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| The Outsourcing of Torture, what you can do; support H.R. 952 (vallejo / benicia / fairfield) |
| Announcements |
| 03/15/06 |
Please contact your House Representative and Senators to express your support.
Dear Constituent:
Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about the practice of extraordinary rendition.
Most Americans find the idea of torture repugnant and un-American. In the words of President Bush, "torture is not a part of our soul and our being" . Yet the Bush Administration continues to practice a little-known extra-judicial process known as "extraordinary rendition" that amounts to outsourcing torture.
A 'rendered' person is secretly transferred to a foreign government - often in a country known to torture prisoners, such as Egypt, Jordan, and Syria - where he or she is likely to be subjected to harsh interrogation and torture.
I am an original cosponsor ofH.R. 952, the Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act, a bill to bar the outsourcing of torture through extraordinary rendition. This bill will:
• Prohibit the transfer of any person in the custody ofthe U.S. by the Secretary of State to a country that commonly uses torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in interrogation and detention.
• Prohibit the use of "diplomatic assurances" to satisfy U.S. obligations under international treaties that a detainee will not be tortured .
• Provide the Secretary of State with waiver authority to permit such transfers when there is either a verifiable mechanism in place to assure that the person transferred will not face torture, or if the country no longer practices torture .
• Exempt from its prohibitions treaty-based extraditions, where the person to be extradited has recourse to the courts to challenge the extradition by asserting their rights under the Convention Against Torture to not be sent to a country where they are more likely than not to face torture.
Recent news reports indicate that rendition has been used over and over again by the CIA to violate the sovereignty of our allies, to violate international agreements, to outsource torture to
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countries on our own State Department's list of countries which use torture, and to demean the very notion that the United States respects the law where other nation's do not. In addition to this legislation, I also voted to support the McCain amendment against torture and the Markey amendment against rendition when the Congress voted to included them in the recent Defense Appropriations bill.
It is very important that we never lose sight of our moral and legal obligations to protect and treat captured enemies with decency and civility and that we unequivocally reject torture in any form. We cannot protect freedom abroad or at home while degrading the Constitution and its most basic premises.
Sincerely,
George W. Miller
GEORGE MILLER
Member Of Congress, 7th District
PS: If you would like to receive updates about my work in Congress and announcements of upcoming town meetings and other events, please sign up for the Miller E-Updates on my website at www.house.gov/geon!emiller/eletterregister.html
For more information, please see website: http://democracyrising.us/content/view/184/165/
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