The Congress caved in to President Bush’s unconscionable demand for the right to torture. The law on military commissions, passed at the end of September, allows the President to interpret Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention on the definition of torture and suspends the rights of non-U.S. citizens to habeas corpus – the right to challenge the legality of their detention. But we can’t accept this.

Here are some resources to help you take a stand on this issue.

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) includes an online petition against torture. Visit: http://www.nrcat.org.

Amnesty International’s Denounce Torture Campaign website lists many different ways that people can take action. Visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/ to learn more about the ongoing efforts to influence U.S. policy regarding torture.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has fought to protect human rights for over 65 years. Their website, http://www.uusc.org/index.shtml features the STOP (Stop Torture Permanently) Campaign, and has a wealth of resources analyzing U.S. torture policy and advocacy solutions.

Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC) is a coalition of torture survivors, currently representing more than 60 countries and ethnic groups. To learn more about TASSC International’s role in the implementation of Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, visit http://www.tassc.org/.

Human Rights First is a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York and Washington D.C. HRF’s mission is to prevent human rights violations against victims of societal instability, and to seek accountability for these violations. http://www.humanrightsfirst.org has an extensive list of publications that provide information on human rights abuses throughout the world.

Torture is an issue of global scope that warrants efforts and attention from around the world. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”