by Joe Scarry of Scarry Thoughts Blog.
June is Torture Awareness Month. People everywhere are organizing events for June 26 — International Day in Support of Victims of Torture — as well as the days leading up to it. A list of events planned in Chicago is shown below.
I will be recognizing Torture Awareness Month by continuing to work to force transparency and accountability with respect to the thousands of detainees who have been left in prisons throughout Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. invasion and occupation.
For those who think President Obama has put the Afghanistan “episode” behind us, it is essential to recognize that the United States has created amassive human rights disaster through its detention regime in Afghanistan – one that dwarfs Guantanamo in comparison — and we cannot turn our back on it.
Despite efforts by the U.S. to wash its hands of the detention mess in Afghanistan, as the latest post by Jason Ditz at Antiwar.com attests, “US Still Runs Afghan Torture Prison: Officials Retain Effective Control Over Detainees in ‘Afghan Custody’.”
In June, make a special effort to #stopTorture … close #Bagram …#DEMILITARIZEafghanistan!
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CHICAGO EVENTS DURING NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION AGAINST TORTURE
SATURDAY JUNE 23
Vigil at the Water Tower – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Film screening – details TBA
TUESDAY JUNE 26
Morning rush hour vigils at various locations – details TBA
Evening event at Loyola (Lakeshore campus) – sponsored by Kovler Center – details TBA
FRIDAY JUNE 29
Outing to see My Kind of Town - play about Chicago police torture scandal – details TBA
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Image of Parwan Detention Facility (Bagram, Afghanistan) from Wikipedia.
