A news update on NDE co-founder
and board member, Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM.
For more in-depth coverage, please visit:
http://tortureontrial.org
Priest
Escape Jail Before Torture Trial by Bill Quigley,
attorney
Heated
hearing on priests' trespassing case held in Tucson
The Herald - Sierra Vista
After
hearing, group protests near fort
The Herald - Sierra Vista
Two
Catholic priests may go to prison over torture
protest
Tucson Citizen
NEWS RELEASE
from the Nuclear Resister newsletter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2007
Contact in Tucson:
Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa 520-323-8697
FT. HUACHUCA TORTURE PROTEST PRETRIAL CONTINUED
FOR ORAL ARGUMENTS IN AUGUST
A pretrial hearing today for two Roman Catholic
priests arrested during a demonstration at Ft.
Huachuca last November has been continued until
August 13, when U.S. Magistrate Hector Estrada
will hear oral arguments on multiple motions.
The defendants were ordered to be present for
the hearing. No date for trial has been set.
The two are charged with federal trespass and
an Arizona state charge of failure to comply with
a police officer following their attempt to speak
with enlisted personnel and deliver a letter denouncing
torture and the Military Commissions Act of 2006
to Major General Barbara Fast, commander at Fort
Huachuca, on November 19, 2006.
Among the issues to be considered at the August
pretrial hearing are the prosecution motion in
limine, seeking to restrict defense testimony
by excluding any reference to the issues that
sparked the protest. The court is also still considering
the defense request for a jury trial.
MEDIA ADVISORY from the Nuclear Resister newsletter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2007
Contact in Tucson:
Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa 520-323-8697
Ft. Huachuca Protest Trial Postponed; Defendant
Priests Ordered to Attend Pretrial Hearing Instead
The June 6 trial in U.S. District Court, Tucson,
for two Roman Catholic priests arrested at a protest
last November at Fort Huachuca has been postponed.
Instead, Fr. Louis Vitale and Fr. Stephen Kelly
have been ordered to appear at 9 a.m. that same
day in U.S. Magistrate Hector Estrada's court
for a hearing on pretrial motions.
Supporters of the priests will join them at
8:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 6, for a brief morning
support rally in the courtyard in front of the
U.S. District Court, 405 W. Congress St.
It is anticipated that military prosecutor Capt.
Evan Simone may reintroduce a motion to have the
priests jailed pending trial, for which a new
date will be set at the June 6 hearing. The two
are charged with federal trespass and an Arizona
state charge of failure to comply with a police
officer following their attempt to speak with
enlisted personnel and deliver a letter denouncing
torture and the Military Commissions Act of 2006
to Major General Barbara Fast, commander at Fort
Huachuca, on November 19, 2006.
On Tuesday, June 5, supporters are invited to
join the defendants and others for a Festival
of Hope for a future free from the terror and
injustice of torture. The Festival of Hope begins
at 6 p.m. at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 3809
E. 3rd St., Tucson. A potluck meal in Geneva Hall
will be followed by a 7 p.m. program in the church
sanctuary. Speakers at the Festival of Hope will
include torture survivor Orlando Tizon, (Assistant
Director, Torture Abolition and Survivors Support
Coalition International), human rights attorney
William Quigley (Loyola University, New Orleans),
retired U.S. Army Colonel and diplomat Ann Wright,
and defendants Fr. Louis Vitale and Fr. Stephen
Kelly. Music will be provided by San Francisco
cultural worker Francisco Herrera and Tucson musician
Ted Warmbrand.
The defendants and all of the speakers will
be available for media interviews in midtown Tucson
on Tuesday afternoon, June 5. Please call 323-8697
for arrangements.
For more information, visit http://TortureOnTrial.org
BIOGRAPHIES:
Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM
With a background in sociology and a focus on
the Sociology of Religion and social movements,
Louie is a long time social activist. A Franciscan
priest who served as the provincial of the California
Franciscan Friars from 1979 to 1988, he co-founded
the Nevada Desert Experience and its enduring
movement to end nuclear testing. He recently completed
twelve years as the pastor of St. Boniface Catholic
Church in a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco,
California. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at
the University of California, Los Angeles.
In 2006, Louie completed a six month sentence
for his nonviolent action to close the School
of the Americas/WHINSEC at Ft. Benning, GA in
2006. He is currently the "Action Advocate"
for Pace e Bene and is involved in trying to raise
awareness about issues of torture and U.S. involvement
in it.
Fr. Stephen Kelly, SJ
Fr. Kelly is a Jesuit priest who worked with the
Jesuit Refugee service in Central America for
many years. He has spent time in federal prison
for nonviolent direct disarmament actions. These
"Plowshares" actions have brought him
into contact with many in prisons who have suffered
under U.S. hegemonic policies. In an attempt to
dedicate himself to conversion of nuclear weapons
in the Isaiah biblical prophetic vision, he sees
a connection between the rationale to torture
alleged enemies and the blatant incineration of
civilians. In December, 2005, Kelly served as
chaplain for Witness Against Torture, a delegation
of over two dozen U.S. anti-torture activists
who defied the U.S. embargo of Cuba with a peaceful
march through that nation to the gates of the
Guantanamo Bay naval base and prison camp.
Orlando Tizon
Orlando Tizon was arrested on September 21, 1982
in Davao City, in the island of Mindanao, southern
Philippines, during the regime of President Marcos.
At that time he was working as a community organizer
and educator among the rural poor in the Philippines.
During the first three weeks of his imprisonment,
the military who arrested him kept him blindfolded
and incommunicado in a military camp outside Davao
City. He suffered beatings, endless interrogations,
mock execution and solitary confinement for more
than three months. On April, 1986 after the people
power revolution, the Aquino government granted
him amnesty and released him from prison. Soon
after, he emigrated to the U.S., went for treatment
and therapy and attended graduate school, later
earning a doctorate in sociology.
His interests lie in the issues concerning torture
and political violence, race/ethnic relations,
immigrants and refugees and human rights. Presently,
he is the Assistant Director of the Torture Abolition
and Survivors Support Coalition International
(TASSC) in Washington, D.C.
William Quigley
Bill Quigley, lawyer for Fr. Louis Vitale, is
a law professor and Director of the Law Clinic
and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola
University New Orleans. Bill has been an active
public interest lawyer since 1977. He served as
counsel with a wide range of public interest organizations
concerned with Katrina social justice issues,
public housing, voting rights, death penalty,
living wage, civil liberties, educational reform,
constitutional rights and civil disobedience.
Bill teaches in the Law Clinic and teaches courses
in Law and Poverty and Catholic Social Teaching
and Law. He has served as an advisor on human
and civil rights to Human Rights Watch USA, Amnesty
International USA, and served as the Chair of
the Louisiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission
on Civil Rights. He has also been an active volunteer
lawyer with School of the Americas Watch and the
Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.
In 2003, he was named the Pope Paul VI National
Teacher of Peace by Pax Christi USA and is the
recipient of the 2004 SALT Teaching Award presented
by the Society of American Law Teachers.
Ann Wright
Col. Ann Wright (U.S. Army, Ret.) served 29 years
in the military and 16 years in the diplomatic
corps, including as Deputy Ambassador at four
missions. Among her many posts, Ms. Wright reopened
the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in December, 2001. She
resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the Iraq
war. Wright now works full-time as an advocate
for peace and human rights, challenging politicians
and military leaders in Washington to oppose the
occupation of Iraq and the Military Commissions
Act. She has traveled the country speaking about
and lending support to soldiers who refuse to
fight in Iraq. In August, 2006, she traveled to
Amman, Jordan to talk with Iraqi parliamentarians
about their peace plan, and participated in the
Close Guantanamo delegation that traveled to Cuba
in January, 2007.
NEWS RELEASE
from the Nuclear Resister newsletter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2007
MEDIA INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE TOMORROW: Midtown Tucson,
Please call to schedule defendants Fr. Stephen Kelly
and Fr. Louis
Vitale, Vitale's attorney William Quigley, Ann Wright,
and Orlando
Tizon (biographies follow).
Contact in Tucson:
Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa 520-323-8697 (office),
520-603-1917 (cell)
U.S. Seeks to Muzzle Ft. Huachuca Protest Defense
A new trial date is expected to be set at the
Wednesday, June
6 pretrial hearing in U.S. District Court, (405
W. Congress St.,
Tucson) for two Roman Catholic priests arrested
at a protest last
November at Fort Huachuca.
Among other pretrial motions motions to be considered
at the
9:00 a.m. hearing by U.S. Magistrate Hector Estrada
is a government
request that the judge prohibit any testimony
regarding "the morality
or immorality of the Government's use of interrogation
techniques;
training of soldiers in such techniques; the legality
of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or
other operations to
support interrogations in foreign countries; the
legality of the
Military Commission Act of 2006, the application
of the defense of
international law; or the wisdom of any political
question or
government policy as an attempt to establish the
defense of
justification."
The two are charged with federal trespass and
an Arizona
state charge of failure to comply with a police
officer following
their attempt to speak with enlisted personnel
and deliver a letter
denouncing torture and the Military Commissions
Act of 2006 to Major
General Barbara Fast, commander at Fort Huachuca,
on November 19,
2006.
Military prosecutor Capt. Evan Seamone is also
expected to
reintroduce a motion to have the priests jailed
pending trial.
Supporters of the priests will join them at
8:00 a.m.
Wednesday, June 6, for a brief morning support
rally in the courtyard
in front of the U.S. District Court,
Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5, supporters are invited
to join the
defendants and others for a Festival of Hope for
a future free from
the terror and injustice of torture. The Festival
of Hope begins at
6 p.m. at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 3809
E. 3rd St., Tucson. A
potluck meal in Geneva Hall will be followed by
a 7 p.m. program in
the church sanctuary. Speakers at the Festival
of Hope will include
torture survivor Orlando Tizon, (Assistant Director,
Torture
Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International),
human
rights attorney William Quigley (Loyola University,
New Orleans),
retired U.S. Army Colonel and diplomat Ann Wright,
and defendants Fr.
Louis Vitale and Fr. Stephen Kelly. Music will
be provided by San
Francisco cultural worker Francisco Herrera and
Tucson musician Ted
Warmbrand.
The defendants and all of the speakers will
be available for
media interviews in midtown Tucson on Tuesday
afternoon, June 5.
Please call 323-8697 for arrangements.
For more information, visit http://TortureOnTrial.org
BIOGRAPHIES:
Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM
With a background in sociology and a focus on
the Sociology
of Religion and social movements, Louie is a long
time social
activist. A Franciscan priest who served as the
provincial of the
California Franciscan Friars from 1979 to 1988,
he co-founded the
Nevada Desert Experience and its enduring movement
to end nuclear
testing. He recently completed twelve years as
the pastor of St.
Boniface Catholic Church in a low-income neighborhood
in San
Francisco, California. He earned his Ph.D. in
Sociology at the
University of California, Los Angeles.
In 2006, Louie completed a six month sentence
for his
nonviolent action to close the School of the Americas/WHINSEC
at Ft.
Benning, GA in 2006. He is currently the "Action
Advocate" for Pace e
Bene and is involved in trying to raise awareness
about issues of
torture and U.S. involvement in it.
Fr. Stephen Kelly, SJ
Fr. Kelly is a Jesuit priest who worked with the
Jesuit
Refugee service in Central America for many years.
He has spent time
in federal prison for nonviolent direct disarmament
actions. These
"Plowshares" actions have brought him
into contact with many in
prisons who have suffered under U.S. hegemonic
policies. In an
attempt to dedicate himself to conversion of nuclear
weapons in the
Isaiah biblical prophetic vision, he sees a connection
between the
rationale to torture alleged enemies and the blatant
incineration of
civilians. In December, 2005, Kelly served as
chaplain for Witness
Against Torture, a delegation of over two dozen
U.S. anti-torture
activists who defied the U.S. embargo of Cuba
with a peaceful march
through that nation to the gates of the Guantanamo
Bay naval base and
prison camp.
Orlando Tizon
Orlando Tizon was arrested on September 21, 1982
in Davao
City, in the island of Mindanao, southern Philippines,
during the
regime of President Marcos. At that time he was
working as a
community organizer and educator among the rural
poor in the
Philippines. During the first three weeks of his
imprisonment, the
military who arrested him kept him blindfolded
and incommunicado in a
military camp outside Davao City. He suffered
beatings, endless
interrogations, mock execution and solitary confinement
for more than
three months. On April, 1986 after the people
power revolution, the
Aquino government granted him amnesty and released
him from prison.
Soon after, he emigrated to the U.S., went for
treatment and therapy
and attended graduate school, later earning a
doctorate in sociology.
His interests lie in the issues concerning torture
and
political violence, race/ethnic relations, immigrants
and refugees
and human rights. Presently, he is the Assistant
Director of the
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition
International
(TASSC) in Washington, D.C.
William Quigley
Bill Quigley, lawyer for Fr. Louis Vitale, is
a law professor
and Director of the Law Clinic and the Gillis
Long Poverty Law Center
at Loyola University New Orleans. Bill has been
an active public
interest lawyer since 1977. He served as counsel
with a wide range
of public interest organizations concerned with
Katrina social
justice issues, public housing, voting rights,
death penalty, living
wage, civil liberties, educational reform, constitutional
rights and
civil disobedience. Bill teaches in the Law Clinic
and teaches
courses in Law and Poverty and Catholic Social
Teaching and Law. He
has served as an advisor on human and civil rights
to Human Rights
Watch USA, Amnesty International USA, and served
as the Chair of the
Louisiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission
on Civil Rights.
He has also been an active volunteer lawyer with
School of the
Americas Watch and the Institute for Justice and
Democracy in Haiti.
In 2003, he was named the Pope Paul VI National
Teacher of Peace by
Pax Christi USA and is the recipient of the 2004
SALT Teaching Award
presented by the Society of American Law Teachers.
Ann Wright
Col. Ann Wright (U.S. Army, Ret.) served 29 years
in the
military and 16 years in the diplomatic corps,
including as Deputy
Ambassador at four missions. Among her many posts,
Ms. Wright
reopened the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in December,
2001. She resigned in
March, 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war. Wright
now works full-time
as an advocate for peace and human rights, challenging
politicians
and military leaders in Washington to oppose the
occupation of Iraq
and the Military Commissions Act. She has traveled
the country
speaking about and lending support to soldiers
who refuse to fight in
Iraq. In August, 2006, she traveled to Amman,
Jordan to talk with
Iraqi parliamentarians about their peace plan,
and participated in
the Close Guantanamo delegation that traveled
to Cuba in January,
2007.
MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate release
May 9, 2007
For more information, contact
Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa (520)323-8697
TORTURE ON TRIAL
JUNE 6 TRIAL DATE SET FOR PRIESTS ARRESTED AT
NOVEMBER
ANTI-TORTURE PROTEST
AND RELATED UPCOMING EVENTS
On Wednesday, June 6, Fr. Louis Vitale and Fr.
Stephen Kelly will stand trial in U.S. District
Court, 405 W.Congress St., Tucson, Arizona. They
are charged with
trespass and failure to obey an officer's orders
for their nonviolent action on November 19, 2006
at Ft. Huachuca, in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The
two men attempted to speak with enlisted personnel
and give a letter condemning torture to the post
commander of Ft.
Huachuca. The two priests each face a maximum
sentence of 10 months in prison.
Fr. Vitale and Fr. Kelly will give several talks
in mid-May entitled "Torture on Trial".
They will speak about the U.S. role in torture,
Fort Huachuca and U.S. interrogation tactics,
the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the School
of the Americas and their upcoming trial. The
talks, sponsored by Pace e Bene and SOA Watch,
will take place on May 15, 16 and 17.
On May 15, the pair will speak to students at
Brophy High School in Phoenix, AZ.
On May 16, their talk will be held at 7 p.m.
at the Franciscan Renewal Center,
5802 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale, AZ.
On May 17, the program will take place at Southside
Presbyterian Church, 317 W. 23rd, Tucson, AZ with
a 6:30 pm potluck and 7:30 pm talk.
On Tuesday, June 5, the eve of the trial, Tucson
supporters will host a Festival of Hope starting
at 6 p.m. at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 3809
E. 3rd St., Tucson, AZ. Please join Frs. Vitale
and Kelly, lawyer Bill Quigley and others in a
celebration of
hope for a future free of the terror and injustice
of torture and war. The evening will include talks,
testimony of victims of torture, music, food and
fellowship.
Fr. Louis Vitale, a Franciscan priest, is an
Action Advocate for Pace e Bene, co-founder of
the Nevada Desert Experience and SOA Watch Prisoner
of Conscience.
Fr. Stephen Kelly, a Jesuit priest, has served
time in prison for his participation in several
Plowshares direct disarmament actions. In December,
2005, he served as chaplain for Witness to Torture,
a delegation which marched through Cuba to the
gates of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Please visit http://tortureontrial.org for updated
information about the trial and related events,
and
also for background on the case, or email torture.training.on.trial@gmail.com
or call 520-323-8697.
Tucson SOA Watch
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2007
For more information, contact Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa,
520-323-8697 U.S. District Court Magistrate Hector
Estrada Tuesday refused to grant a military prosecutor's
repeated plea to jail two Roman Catholic priests,
each with a long record of nonviolent protest and
subsequent imprisonment, pending their trial for
trespass last fall at Fort Huachuca, in Sierra Vista,
Arizona. Estrada set trials to begin in Tucson on
June 4 for Jesuit Fr. Steve Kelly and June 6 for
Franciscan Fr. Louis Vitale. It is expected that
the cases will be consolidated, and the men will
be tried together that week.
About thirty supporters attended the
morning hearing, where Army Capt. and military prosecutor
Mikel J. Weir asked Magistrate Estrada to consider
Kelly's and Vitale's long history of protest and
arrest, including serious crimes, and their reported
public statements to continue such protests, and
also to note Fort Huachuca's role as the U.S. Army
Intelligence Center, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics
Command, pilotless drone operation, etc.
"Did they damage any property?"
Estrada asked. "Was anyone injured?" "No"
replied Weir, twice.
Vitale's attorney, Loyola University-New
Orleans law professor Bill Quigley, told the court
there was no reason to grant the government's motion,
because the men's actions were nonviolent and they
do not pose a flight risk, having returned to Arizona
now twice voluntarily for court dates since their
arrest.
Kelly and Vitale both refused to sign
standard release agreements promising to commit
no crimes while free pending trial, but the judge
simply declared that it was his order, whether they
signed or not.
Both defendants found or created the
occasion to address the court about motivations
above the law, such as acting for justice, and in
good conscience, in the face of official crimes
like wars of aggression and torture.
Military prosecutor Weir resubmitted
his motion to jail the priests, citing these comments
in court, but the Magistrate held firm over Weir's
objection.
In addition to the federal charge
of trespass (18 USC 1382), the June trial will incorporate
prosecution of both men on the additional Arizona
state charge of "Failure to Comply with Police
Officer" (ARS 28-622), under terms of the Federal
Assimilative Crimes Act.
Because the maximum possible prison
sentence on both charges is ten months, the priests
will request a jury trial.
The priests were arrested near the
Fort Huachuca gatehouse last November 19, as they
sought entry to speak with enlisted personnel and
deliver a letter denouncing torture and the Military
Commissions Act of 2006 to Major General Barbara
Fast, commander at the post and a key figure in
the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Supporters will host a series of public
events around the time of the trial to raise awareness
of Fort Huachuca's role in military intelligence
training that fosters torture.
Jack & Felice Cohen-Joppa
POB 43383
Tucson, AZ 85733
voice/fax: (520)323-8697
email: nukeresister@igc.org
NEWS RELEASE
Tucson SOA Watch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2007
Contact in Tucson: Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa 520-323-8697
PRE-TRIAL DETENTION THREAT FOR TWO PRIESTS IN FT.
HUACHUCA TORTURE PROTEST
Military prosecutors have told advisory counsel
to two Catholic priests that the government will
seek pre-trial detention for their nonviolent protest
arrest last November 19 at Fort Huachuca, in Sierra
Vista, Arizona.
Franciscan Fr. Louie Vitale and Jesuit Fr. Steve
Kelly will be arraigned Tuesday, April 3, 8:30 a.m.
at the U.S. District Court, 6th floor, 405 W. Congress
St., Tucson, Arizona.
Among the reasons given for asking the court that
the two men be jailed until trial are the defendants'
extensive history of arrests, press accounts, and
the likelihood that they will not stop protesting
or risking jail for protests while awaiting trial.
The two men were arrested when they sought entry
to the base to speak with enlisted personnel and
deliver a letter denouncing torture and the Military
Commissions Act of 2006 to Major General Barbara
Fast, commander at the post.
They were part of a group of 120 people protesting
outside the Fort that day against military intelligence
training that fosters torture. The men were issued
citations for trespass (USC 18-1382) and released.
In February, the two returned to Arizona for arraignment
on the charge. Instead, a procedural hearing at
Fort Huachuca resulted only in a new citation for
both men, on an Arizona charge of "Failure
to Comply with Police Officer" (ARS 28-622).
If found guilty of both charges, Kelly and Vitale
face a maximum sentence of ten months in prison.
Supporters will join with the two men in front
of the courthouse at 7:45 a.m. on April 3 to share
thoughts and prayers before going inside for the
arraignment.
March 26, 2007 Lawyer Bill Quigley,
representing Louie Vitale, said that the Jag Captains
Evan Seamone and Ryan Wardle were seeking pre-trial
detention for Roman Catholic priests Louie Vitale
and Steve Kelly. The JAG officers argued that the
men had a history of criminal activity and the expectation
was that they might "do something" while
awaiting trial.
Steve and Louie were arrested at Fort
Huachuca, in Sierra Vista, Arizona, protesting that
day against military intelligence training at the
fort that fosters torture on November 19, 2006.
Priests Face Added Charge for Ft. Huachuca Torture
Protest
Two Catholic priests arrested during a protest at
Fort Huachuca, in Sierra Vista, Arizona, have been
notified that in addition to a federal charge of
trespass (USC 18-1382), they will be prosecuted
under Arizona law for "Failure to Comply with
Police Officer" (ARS 28-622).
Franciscan Fr. Louie Vitale and Jesuit
Fr. Steve Kelly intended to speak with enlisted
personnel and deliver a letter denouncing torture
and the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to Major
General Barbara Fast, commander at the post, when
they were arrested while approaching the gate last
November 19.
They were part of a group of 120 people
protesting that day against military intelligence
training at the fort that fosters torture.
The men were cited for trespass and
released. Later, they were summoned to appear for
arraignment February 13 in Greeley Hall on the grounds
of Fort Huachuca.
When the priests and five supporters
arrived at the fort, they were escorted by several
armed men into a room in the basement of Greeley
Hall. Capt. Evan Simone, acting on behalf of the
U.S. attorney's office, told Vitale and Kelly, who
are representing themselves, that they would not
in fact be arraigned. Instead, Simone was only there
to discuss a plea agreement.
The two priests believe they are guilty
of no crime, and declined any pretrial agreements.
Before they departed, Vitale and Kelly
were each issued the second violation notice under
the state stature. If found guilty of both charges,
they face a maximum sentence of ten months in prison.
Arraignment is rescheduled for Tuesday,
April 3, 8:30 a.m. at the U.S. District Court, 405
W. Congress St., Tucson, Arizona.
Jack & Felice Cohen-Joppa
POB 43383
Tucson, AZ 85733
voice/fax: (520)323-8697
email: nukeresister@igc.org
Two Priests Arrested as 120 Join Ft. Huachuca Torture
Protest
November 19, 2006
Contact: Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa: 520-323-8697
As more than 120 people gathered at the gate of
Fort Huachuca today to protest military intelligence
training there that fosters torture, two Roman Catholic
priests were arrested when they tried to enter the
base, located in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Franciscan Fr. Louie Vitale and Jesuit
Fr. Steve Kelly intended to speak with enlisted
personnel and deliver a letter to Major General
Barbara Fast, commander at the post, denouncing
torture and the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
Major General Fast is the highest
ranking intelligence officer tied to the torture
at Abu Ghraib torture, yet she has never been punished.
Two soldiers with ties to Fort Huachuca are among
28 implicated earlier this year in the beating deaths
of two prisoners in Afghanistan in 2002.
Today's demonstration took place in
conjunction with the annual vigil at Fort Benning,
Georgia, where over 20,000 people vigiled today
and at least 14 were arrested as they called for
closing the infamous School of the Americas (now
called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security
Cooperation).
Dozens of Latin American military
leaders who trained at the "School of Assassins"
have since been convicted of torture, murder, and
other heinous crimes in their own countries. Frs.
Vitale and Kelly walked into the base but were stopped
as they approached the gatehouse. An officer from
the base offered to deliver their letter to the
Commander, but the priests persisted, because they
also intended to speak with the service men and
women receiving interrogation training at Fort Huachuca.
When they were not allowed to pass,
the two men knelt in prayer and were arrested. They
both received a federal citation for trespass and
were released without conditions, and told they
should be contacted within 45 days with a court
date.
Fr. Louie Vitale is a member of Pace
e Bene, whose mission is "to develop the spirituality
and practice of active nonviolence as a way of living
and being and as a process for cultural transformation."
Fr. Vitale is also a co-founder of the Nevada Desert
Experience, a faith-based organization that has
opposed nuclear weapons testing for a quarter of
a century. Fr. Vitale recently served six months
in jail following his arrest at the Ft. Benning
vigil in November, 2005, and was ejected from congressional
hearings in September after speaking out against
the Military Commissions Act.
Fr. Steve Kelly is a member of the
Redwood City Catholic Worker community and has served
time in federal prison for the nonviolent direct
disarmament of nuclear weapon delivery systems.
In December, 2005, Kelly served as chaplain for
Witness to Torture, a delegation of over two dozen
U.S. anti-torture activists who defied the U.S.
embargo of Cuba with a peaceful march through that
nation to the gates of the Guantanamo Bay navel
base and prison camp.
The text of the letter delivered
to the base commander follows:
To: Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast -
We are here today as concerned U.S. people, veterans
and clergy, to speak with enlisted personnel about
the illegality and immorality of torture according
to international humanitarian law, including the
Geneva Conventions.
We condemn torture as a dehumanization
of both prisoners and interrogators, resulting in
humiliation, disability and even death. In addition
to the hundreds of detainees who have died, we are
also concerned about U.S. military personnel. Alyssa
Peterson committed suicide after participating in
the torture of Iraqi prisoners. Lynndie England
and others have been imprisoned for their illegal
activities.
We are here today at Ft. Huachuca
in solidarity with tens of thousands of people at
the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
at Ft. Benning, Georgia (formerly known as the School
of the Americas) to say that the training of torturers
must immediately stop. Nothing justifies the inhumane
treatment of our fellow brothers and sisters. Torture
by U.S. military personnel has reached alarming
proportions and has horrified people around the
world.
We are convinced that the Military
Commissions Act of 2006 is unconstitutional. We
totally reject its conclusions. Torture is a useless
and unreliable tool that leads to an accepted practice
of terrorization and the rationalization of wrongdoing.
We are here today to repent and clearly
state that because of our sense of moral and human
decency we condemn torture. NOT IN OUR NAME.
Signed this 19th day of November,
2006 -
Louis Vitale,OFM
Steve Kelly, SJ
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