Outlawed - Extraordinary Rendition Testimony

We are still working out the technical issues involved in showing videos like these at our non-virutal meetings, however, in the meantime here is an important 25 minute film, Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the "War on Terror"

Human rights groups and several public inquiries in Europe have found the U.S. government, with the complicity of numerous governments worldwide, to be engaged in the illegal practice of extraordinary rendition, secret detention, and torture. The U.S. government-sponsored program of renditions is an unlawful practice in which numerous persons have been illegally detained and secretly flown to third countries, where they have suffered additional human rights abuses including torture and enforced disappearance. No one knows the exact number of persons affected, due to the secrecy under which the operations are carried out. For more information visit www.witness.org

Take action here.

Update: One of the cases detailed here concerns Khaled Masri, the German citizen whose case has prompted arrest orders for 13 CIA agents.

Torture Awareness Month: State of Emergency

It's not like this blog is going to stop going on about torture once June is over, but I just wanted to use this excuse to highlight another audio archive from the PEN website. Last fall's "State of Emergency Event" features a series of powerful readings against torture, arbitrary detention and extraordinary rendition. Hear Rights Readers authors such as Philip Gourevitch reading Abraham Lincoln or Walter Mosley reading Ariel Dorfman.

Torture Awareness Month: Air Torture

Amnesty has set up a parody site, Air Torture, to promote the very serious "extraordinary rendition" action which I blogged about previously. Amenities on Air Torture:

All Air Torture reservations are booked through government intelligence agencies.

Air Torture takes seatbelts to a whole new level, providing passengers with restrains such as shackling in uncomfortable positions for the duration of their flight, and amenities such as hooding. As an added bonus, we'll forcibly drug you so you can spend the entire trip in a disoriented state!

Air Torture respects your privacy. We won't tell your family or loved ones where you are, what's happened to you, or when you'll be back - ever! It will be just like you disappeared.

Visit the site to book a flight! Print a Boarding Pass! "Ground Air Torture" is certainly a handier catch phrase, for those who can appreciate the dark humor, than "extraordinary rendition", as those of us who have been wrapping our tongues around that phrase can attest. We didn't have any trouble last Sunday with it though, as we collected 110+ signatures opposing the outsourcing of torture to third countries in a little more than an hour. (Thanks Marti, Stevi and All Saints!)

Torture Awareness Month: Extraordinary Rendition Action

First post this month in recognition of Torture Awareness Month. Group 22 members are helping to promote legislation pending in Congress to end the practice of “extraordinary renditions” in which the United States is sending individuals for interrogation to countries with a record of torture. While US laws prohibit these types of transfers, the US Government is reported to have sent or been complicit in sending individuals to countries such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, and Egypt – countries the US has criticized for practicing torture. Help us out! Urge your Representative to cosponsor and pass H.R. 952, the “Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act” and your Senator to cosponsor and pass S. 654, the “Convention Against Torture Implementation Act." Take action now!