L.A. Takes Part in Global Observance to Support Victims of Torture UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture Date: Sunday, June 26, 2005 Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm Location: Marymount High School, Cantwell Hall 10643 Sunset Blvd. (north of UCLA, east of the 405), Los Angeles ADMISSION: FREE Free parking at site. Overflow parking (for a fee) at UCLA
Darius Rejali, noted expert on torture, interrogation, and State-sponsored violence, will be keynote speaker on June 26 when local human rights organizations sponsor an afternoon of cultural performances and survivor testimonies at Marymount High School to recognize the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Also appearing on the free program which will take place from 2:00 PM to 4:00 at the high school's Cantwell Hall will be the Lost Boys of Sudan, telling their own stories of survival and performing music on the handmade instruments they built while in refugee camps; Capoeira Angola, demonstrating their melding of dance and martial arts; the Arohi Ensemble, playing world music; and torture survivors speaking out about their experiences both abroad and in the U.S., as when TJ Parsell, who was raped in a Midwest prison, will relate international conventions against torture to abuse that occurs routinely here at home. The Iranian-born Rejali, professor of political science at Reed College, was named a "Scholar of Vision" in 2003 and awarded $100,000 by the Carnegie Scholars Program to support development of his most recent book, Approaches to Violence: A Citizen's Toolkit, to be published in 2006 by Princeton University Press. He is the author of Torture and Modernity and the forthcoming Torture and Democracy, as well as many recent articles on subjects that include analysis of the controversial U.S. government memos on the Geneva Conventions, the political thought of Osama bin Ladin, the history of electric torture, the practice of stoning in the Middle East, the treatment of refugees who have been tortured, and theories of ethnic rape. The event is sponsored by Program for Torture Victims (a non-profit organization which seeks to alleviate the consequences of torture by providing medical, psychological and case management services), and is produced in association with Amnesty International USA, Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking, Democracy Council, International Criminal Court Alliance, International Rescue Committee, and Stop Prisoner Rape. Marymount High school is located at 10643 Sunset Blvd., just north of UCLA. The annual observance in support of survivors was initiated by the United Nations in 1998. In the words of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable. It is long overdue that a day be dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of torture around the world." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/