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Media advisory

WASHINGTON STATE RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE (WSRCAT)

WSRCAT announces a press conference for Thursday, June 26, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.

Place: St. Mary's Catholic Church, 610 20th Ave S, Seattle, WA -- on the front steps to the church or, if inclement weather, in the cafeteria. Estimated time: 30 minutes (10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.).

Speakers: One featured speaker is Jorge Quiroga, a member of St. Mary's Church who underwent torture and imprisonment in Argentina for three years, on false charges of "association with terrorists." He will tell part of his story. There will be 5-6 additional brief speakers from our participating congregations, dressed in their religious vestments, and a press-release will be distributed summarizing their remarks. This is the finale of a national campaign by NRCAT (see below), in which over 300 banners are now being displayed across the country to bring attention to torture during Torture Awareness Month, June, 2008.

Torture is in the news this week:

June 26 is the U.N. International Day in Support for the Victims of Torture.

June 26 is also the day that the two key architects of the administration's legal strategy on torture, David Addington and John Yoo, are scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on torture.

Already, sixteen Seattle-area congregations are displaying anti-torture banners on the outside of their buildings, and WSRCAT ("wisser-cat") membership is growing rapidly. A typical banner reads "Honor God: Say No to Torture."

Photos: Pictures of banners will be made available at the press event (a sample is attached here). We will also have examples of actual banners at the press conference.

Who we are: WSRCAT is an inter-faith organization affiliated with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT). Our purpose is to bring attention to the public that the U.S. government is practicing torture and that torture is a moral issue. We are dedicated to working to stop all torture and abusive treatment of detainees by all U.S. government agencies or their contractors anywhere in the world. We are brought to this urgent task by the realization that to remain silent in the face of such a deeply troubling moral breach by our government is to risk becoming bystanders and thereby complicit in these crimes.

Contact: For further information please contact Rob Crawford at 206-463-5653, robcrawford2@gmail.com; or Tony Nugent at 206-325-5848, nugentt@hotmail.com .