Already, the undermining of the absolute prohibition against torture under the Bush administration had a very negative effect on many other countries in the world fighting terrorism, who said if even the United States of America is practicing these torture methods, why should we not be allowed, and why are you criticizing us? I have heard that on many of my fact-finding missions in different countries of the world.

- Manfred Nowak, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, 2009

Recently, statements by public officials and commentators have once again justified torture, seeking to reverse decades of struggle by ordinary citizens to defend human rights and human dignity. Survivors know best: torture is always wrong. We cannot afford to let torture and impunity have the last word.

For more than a decade now, TASSC International has campaigned vigorously and non-violently to abolish torture, and though the work is daunting, we continue to persevere with the hope that torture will be a practice of the past. The struggle to abolish torture has no boundaries, and that's why we at TASSC have committed ourselves to abolishing torture wherever and whenever it occurs. This includes domestic acts of torture that have and continue to be practiced in our own backyard, U.S.- sponsored torture in other countries, and torture the world over.

Torture is a crime against humanity. It is intrinsically evil and can never be justified, not even for reasons of national security. Justice and accountability are crucial to ensuring that torture ends.As survivors, and those who support survivors, we want truth, not silence; justice, not vengeance; accountability, not impunity.

Last August, Attorney General Eric Holder named a Special Prosecutor to undertake an investigation into acts of torture committed by U.S. officials under the previous Bush administration. TASSC calls on the Obama administration to report its findings and to assure the public that those who violated US law and the UN Convention against Torture will be prosecuted.

The moral and legal justifications for torture put forward by Bush Administration officials has given a green light to other countries to do the same, and has set back the international human rights movement by decades, both here in the U.S. and throughout the world.

We call on the Obama Administration, Attorney General Holder and the U.S. Congress to demonstrate more leadership in the defense of human rights. The process of bringing the truth to light, establishing justice, and holding those who violated the law accountable is essential to rebuilding trust in our democratic institutions, and the respect of other nations around the world. Silence in the face of injustice and impunity for those who torture only undermines that trust.