Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

December 5, 2008

Prosecution urged for John Yoo, architect of torture

Please take a moment this weekend or Monday to contact the City Council of Berkeley CA and urge them to pass a resolution critical of "torture professor" John Yoo, on the faculty of the law school at UC Berkeley:
Silence In a Time of Torture Signifies Tacit Approval
From Debra Sweet, The World Can't Wait

A message from Linda Rigas, JC Candidate, New England School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, member of FireJohnYoo.org + Legal Intern, Physicans for Human Rights
BERKELEY, Calif. -- The Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission's recommendation to the City Council presents an important call for all Americans to stand in opposition to abetting John Yoo, University of California professor and author of the "Torture Memos" which were key to the establishment of a system of state torture. This Resolution calls for John Yoo to be prosecuted for war crimes and dismissed from his position as Professor of Law at Boalt Hall.
The ramifications of the Resolution ensure that torture is not tolerated in the city of Berkeley and will serve as a model for other communities' efforts to hold high administration officials of torture to account. The passage of the John Yoo Resolution presents a critical step in investigating the codification, implementation, and acceleration of the authorization of torture-a responsible step that must now be taken to call for the end of torture as a pillar for endless war.
FireJohnYoo.org, a member of the No To Torture - John Yoo Must Go Coalition, supports the Commission's John Yoo Resolution and asks organizations and individual advocates to do the same. Fire John Yoo encourages directly contacting city council members to support the Resolution, and to visibly stand and speak out against torture before the City Council on December 8th. If you are unable to attend the Public Hearing, please write a statement that can be submitted to the Council. By taking these actions, we can have an enormous impact on the direction the U.S. will take in honoring its commitment to rescind the use of torture.
People of conscience demand the removal of John Yoo, legal architect of the Bush Regime's torture policies, from the employ of the University of California. How will the community of Berkeley respond when someone asks: "What did you do during this time?"
Public Hearing: Monday, December 8, 2008
2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Berkeley City Council Meetings begin at 7:00 PM
READ the Peace and Justice Commission recommendation.
Please write and call Berkeley City Council Members to show your support for recommendedactions against John Yoo, Legal Advisor to the Bush administration and author of memos giving the green light for torture:
(kindly cc info@firejohnyoo.org on your emails!)
Mayor: Tom Bates mayor@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7100
District 1: Linda Maio lmaio@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7110
District 2: Darryl Moore dmoore@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7120
District 3: Max Anderson manderson@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7130
District 4: Jesse Arreguin jarreguin@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7140
District 5: Laurie Capitelli lcapitelli@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7150
District 6: Susan Wengraf swengraf@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7160
District 7: Kriss Worthington kworthington@CityofBerkeley.info (510) 981-7170
District 8: Gordon Wozniak gwozniak@CityofBerkeley.info( 510) 981-7180
WE ARE NOT YOUR SOLDIERS Tour moves from Los Angeles to San Francisco Bay Area & New York City. Read Emma Kaplan's report from Media Arts Academy, Los Angeles

http://www.wearenotyoursoldiers.org/?page_id=52
Support World Can't Wait as a national effort. Become a sustainer of $4RealChange.
Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime

1 comment:

Mzee Ukumbwa Sauti, M.Ed. said...

It would seem that the relative quietude of this larger story in corporatocracy-dominated media exposes the anti-indigeny, capitalist/racist/classist stance that will provide shallow and knee-jerk writing on similar occurrences in African and South American countries, all be they often for other reasons and with different outcomes. It seems you can't get through a day without hearing someone lambaste Chavez. Obviously, Canada could do no wrong...and probably never has in the eyes of the "uncensored news".

Thank you, again, Brenda, for illuminating these important issues and situations.