No Amnesty for Torture: Sign the Petition for a Special Prosecutor

Sign the Petition! (H/T Tahoebasha and David Swanson)

On April 16, President Obama said he would not prosecute CIA agents who engaged in torture, because President Bush's lawyers told them it was "legal." President Obama also said Attorney General Eric Holder would use taxpayer dollars to defend torturers against lawsuits by torture victims, and to pay all judgments if they lost.

These decisions are intolerable and unacceptable. Torture is utterly immoral and un-American. The U.S. ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which prohibits torture and requires prosecution of torturers. In 1947, the U.S. prosecuted a Japanese officer for waterboarding. No lawyer can "legalize" what is illegal.

Congress must take the following actions:

1. Demand the appointment of a Special Prosecutor by Attorney General Eric Holder for torture, warrantless wiretapping, and other heinous crimes of the Bush Administration.

2. Prohibit the use of any taxpayer dollars to defend government officials who committed such crimes against lawsuits, or to pay for judgments against them.

3. Restore the full protection of the Fourth Amendment (search and seizure) by repealing the Orwellian-named Protect America Act and U.S.A. Patriot Act.

4. Impeach Judge Jay Bybee, the torture memo author who serves on the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California.

As my representative in Congress, I urge you to act immediately.

Sign the Petition! Click here!