To: [email protected] Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:53:44 -0700 Subject: Why accountability? From: [email protected] Amnesty International USA Join Partners of Conscience, Amnesty International's monthly giving program. Sustain the fight for accountability on torture. Dear Franklin, A free pass for torturers? That might just be what the Department of Justice is proposing. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said that he won't prosecute certain CIA officers who, by his own definition, were involved in acts of torture under the Bush administration. The release last week of key memos outlining Bush administration policy on waterboarding and other illegal interrogation methods is a long-overdue step in the right direction of providing more transparency. But it's not enough to ensure that those responsible for abuse pay for the lives they ruined. And it won't stop torture from happening again. Our best antidote to the failed policies of detention without trial and detainee abuse is accountability. Only by bringing to light all that happened and holding those responsible accountable will our government respect the rule of law. It won't be easy to win this fight. It will take perseverance. And it will require someone to speak out for what's right, regardless of the political consequences. With your sustained support, we can be that voice. That's why we're asking for your support over the long haul. Join the Partners of Conscience, Amnesty International's monthly giving program. Your dedicated monthly gift of $5 will help provide Amnesty with the steady, reliable support we so urgently need to win the fight for accountability. As you read this, hundreds of individual Amnesty supporters are wrapping up meetings with Members of Congress. We're one of the few organizations that can consistently organize these high-level visits, over and over again. This is the kind of campaigning that can eventually overcome the political obstacles to make accountability a reality. You may have heard of the recent, hard-won conviction of Alberto Fujimori, the former Peruvian president who a court concluded bore personal responsibility for three massacres in Peru during the '90s. This human rights victory, which was nearly two decades in the making, demonstrates that the road to justice can be a long one. But it also shows that perseverance pays off and that those occupying the highest rungs of authority aren't above the law. What happens in the coming months could determine whether our nation embraces or rejects the failed Bush policies of the past. Become a monthly donor today and sustain our efforts, and we'll make sure we're there, whenever it counts, speaking out for what's right. Sincerely, Njambi Good Counter Terror with Justice Campaign Director Amnesty International USA DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. Messages sent to this email address are not read. If you have a question or comment, please use our interactive online help system. Subscribe to our RSS feeds. © Copyright 2009 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400 Remove yourself from this mailing. Remove yourself from all mailings from Amnesty USA. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
