Goals of CCRCAT

We join with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) in working for the following goals:

1. Obtain passage by the United States Congress of legislation that prohibits — without exception — all U.S.-sponsored torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees, and all policies that allow for or encourage such torture or treatment. This legislation, whether establishing new requirements or repealing existing provisions of law, must:

• Prohibit any exemption from or exception to U.S. adherence to the human rights standards of international law – without exception;
• Prohibit the practice of apprehending suspects and transporting them to countries that use torture as an interrogation technique;
• Prohibit the existence or use of secret prisons for U.S. detainees anywhere in the world;
  Mandate access by the International Committee of the Red Cross to all U.S. detainees around the world;
• Restore habeas corpus protection for all U.S. detainees, citizen and non-citizen alike;
• Prohibit the use of evidence derived from torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment (including hearsay evidence) in the determination of guilt or innocence of a charged offense;
  Initiate an independent investigation of the role of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees under U.S. custody and control after September 11, 2001.

2. Engage locally with people of all faiths to cultivate an awareness of our government’s practice of torture and to work together to lobby for its end.

3. Secure sufficient funding to become a stable organization with effective staffing, administrative structure, and communications capabilities.