"SHINING LIGHTS" June 26th 1999 -- 2nd Annual UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims & Survivors

- By Grahame Russell
June 7, 1999

On October 30, 1998, President Clinton said: "Assisting torture victims does not end the curse of torture. The United States will continue its efforts to shine a spotlight on this horrible practice wherever it occurs and we will do all we can to bring an end to it."

Rubbish! The US shines few lights on this horrendous act of repression, and usually only when it is politically expedient to sully the reputation of a disliked country or rebel movement.

Rubbish, that the US does all it can to bring an end to torture! Shine a light? Why, shine it on cavernous government rooms filled with cartons of "classified" information documenting how the US has financed, trained and armed torturers across the world since 1948, especially in Latin America.

Shine a light? Why not on the dossiers of US agents who have actively participated in acts of torture - destroying bodies, minds and souls, all of course in the name of fighting communism, Marxism, whatever 'ism' of the day it might be, to defend Liberty Inc.

Shine a light? Yes, resoundingly so. Citizens across the world must continue to shine their lights of outrage and condemnation on the torturers; we must support, in every way possible, the tortured. For US citizens (including politicians, pundits and celebrity "stars"), it is their moral and legal imperative to shine particularly powerful lights on themselves, holding their government - and all implicated officials and agents - accountable for their direct and indirect contributions to torture across the planet, sobre todo en America Latina.

To the victims of torture worldwide, despite the terrible crimes intentionally visited upon you, may you shine again, may you shine on.