Take Action...

The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib Campaign is a national audience engagement and action initiative directed by Working Films in partnership with Human Rights First, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Amnesty International, American Freedom Campaign and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. The goal of this effort is to end US torture policy.

BELOW ARE KEY ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO STOP U.S. SPONSORED TORTURE:

1. Contact Your Elected Officials. Let your Congressperson and Senator know that you are following the issue of torture closely and you expect them to work to uphold justice and human dignity with adherence with the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions. Express your outrage over the Military Commissions Act and ask them to vote to repeal it. Ask them to support the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007.

Making phone calls and sending letters or postcards to your legislator’s district or DC office is more effective than email. You can call the U.S. Capitol operator at 202-224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your Senators’ and Representative’s office.

You can also organize a group to meet with your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators or their staff to discuss the issue of torture and accountability. All have state offices outside Washington DC and many will meet and respond to their constituents. Act on this right for your voice to be heard!

See the Legislation Background for more information and talking points.

2. Use Your Vote to Support a Presidential Candidate Who Will Stand Against Torture! Visit Human Rights First’s Elect to End Torture ’08 website at www.endtorture08.org for current news and information about where the candidates stand.

3. Write a Letter to the Editors of Local Newspapers.
A sample letter to the editor is available online at http://www.ghostsofabughraib.org/docs/sampleletter.doc.

LEARN MORE

• FOIA Documents: Search All Government Documents Released Under FOIA
• The ACLU and Torture: Seeking Truth and Accountability
• Challenging Extraordinary Rendition
• ALCU Blog: Legal Commentary and Firsthand Accounts from the Guantanamo Tribunals
• About the Military Commissions Act
• Dirty Wars: An Evening of Readings on Torture
• ACLU Top Ten List of Torture Related Documents

• Human Rights First's End Torture '08 Blog
• Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
• Amnesty International Report: United States of America: Human dignity denied, Torture and accountability in the ‘war on terror’

For Teachers

Curriculum Resources:

• Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility: "Torture and war crimes – High School and College"
• Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility: "The torture issue"
• A discussion about psychology and the Iraqi prisoner abuse

Organizations dedicated to promoting civic responsibility, tolerance and social action in education:

• Facing History and Ourselves
• Teaching Tolerance
• Museum of Tolerance
• Educators for Social Responsibility

Partners

• Join the American Freedom Campaign to Urge the House to Override Bush's Torture Ban Veto!



• Bush vetoed the law that would forbid waterboarding and other "alternative interrogation techniques." Stand with Amnesty International and get your voice heard! Contact your local newspapers and radio stations so we can make it clear to the President that the people of the United States think torture is wrong!



• Stand with the ACLU and take action to stop torture today - because freedom can't protect itself!



• Help End Torture Now, Demand Congressional Oversight and Ask Congress to Fully Investigate CIA and DOD Interrogation Methods!