National
Council of Churches general secretary
says closing of Abu Ghraib is a chance to renounce torture
New
York, March 8, 2006 -- The general secretary of the National Council of
Churches USA urged the U.S. government to use the closing of Iraq's
notorious Abu Ghraib Prison as an opportunity "to renew our resolve as a
nation that torture and abuse must never be weapons for our defense."
The Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar said Abu Ghraib is "a dark icon of history"
because it was the site of torture and abuse at the hands of both Iraqis
and Americans. Both sides were convinced "that their heinous acts were
necessary to preserve a regime or protect other lives," he said.
But Edgar said it is "illogical, immoral and profane" to believe torture
is an acceptable means of preserving safety and freedom.
He compared Abu Ghraib to the U.S. retention camp at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, and repeated a request issued last month that the NCC be allowed
to send a "small interfaith delegation" to Guantanamo "to assure the
world -- and ourselves -- that our country is committed to the rule of
law and humane justice."
Edgar also repeated his support for a United Nations report that calls
upon the U.S. to close Guantanamo and either prosecute prisoners or
release them. "This is the urgent call of civilized nations around the
globe," he said. "This is the urgent call of Americans who love their
country and all that it stands for."
The full text of Edgar’s statement follows:
Abu Ghraib has become a dark icon of history, forever etched in our
minds as a place of horror, torture and death. It is good that it is
closing and we pray that it will soon be turned to rubble and dust.
Unfortunately, the memories will not go away.
In recent years, both Iraqis and Americans abused and tortured prisoners
at Abu Ghraib, both sides convinced that their heinous acts were
necessary to preserve a regime or protect other lives. With the closing
of Abu Ghraib, it's time to renew our resolve as a nation that torture
and abuse must never be weapons for our defense. To declare that torture
may be necessary to protect safety and freedom is illogical, immoral and
profane. It's as chilling as an analogy from another era: that in order
to save a village, it is necessary to destroy it. Our liberties will be
left defenseless if we abandon our commitment to just and humane
treatment, in war or in peace.
Recently the National Council of Churches also called for the closing of
another dark icon, the Guantanamo Bay retention camp in Cuba. We
endorsed a United Nations Report recommending that the U.S. refrain from
"any practice amounting to torture" and to bring the detainees to trial
or release them without further delay. This is the urgent call of
civilized nations around the globe. This is the urgent call of Americans
who love their country and all that it stands for.
The National Council of Churches also renews its request -- issued three
times since 2003 -- that a small interfaith delegation be allowed to
visit Guantanamo to assure the world -- and ourselves -- that our
country is committed to the rule of law and humane justice.
The National Council of Churches has proclaimed a forthright policy on
human rights since 1963, and as the U.S. government prepares to decide
what it will do after the closing of Abu Ghraib, it seems important to
quote it again:
"Christians believe that man is made in the image of God, that every
person is of intrinsic worth before God, and that every individual has a
right to the fullest possible opportunity for the development of life
abundant and eternal. Denials of rights and freedoms that inhere in
man's worth before God are not simply a crime against humanity; they are
a sin against God."
The National Council of Churches USA is composed of 35 Orthodox,
Protestant, Episcopalian, historic African American and peace church
traditions representing 45 million Christians in 100,000 congregations
in the United States.
Contact NCC News: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2252, pjenks@ncccusa.org; or
Leslie Tune, 202-544-2350, ltune@ncccusa.org.
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