ACTION ALERT: Amnesty International Urges Calls to Senators Re Torture Today

Please read this and take Action. This is really important.

July 25, 2005
Amnesty International Action Center Alert
Support Amendments Restricting Interrogation Practices and Establishing an Independent Commission

We urgently need calls to both of your Senators on Monday in support of three amendments that would help protect the human rights of detainees in US custody! Please pull out all the stops to get calls to your Senators in support of the two McCain/Graham amendments and the Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment to the fiscal year 2006 Defense Authorization bill.

Talking points for the three amendments are below (click to continuation page of this post). If you have extra time, please call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111 and urge the Bush Administration to support these common sense amendments.

For New Mexico:

Bingaman, Jeff- (D - NM)
703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5521
E-mail: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov

Domenici, Pete- (R - NM)
328 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6621
Web Form: domenici.senate.gov/contact/contactform.cfm

TALKING POINTS

(Note: You don't need to use all the talking points. A short message stating that you support the McCain/Graham and Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendments to the Defense Authorization bill would be fine.)

-- As your constituent, I strongly urge you to support the two McCain/Graham amendments and the Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.

-- Senator McCain, a former POW in Vietnam, and Senator Graham, a former military judge, are offering two important amendments to provide further clarity and guidance on acceptable interrogation practices: one to extend the application of the Army Field Manual Regulations on Interrogations to all detainees in Department of Defense custody, and the other to reinforce U.S. prohibitions on cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

-- The McCain/Graham amendments are designed to be consistent with long-standing U.S. Military doctrine, U.S. constitutional standards and U.S. international commitments.

-- The Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment would establish an independent commission to investigate all allegations of torture and ill treatment of detainees in US custody and determine which officials, policies, and practices were responsible for such abuses and to prevent further abuses.

-- Again, I urge you to support the McCain/Graham amendments and Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment to the DoD authorization bill .

Click here to find more information about this action:

https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=613177&l=13743

Your urgent support is key. Please help us stop torture.

Rosa Del Angel
Amnesty International USA
Online Action Center
https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=613177&l=13744