Freedom from Torture: June 26, International Day for Survivors of Torture!

Freedom from Torture: June 26, International day for Survivors of Torture.

When June comes to Chicago, the city usually trades its uniformly black and white coat to a more colorful yellow, green and blue shirt, but June 26, 2015 was a rainy day in the windy city. I went to Loyola University to celebrate the International Day for Survivors of Torture, hosted by Kovler Center. It was as if Mother Nature was sharing her tears for all the people who were not able to survive the horror of torture.

June 26 is a day not like the other days; it is a day that the United Nations chose in December 1997 to proclaim as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. It is a day in which around the world people get together to celebrate and commemorate the victims of torture.

Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 5 states, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

Despite the prohibition of torture under international law, Amnesty International attests that torture continues to be practiced in more than 100 countries. According to the Center for the Victims of Torture, there are 500,000 survivors of politically-motivated torture living in the United States.

In spite of the rain, the 2015 event at Loyola University was well-attended. It was an evening of entertainment, dinner, and conversation with survivors and communities of activists. Joey Mogul, from The Peoples Law Office in Chicago and director of Depaul University’s Civil Rights Clinic, spoke eloquently about her experience working in the campaign for justice and reparations for Chicago Police Torture Survivors. She explained that many African Americans were tortured by the police because of their race, and they could not receive treatment, because they were not politically-motivated torture survivors. She emphasized the need for an organization for survivors of torture on the South Side of Chicago. The food was great and reflected the diversity among the group; its smells and taste allowed you to travel around the world. The music brought a wind of celebration to the evening, which permitted good to triumph over the evil of torture.

The sad reality is that people are still using torture as a tool to silence people, as a way to deny them their rights, to strip a truth that is no where to be found, and to create fear. Therefore, we should get together to break the silence on torture, and to make sure there is not a safe haven in our families, neighborhoods, communities, cities and countries for a person who committed torture. We often have a tendency to ignore issues that don’t affect us directly, but as we celebrate this day, we must have a new view of the world- a view in which the world is a village, countries are neighbors, and whatever affects them, directly or indirectly, affects us in some way.  We are all part of the human family called humanity. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

As the sun went to bed, and the event neared the end, we lit candles and each named a person who died or survived under torture. I named Diallo Telly, a diplomat and politician, who was a founder of the Africa United Organization and First Secretariat General.  He was accused of trying to overthrow the Guinean government, and was jailed at the infamous Camp Boiro, where he died in 1977 under a torture method they called “black diet”, meaning starving the person to death.  We also lit candles to expel the fear from our hearts and pray for a world without torture. If you couldn’t make it on June 26, 2015, we look forward to seeing you at the next June 26^th event, because you care.

Sincerely,

Alpha

You could learn more:

Amnesty International Campaign Against Torture Around the World:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IiBEst-xeI

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver- Torture

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmeF2rzsZSU

Stop Torture! Stop Torture! Stop Torture!