GATS on the Universal Human Rights Day

"Let us be clear:

torture can never be an instrument to fight terror, for torture is an instrument of terror."

Kofi Annan,

United Nations Secretary-General

Philadelphia, PA (Dec 10, 2005) -
The Group Against Torture in Sudan (GATS) is dedicating Human Rights Day 2005 on 10 December to all victims of torture and their families. We call upon human rights advocates and orgs to work harder to stop atrocities allover the world especially in Sudan. The ongoing Darfur tragedy claimed the lives of tens of thousands and caused the forced displacement of more than 2 million civilians out of their homes.

For decades, the world did not pay enough attention to the ongoing mass killing that resulted in the current situation in Darfur. More that 2 million were killed in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains region over the last 2 decades. Thousands of peaceful Sudanese dissidents were detained and brutally tortured in secret places known as Ghost Houses.

Let us join the UN Secretary General, Kofi Anan, in his noble call against torture “Today, on Human Rights Day, let us recommit ourselves to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and let us rededicate ourselves to wiping the scourge of torture from the face of the earth.”

Human Rights Day should provide us with an opportunity to pay tribute to grassroots groups allover the world who, in formal and informal settings, in small or large communities, and often encountering difficulties and hazards, contribute to building a universal culture of human rights.

The Group Against Torture in Sudan (GATS) is a human rights advocacy group in the USA works to raise awareness about the torture worldwide and especially in Sudan.
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