National Religious Campaign Against Torture Announces Support for "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007"

Bill Would Restore Right of Habeas Corpus

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

(Washington, DC) – The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) today announced its support for legislation introduced by Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Russell Feingold (D-WI), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to rollback key provisions of the Military Commissions Act signed into law in October of last year by President Bush. The bill, "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 -- A Bill to Provide for the Effective Prosecution of Terrorists and to Guarantee Due Process Rights", would restore the right of habeas corpus, reinstate the United States' commitment to the Geneva Conventions with respect to the treatment of detainees, and restore important elements of due process to hearing procedures for detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay.

"This legislation is urgently needed," Jeanne Herrick-Stare, Chair of NRCAT Coordinating Committee, said, "to not only restore the core elements of due process to our treatment of detainees, but also to restore the United States’ role as a world leader in human rights. Enactment of the Military Commissions Act was a dark day in our nation's history; the legislation introduced today -- if enacted -- will help restore a measure of dignity to an America we can again believe in."

NRCAT empowers members of America’s faith community to join one another in religious witness to ensure torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment never plays a role in U.S. policy. Since its formation in January 2006, 100 religious organizations have joined NRCAT, including representatives of the Catholic, Evangelical Christian, Mainline Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh communities. NRCAT’s “Torture Is a Moral Issue” statement has been endorsed by prominent religions leaders and organizations such as Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jimmy Carter and Eli Weisel.

Full membership and more information about NRCAT are available on the NRCAT website at www.nrcat.org.

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Faith in Public Life is a communications and organizing resource center for faith leaders sharing a call to pursue justice and the common good. Faith in Public Life is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization.

CONTACT: Jeanne Herrick-Stare at (202) 547-6000 x 2513, jeanne@fcnl.org Katie Barge at 202-481-8147, kbarge@faithinpubliclife.org