The appointment of a torture supporter would endanger human rights worldwide
Statement 9 October 2019
Global – Marshall Billingslea, a man whoopenly advocated for the use of torture, has been nominated to lead the humanrights policy of the United States. This is deeply wrong in principle, and inpractice puts both victims of torture and those defending them at increasedrisk.
The undersigned, members ofthe global SOS-Torture Network of the World Organisation Against Torture(OMCT), urge US Senators to reject Mr. Billingslea’s confirmation.
As an official in the GeorgeW. Bush administration, and a member of what has been referred to as the‘torture team’, Marshall Billingslea showed aparticular zeal in promoting interrogation methods amounting to torture orother cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. He did so not only in violation ofthe absolute prohibition of torture enshrined in various international treatiesto which the US is a party, but even, at times, despite protests fromhigh-ranking US military lawyers.
One well-documented exampleis that of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian detained without charge atGuantanamo Bay from 2002 until his release in 2016, whose mental health was soaffected by the treatment he suffered following Marshall Billingslea’srecommendations that he had started hearing voices. The Marine officer incharge of Mr. Slahi’s prosecution resigned rather than support courtproceedings based on confessions extracted under torture.
If a man with such a trackrecord was to become Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracyand Human Rights, it would be a slap in the face of countless torture victimsthroughout the world – men, women, and yes, children, who have survived theunspeakable.
We work with these survivorsevery day, or with the families of those who never came back alive from policestations, prisons or other places where authoritarian regimes routinely breakbodies and minds. We do our best to help them rebuild their lives and, whenthey so wish, seek justice. Many among us carry out this work at great personalrisk. A risk that has steadily increased over the past years, as autocratsworldwide feel emboldened to break the law with impunity.
Civilian Security, Democracy,and Human Rights are all premised on the rule of law. The absolute prohibitionof torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as accountabilityand justice are its foundational norms and values. Should Marshall Billingsleabe confirmed to this position, his credibility – and that of the United States– on such fundamental issues would be profoundly affected. Regimes that resortto torture, sexual abuse, and extrajudicial killings would feel they have alicense to carry on without fear of consequences. The people we help would be madeeven more vulnerable. And our own security would weigh even less than italready does.
An official who helpeddevelop the faulty legal justification for torture is the wrong man for thejob. The US Senate has for many years showed leadership in contributing to theUnited Nations Fund for Victims of Torture. It should stay the course and rejectthis nomination.
List of signatories
1. ACAT Belgique
2. ACAT Bénin
3. ACAT Burundi
4. ACAT Cameroun
5. ACAT Canada
6. ACAT Deutschland
7. ACAT France
8. ACAT Ghana
9. ACAT Liberia
10. ACAT République Centrafricaine
11. ACAT Spain/Cataluna
12. ACAT Suisse
13. ACAT Sweden
14. ACAT Tchad
15. ACADHOSHA, DRC
16. ACI Participa, Honduras
17. Alliance pour l’universalité des droits Fondamentaux, DRC
18. AlternativeEspace Niger, Niger
19. AsociaciónPro Derechos Humanos de España (APRODH-E), Spain
20. Association Tchadienne pour la Promotion et la Défense des Droits del’Homme (ATPDH), Tchad
21. BanglarManabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), India
22. Centrode Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (FrayBa), Mexico
23. Centrode Prevencion, Tratamiento y Rehabilitation (CPTRT), Honduras
24. Centro Prodh, Mexico
25. Coalition des Organisations de Défense des Droits de l’Homme et dela Démocratie au Niger (CODDHD), Niger
26. Colectivo de Abogados "JoséAlvear Restrepo" (CAJAR), Colombia
27. Collectif des Associations Contre l'Impunité au Togo (CACIT), Togo
28. Committeeagainst Torture (CAT), Russia
29. Documenta,Mexico
30. Enfants Solidairesd'Afrique et du Monde (ESAM), Bénin
31. FIACAT
32. FundaciónComité de Solidaridad con Presos Políticos (FCSPP), Colombia
33. GreekHelsinki Monitor, Greece
34. GulfCenter for Human Rights
35. HumanRights Association (IHD), Turkey
36. HumanRights Commission of Pakistan
37. IndependentMedico-Legal Unit (IMLU), Kenya
38. Instituto de Derechos Humanos de la UCA (IDHUCA), El Salvador
39. Instituto de Terapia e Investigación sobre las Secuelas de laTortura y de la Violencia Estatal (ITEI), Bolivia
40. InternationalService for Human Rights (ISHR)
41. LebaneseCenter for Human Rights (CLDH), Lebanon
42. Ligue algérienne pour la défense des droits de l’Homme (LADDH),Algérie
43. Mouvement ivorien des droits humains (MIDH), Côte d’Ivoire
44. Odhikar,Bangladesh
45. Pasodel Norte, Mexico
46. PhilippinesAlliance of Human Rights Advocate (PAHRA), Philippines
47. PromoLex,Moldova
48. QuillFoundation, India
49. Réseau de protection des victimes, témoins et défenseurs des DroitsHumains (RDDH), DRC
50. SOHRAM-Casra, Turkey
51. SOS IJM – SOS Information Juridique Multidimensionnelle, DRC
52. SOS-Torture Burundi, Burundi
53. Synergie des femmes contre les violences sexuelles (SFVS), DRC
54. Task ForceDetainees of the Philippines (TFDP), Philippines
55. UDEFEGUA, Guatemala
56. WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT)
57. Xumek,Argentina
58. People's Watch
59. ACAT Brazil 60. ACAT USA
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Media Contact:
Iolanda Jaquemet
World Organization Against Torture
ij@omct.org mobile
+41 79 539 4106