News Flash

Torture Has No Justification, Declare Humanists

(Washington, June 8, 2004) "Using the events of September 11, 2001 as an excuse to disregard human rights, civil liberties, and international treaties, is appalling. As Humanists we are committed to protecting the rights of all, regardless of the circumstances," states Tony Hileman, executive director of the American Humanist Association (AHA).

Since the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal erupted over a month ago, it has been reduced by the White House and Pentagon to "isolated acts" that were "small in number," conducted without official sanction.

Now we learn about a March 2003 memo from Pentagon lawyers that legitimized the use of torture and placed the president above the law. The draft memo prepared for Donald Rumsfeld declared, "that President Bush was not bound by either an international treaty prohibiting torture or by a federal anti-torture law because he had the authority as commander in chief to approve any technique needed to protect the nation's security."

"The destruction of Abu Gharib will not put this atrocity behind us. Torture is wrong, not only because it is contrary to international conventions, but because it is an affront to the inherent worth and dignity that no human should be denied. Ordering it is wrong, allowing it is wrong, justifying it is wrong, and looking the other way is wrong. There can be no justification," concludes Hileman.

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