wfn.org | NCCC praises Bush, McCain, for taking steps against torture

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

NCCC praises Bush, McCain, for taking steps against torture

December 16, 2005, New York - The National Council of Churches praised 
President Bush and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) Friday for their actions 
to ban torture by U.S. authorities.

Mr. Bush promised to sign the ban into law Thursday after rejecting advice 
from Vice President Dick Cheney and other high administration officials 
that the provision be vetoed.

McCain, who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for 5 1/2 years, had 
insisted that the United States prohibit "cruel, inhuman and degrading" 
treatment of prisoners, many of them terrorism suspects, following 
well-known instances of abuse at two facilities operated by American 
forces, the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention 
center in Cuba.

"By taking this principled stand," said Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, associate 
general secretary of the NCC for International Affairs and 
Peace,	"President Bush reflects the views of the American people that 
torture can never be morally justified or legally sanctioned by the United 
States.  We also commend Senator McCain for his tireless efforts to bring 
U.S. law in line with American values."

"We've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the 
terrorists," McCain said in a separate statement.. "We have no brief for 
them, but what we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of 
behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are. 
And I think that this will help us enormously in winning the war for the 
hearts and minds of people throughout the world in the war on terror."

The General Assembly of the NCC and Church World Service issued a statement 
last month condemning torture as "an assault on the biblical truth that all 
humans are created in the image of God."

The McCain amendment, which was attached to both the defense spending bill 
and the defense authorization measure, would make the Army Field Manual the 
uniform standard for what techniques are acceptable when interrogating 
prisoners.

Here is the statement released by the NCC on Friday:

The National Council of Churches USA commends President George W. Bush for 
his support of the McCain Amendment banning torture of all persons in U.S. 
custody.

In November, the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA 
adopted a "Statement on the Disavowal of Torture," which condemned torture 
as an assault on the biblical truth that all humans are created in the 
image of God.  Based on this conviction, in the resolution the NCC "urged 
the President of the U.S. and all members of his administration to support 
this legislation by affirming America's long-standing commitment to refrain 
from the use of torture."

By taking this principled stand, the President reflects the views of the 
American people that torture can never be morally justified or legally 
sanctioned by the United States.  We commend Senator John McCain for his 
efforts to bring U.S. law in line with American values.

Contact NCC News: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2252, pjenks@ncccusa.org; or 
Leslie Tune, 202-544-2350, ltune@ncccusa.org.