The daily TV/radio news program, Democracy Now interviews Dr. Allen Keller on the report he co-authored for Physicians for Human Rights which has, for the first time, found medical evidence corroborating the claims of former prisoners who say they were tortured while in US custody. Teams of medical specialists conducted physical and psychological tests on the former prisoners, including exams intended to assess if they were lying. Click here for the transcript and to listen/watch the show.

Broken Laws, Broken Lives shows the human consequences of harsh and unlawful US interrogation practices. This landmark report reveals the excruciating pain and continued suffering of men who, never charged with any crime, endured torture at US detention facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay. Based on internationally accepted standards for clinical assessment of torture claims, the report documents practices used to bring about long-lasting pain, terror, humiliation, and shame for months on end. Click here for a link to Dr. Nguyen's video interview.

On June 15, 16 and 17, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival will present the U.S. premiere of “The Dictator Hunter,” by Dutch director Klaartje Quirijns. The film explores the efforts of Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch, and Souleymane Guengueng, a Chadian torture victim, to bring former president Hissène Habré of Chad to trial for killing thousands of his own countrymen in the 1980s. To purchase tickets click here.

In his statement, Dr. Venters pointed to the confusing and unreliable statistics concerning detainee deaths, and argued that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) healthcare system contains key elements that may jeopardize detainee health. Contrary to public statements by ICE, he concluded that this health system, and the care it allows for detainees, is getting worse not better. Please consult the Washington Post article on this testimony, or download a PDF of Venters' report.

Each year CVT presents the Eclipse Award to an individual who has given extraordinary service for the protection and healing of torture survivors, and for the prevention of torture.

Recently Dr. Keller reported on the cases of two Iraqi individuals held and tortured at Abu Ghraib.  Using international guidelines for the evaluation and documentation of torture, Dr. Keller’s findings substantiated the individuals’ allegations of torture and confirmed the profound health consequences of torture. The report found the abuses at Abu Ghraib were not the result of a few guards but were implemented systematically in the context of interrogations.

Human Rights First, The Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics, and the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice will host a panel discussion the hurdles facing refugees in the US asylum system, the difficulties and disparities in the immigration courts, and the crucial difference made by legal representation. The panel's discussion will pivot off of Asylum Denied: A Refugee’s Struggle for Safety in America by David Ngari Kenney and Professor Phillip G. Schrag. RSVP is requested by not required to Elisabeth Centeno at centenoe@humanrightsfirst.org or (212) 845-5291.

The Science News report "Former child soldiers in Africa draw on a reservoir of resilience" presents an outline of Jeannie Annan's research on former child soldiers in Uganda. At the May 5th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Annan presented her research on a panel with Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone who now lives in the United States, and who wrote a 2007 book about his transition from child soldier to college graduate.

Thanks to our Volunteer and Education Coordinator, Meghan Nickerson, our clients have had the chance to expore New York city with our dedicated volunteers. Also check out highlights from Losar 2008 (Tibetan New Year), including an art workshop with volunteer artists Alessandra Exposito and Steed Taylor.

   Youth have been both the primary victims and the primary actors in the twenty-two year war between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army. It was not clear, however, exactly who is suffering, how much, and in what ways. For instance, researchers knew little about the experience of youth: what is the magnitude, incidence, and nature of the violence, trauma, and suffering of youth in northern Uganda? An understanding of the effects of war on women and girls was particularly lacking, whether they were abducted or affected by the violence in other ways. Click here to view the full report.