthouse to raise awareness about torture in your community.
- Hold a discussion group to talk about torture policies and their ramifications, including prosecution (or lack thereof) of government officials.
Find an event in your area
Events opposing torture are happening all across the country. Find an event near you:
AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY
LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND
OH | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY
Planning an event not listed here? Let us know!
Alabama
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Alaska
Anchorage
Torture Accountability Action Day Event
Contact the Torture Accountability Action Day organizers for more information.
When: Thursday, June 25
Arizona
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Arkansas
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
California
Berkeley
Our Himmlers, Eichmanns Unscathed as Obama Dithers: Why Is He Afraid of the Torturers? featuring Ray McGovern
$5-$10 donation. Co-sponsored by CODEPINK & Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists (BFUU) Social Justice Committee.
Ray McGovern was a CIA analyst for 27 years. He returned his CIA "Intelligence Commendation Award" medallion in 2006 saying "I do not wish to be associated with torture". He cofounded Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and works with "Tell the Word", the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC. See McGovern’s famous confrontation of Rumsfeld lying about Iraq WMD on Keith Olbermann.
Plus: Jon Eisenberg, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the famous
warrantless wiretapping case Al-Haramain v. Bush.
"I wonder whether Bybee feels guilty before God. He certainly has no business being a federal judge. His presence on the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals brings disgrace to that court. He should resign." Jon Eisenberg, San Francisco Recorder
Updates on torture accountability campaigns from SF National Lawyers Guild Committee Against Torture, Amnesty International, CODEPINK, PDA, Veterans for Peace. Film clips from “Torturing Democracy.” Music by Carrie Gerendasy.
When: Thursday, June 25, 7:30 PM
Where: BFUU Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar Street at Bonita
Shame on Yoo
"Torture professor" John C. Yoo wrote shoddy and unethical legal memos greenlighting inhumane treatment and torture under Cheney/Bush. We ask UC Law School to dismiss Yoo, Pennsylvania to disbar him, and the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate and if warranted, prosecute him.
Join the call for Yoo's accountability:
- Call U.C. Law School Dean Christopher Edley and ask him to dismiss Yoo on grounds of professional misconduct and complicity in torture: 510-642-1741
- Add your name to the campaign to disbar Yoo and other "torture lawyers"
Article in the Berkeley Daily Planet about this action.
"I ask you, out of a concern for justice, a concern for humanity, and a concern for our reputation as a university, to dismiss Professor John Yoo from membership in our university." UC Professor Brad DeLong to U.C. Law School Dean Edley.
When: Sunday, June 28, 4-6 PM
Where: 1241 Grizzly Peak (John Yoo's house)
Contact: cynthia_papermaster@yahoo.com
Palo Alto
Torture is a Moral Issue (Panel Discussion)
Panel discussion organized by the Council of Churches of Santa Clara County and Santa Clara County Refugee Forum and co-sponsored by Asian Americans for Community Involvement and Survivors International Week of Healing. Panelists:
- Ray McGovern (former CIA analyst, now with Church of the Savior in DC and Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity)
- Jean Maria Arrigo (social psychologist working to deter psychologists' involvement in torture, and founder of Project on Ethics and Art in Testimony)
- Ben Daniel (pastor and internationally recognized writer of faith-based social and political commentary)
- David DeCosse (will moderate the panel; from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University)
- John Crigler (will perform his oral history composition "Lament of an Army Interrogator")
When: Friday, June 26, 7:30 PM
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, CA
Torture is a Moral Issue (Conference)
Organized by the Council of Churches of Santa Clara County. Speakers:
- Terrence Karney (former Army Interrogator & Trainer)
- Carol Wickersham (Presbyterian minister, founder of No2Torture, and Beloit College Sociology Professor)
- Janet Alexander (Stanford Law Professor, expert in international and national security and terrorism)
- Banafsheh Akhalghi (Amnesty International), speaker from the Center for Survivors of Torture
- Ray McGovern
- Jean Maria Arrigo
- John Crigler
When: Saturday, June 27, 9 AM - 5 PM
Where: First United Methodist Church,
625 Hamilton Avenue
Pasadena
Protest Jay Bybee at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Join Progressive Democrats of America, Code Pink, World Can't Wait, and others at the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals district courthouse to demand the impeachment of Jay Bybee! Speakers will include Mimi Kennedy, PDA Board Chair, and Jodie Evans, CodePink Co-Founder.
Jay Bybee signed memos authorizing torture. Secret laws produced as royal decrees are not laws at all, but their drafting can be a crime, and in the case of Bybee's memos, violated the Convention Against Torture. Suspected war criminals should not serve as federal judges with lifetime appointments - IMPEACH / DISBAR JAY BYBEE NOW!
When Jay Bybee was confirmed by the Senate, he stated that his work on the "torture memo" should remain secret. We disagree! Torture is wrong, a war crime! We demand his resignation/disbarment/IMPEACHMENT! Thousands of innocent men, and now women and children, it is suspected, have been tortured by the U.S., "sanctioned" by Jay Bybee's memo. JUDGE JAY BYBEE MUST GO!
Wear Orange! We have signs or bring your own!
When: Thursday, June 25, 12 noon
Where: The Richard H. Chambers Courthouse, 125 South Grand Avenue
San Francisco
Press Conference
Delivery of a bushel of individual ethics complaints against William "Jim" Haynes to the Bar Association.
When: Thursday, June 25, 11 AM
Where: California State Bar Association, 180 Howard Street
Bye Bye Bybee Rally
Judge Bybee has a lifetime appointment to the 9th Circuit Court. We call for his resignation, impeachment, disbarment and prosecution.
Featured speakers: Ray McGovern, Banafsheh Akhlaghi of Amnesty International. Sing "Bye Bye Bybee" with Betsy Rose, participate in submitting a formal misconduct complaint to the Ninth Circuit Chief Justice. Participating groups: Veterans for Peace, Progressive Democrats of America, San Francisco Nationall Lawyers Guild Committee Against Torture, National Accountability Network, CODEPINK.
"These memos.... were written to provide legal immunity for acts that are clearly illegal, immoral and a violation of this country’s most basic values....These memos make it clear that (Judge Jay) Bybee is unfit for a job that requires legal judgment and a respect for the Constitution. Congress should impeach him." –New York Times, Sunday, 4/19
When: Thursday, June 25, 12 noon
Where: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 95 7th Street at Mission
Screening of Torturing Democracy
Organized by Amnesty International and cosponsored by Survivors International Week of Healing.
When: Friday, June 26, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Where: 350 Sansome Street, Suite 210, San Francisco
Contact: Sara Schmidt, (415)288-1800, ext. 206
San Jose
Protest to Target Jeppesen
On Friday, June 26, the International Day in Solidarity with Victims of Torture, protesters will return to rally in front of the office where Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen handles the logistics for the CIA torture flights. Organized by San Jose Peace.
When & Where: Friday, June 26
11:30 AM: March from Caltrain Station, 65 Cahill Street
12:00 Noon: Rally in front of Jeppesen Office, 225 W. Santa Clara St. (Corner Almaden) in downtown San Jose
More information
Colorado
Denver
Rocky Mountain Survivors Center (RMSC) Annual Event
RMSC will host its annual event to commemorate the Day in Support of Victims of Torture to bring together survivors, community members, partner organisations and RMSC staff and board members to honour the courage and resiliency of survivors, remember those who did not survive, and call for an end to cruel and inhuman practices that violate human rights. A soccer game followed by an interfaith invocation will kick off the event, which will also include a celebration of the diverse backgrounds within the community, statements from partners and community members, music and a community picnic.
When: Saturday, June 27, 3-6 PM
Where: Bill Roberts School, 2100 Akron Way (in Denver's new Stapleton area near Montview and Yosemite)
Contact: Jennifer Wilson
Connecticut
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Delaware
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
District of Columbia
Torture Accountability Action Day
Some participants will engage in nonviolent civil resistance, risking arrest, if AG Holder refuses to appoint a Special Prosecutor.
Organized by a coalition of the following organizations: Action Center for Justice, After Downing Street, Amnesty International, Coalition for Peace Action, CODE PINK, Consumers for Peace, Democrats.com, Historians Against the War, IndictBushNow, National Accountability Network, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, NJ Peace Action, NJ People's Organization for Progress, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats of America, The Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition, US Labor Against War, Veterans for Peace, Washington Peace Center, We Are Change LA, Witness Against Torture, World Can't Wait
Torture Accountability Action Day
When: Thursday, June 25
9 AM: tabling begins
11 AM - 12 Noon: Speakers and Rally
12 Noon: March to the Department of Justice
Where: John Marshall Park, 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Become an organizational sponsor
Congressional Human Rights Commission Hearing
Panel of torture survivors will address the need for torture accountability. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) will chair the hearing. Organized by Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC).
When: Thursday, June 25, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Where: Cannon House Office Building, Room 340
A World Without War and Torture
A keynote speaker will be featured to critique the framework of the war on terror as undermining international human rights, and address the urgent need for the international community to reassert core values and principles of international law. Organized by TASSC International.
When: Thursday, June 25, 7 PM
Where: Catholic University of America, 108 Hannan Hall, 620 Michigan Avenue NE
More information
Torture Never Again! Conference
Organized by TASSC International.
When: Friday, June 26, 2009
9:15 AM: Morning Panel I: "Torture in Our Backyard"
11:15 AM: Morning Panel II: "Torture Never Again"
2:30 PM: Afternoon Panel I: "Truth, Justice and Accountability"
4:00 PM: Afternoon Panel II: "Torture, Women and Children of Survivors
Where: Catholic University of America Law School, Moot Court
3600 John McCormack Road NE
24-Hour Vigil Commemorating the U.N. international Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors
For its 12th consecutive year, TASSC will hold a 24-hour vigil for the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors in Washington, DC, across from the White House. The Vigil will be attended by survivors of torture from around the world and supported by our many friends and colleagues. Organized by TASSC International.
When: Saturday, June 27
Where: Lafayette Park (in front of the White House)
More information
Light One Candle of Hope
TASSC will close the 24-Hour Vigil and invite interfaith communities to light a candle as a symbol of the light of truth and justice in a torture-free world. Candles will be lit at the end of the 24-Hour vigil on Sunday as a sign of hope for a torture-free world and for truth, justice and reconciliation in our world. Organized by TASSC International.
When: Sunday, June 28, 6 AM
Where:
Lafayette Park, Across from the White House
More information
Florida
Miami Beach
Picnic for UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Florida Center for Survivors of Torture invites clients, family and friends to join them in honoring the resiliency and strength of all the survivors of torture worldwide.
When: Saturday, June 27, 11 AM - 2 PM
Where: Haulover Park
Contact: Mitsouko Chatelain, (305) 805-5060
St. Petersburg
Journey to Asylum
Uwe Jacobs, PhD, Clinical Director for Survivors International in San Francisco, California, will present promising practices in conducting psychological evaluations for affidavits and expert testimony for asylum seekers. Organized by: Florida Center for Survivors of Torture (sponsored by Gulft Coast Jewish Family Services, Inc.)
When: Wednesday, June 24, 1-5 PM
Where: St. Anthony's Outpatient Center at Carillon
Contact: Ann Marie Winter at (727) 450 7283 or awinter@gcjfs.org for more information.
Georgia
Atlanta
Interfaith Candlelight Vigil
Vigil to show opposition to torture and support of torture victims organized by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett. Bring banners, signs, and candles.
When: Friday, June 26, Time TBA
Where: Corner of Ponce de Leon and N. Highland
Contact: Debra Greenwood
Hawaii
Honolulu
Torture Accountability Action Day Event
Contact the Torture Accountability Action Day organizers for more information.
When: Thursday, June 25
Idaho
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Illinois
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Indiana
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Iowa
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Kansas
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Kentucky
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Louisiana
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Maine
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Maryland
Baltimore
In Celebration of Strength
An evening of survivor artwork at The Library Project art space located in Baltimore's Historic Federal Hill. This catered event will feature wine, hors d’oeuvres, and music to help support client services. Organized by Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (ASTT).
When: Friday, June 26, 6-8 PM
Where: 1401 Light Street
Contact: Joan Hodges
Massachusetts
Cambridge
Anti-Torture Rally
Speakers will include:
Shahid Buttar, Executive Director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Faisal Fahad, brother of a detained peace activist
Tausif Paracha, whose uncle has been detained in Guantanamo since 2003
When: Thursday, July 25, 2-7 PM
Where: Harvard Square T Stop
Contact: Susan Serpa at 617-599-5195
Michigan
East Lansing
What is at Stake in the Torture Debate?
The MSU College of Law will host presentations by experts on issues concerning the current torture debate; the panel will discuss the legal and human rights ramifications of that debate. All are welcome.
The two presenters are: Catherine Grosso, MSU Assistant Professor of Law, former coordinator of Birzeit University’s Human Rights Action Project Susan Waltz, Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan, former chair of Amnesty International’s International Executive Committee.
A panel will respond to these presentations and to questions from the audience: Dorean Koenig, Professor, Cooley Law School and member of the drafting committee for the International Criminal Court statute, and Sudanese artist Elshafei Dafalla Mohamed, representing the Torture Abolition & Survivors Support Coalition. Erick Williams, American Civil Liberties Union Lansing-Jackson Branch, will moderate the event.
This event is free and open to the public. It is intended to contribute to our understanding of issues surrounding the current debate on torture.
Michigan State University College of Law will host the panel, which is sponsored by the Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice, Amnesty International Group 81, the Peace Education Center, and the Lansing-Jackson Branch of the ACLU.
When: Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 7 PM
Where: Michigan State University College of Law, Castle Board Room, 3rd Floor
MSU Law College is west of the traffic circle at Shaw and Bogue Streets in East Lansing. Shaw parking ramp, next to the Law College, does not charge for visitor parking after 6 PM.
Contact: Catherine Grosso at (517) 432-6962 or Ken Harrow at (517) 803-8839.
Minnesota
Minneapolis
Celebration of Hope and Healing
A celebration that includes food, music and dance featuring Universal Dance Destiny. There will also be a special activity using the Textile Center of Minnesota’s loom. Organized by the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT).
When: Friday, July 26, 6-8 PM
Where: Minneapolis Healing Center, 717 East River Parkway
Mississippi
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Missouri
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Montana
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Nebraska
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Nevada
Las Vegas
Torture Accountability Action Day Event
Contact the Torture Accountability Action Day organizers for more information.
When: Thursday, June 25
New Hampshire
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
New Jersey
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
New Mexico
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
New York
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North Carolina
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North Dakota
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Ohio
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Oklahoma
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Oregon
Portland
Torture Accountability Action Day Protest
Individuals for Justice gathers every Thursday to protest torture, lack of accountability, and Bybee's continued lifelong appointment as a federal judge in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
When: Thursday, June 25, 12 Noon
Where: Pioneer Courthouse (9th Circuit Court of Appeals), 700 SW 6th Avenue
Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr
Torture Accountability Action Day Demonstration
The Bryn Mawr Peace Coalition will be gathering with event-specific posters to tell passersby that torture is wrong and those responsible should be held accountable.
When: Thursday, June 25, 5-6 PM
Where: Corner of Lancaster and Bryn Mawr Avenues near the Ludington Library
Rhode Island
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
South Carolina
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
South Dakota
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Tennessee
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Texas
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Utah
Salt Lake City
Torture Accountability Action Day Demonstration
Justice Requires Accountability! Demonstrate in favor of truth and accountability for war crimes. Join the impassioned call for disclosure of the truth, reform, and deterrence against future abuses.
Music by Shades of Gray and Emma's Revolution
Event Speakers will include Troy Williams (KRCL), Rocky Anderson (Executive Director, High Road for Human Rights), Linda Gustitus (President, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture), Marshall Thompson (Iraq veteran and peace activist), Torin Nelson (Former Military Interrogator), Karen McCreary (Executive Director, ACLU of Utah), Archie Archuleta (Community Activist), and Gil Iker (WWII veteran)
Organized by High Road for Human Rights, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, ACLU of Utah, Amnesty International, and The Wasatch Coalition for Peace and Justice
When: Thursday, June 25, 5 PM
Where: Washington Square (West Side of the Salt Lake City and County Building), 451 South State Street
Vermont
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Virginia
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Washington
Seattle
Torture Accountability Action Day Event
Contact the Torture Accountability Action Day organizers for more information.
When: Thursday, June 25
West Virginia
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!
Wisconsin
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Wyoming
So far, no events have been planned for this state. Planning an event here? Let us know!