Wednesday, June 21, 2000
2255 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
United StatesTitle
Torture in the OSCE Region
Official Transcript:
Members:
Name:
Hon. Chris Smith
Title Text:
Chairman
Body:
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Statement:
Witnesses:
Name:
Inge Genefke
Title:
Secretary General
Body:
International Rehabilitation Council
Statement:
Name:
Maureen Greenwood
Title:
Advocacy Director
Body:
Amnesty International
Statement:
Name:
Douglas Johnson
Title:
Executive Director
Body:
The Center for Victims of Torture
Statement:
In advance of the 2000 commemoration of the United Nations Day in Support of the Victims of Torture, the Helsinki Commission held a briefing to focus on the continuing problem of torture in the OSCE region. In spite of these efforts and the efforts of our Commission, including introducing and working for passage of two bills, the Torture Victims Relief Act and the Reauthorization of the Torture Victims Relief Act, torture continues to be a persistent problem in every OSCE country including the United States. This briefing considered two specific problem areas, Chechnya and Turkey, as well as efforts to prevent torture and to treat torture survivors.
Witnesses testifying at the briefing – including Dr. Inge Genefke, International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims; Maureen Greenwood, Advocacy Director for Europe and the Middle East, Amnesty International; and Douglas Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for the Victims of Torture – highlighted statistics about the number of torture victims in Turkey and Chechnya and related violations of individual rights.
Relevant issues:
Relevant countries:
Leadership: