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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived document may not work.

Africa: Torture Victims Bills Need Support
Date Distributed (ymd): 950822

Washington Office on Africa Action Alert

Torture Victims Relief Bills need additional co-sponsors in
the Senate and House

The Comprehensive Torture Victims Relief Act (S. 1058) was
introduced on July 21st by Senators Wellstone and Specter.
The other original co-sponsors were Senators Tom Harkin
(D-IA), Mark Hatfield (R-OR), James Jeffords (R-VT), Edward
Kennedy (D-MA), and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY).
Congressmen Christopher Smith (R- NJ) and Tom Lantos (D-CA)
introduced H.R. 1416 in April and there are now about 22
House co-sponsors. (They are listed below).

Senator Wellstone would like to offer S. 1058 as an
amendment to legislation being considered on the floor of
the Senate, but he needs additional Senators as cosponsors.
Senators need to hear from constituents in their state if
they are to co-sponsor the bill.

While the legislation is not specific to Africa, its passage
would facilitate greater U.S. government responsiveness to
asylum seekers or refugees from a number of African crisis
situations.

The Washington Office on Africa urges you to contact your
Senators and Representative asking them to co-sponsor S.
1058 or H.R. 1416. Your help in obtaining additional
co-sponsors could help build momentum for this measure.
We will appreciate any help you can give in this effort. We
would also appreciate any feedback you receive about the
bill.

We include talking points (which apply to either bill) and a
list of Senators who we think could be persuaded to sign on
to the bill. (But feel free to contact any Senator about the
bill.) Senate offices should contact Colin McGinnis in
Senator Wellstone's office (202-224-5641) if they wish to
ask questions about the bill or sign on. Staff of House
Members should contact Congressman Christopher Smith's staff
at 202-225-5748.

Talking Points on the Comprehensive Torture Victims Relief
Act (S. 1058) and the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1995
(H.R. 1416)

I support the above bills because they

     Provide rehabilitation services for victims of torture
     around the world who are oftentimes in the forefront of
     the struggle for human rights and democracy;

     Identify the United States in support of those who are
     struggling for freedom and justice in their own
     countries and in opposition to governments that resort
     to torture;

     Provide rehabilitation services for victims of torture
     by foreign governments who now reside in the United
     States and enable them to recover their lives and
     become productive tax-paying members of our
     communities;

     Provide for the U.S. Government in considering
     applications for political asylum or refugee status by
     torture victims to take into account how their torture
     experience may affect their applications; and

     Would not cause an increase in the Federal budget
     because spending would be reallocated from funds
     already provided for in existing law.

Senators to ask to co-sponsor the Comprehensive Torture
Victims Relief Act (S. 1058):

DEMOCRATS: (24)

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (DE), Barbara Boxer (CA), Bill Bradley
(NJ), Dale Bumpers (AR), Thomas A. Daschle (SD), Christopher
J. Dodd (CT), Russell D. Feingold (WI), Dianne Feinstein
(CA), Daniel K. Inouye (HI), J. Robert Kerrey (NE), John F.
Kerry (MA), Herb Kohl (WI), Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ),
Patrick J. Leahy (VT), Carl Levin (MI), Joseph I. Lieberman
(CT), Barbara A. Mikulski (MD), Carol Moseley-Braun (IL),
Patty Murray (WA), Claiborne Pell (RI), Charles S. Robb
(VA), John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV), Paul S. Sarbanes (MD),
Paul Simon (IL)

REPUBLICANS: (19)

Spencer Abraham (MI), John Ashcroft (MO), Hank Brown (CO),
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (CO), John H. Chafee (RI), William
S. Cohen (ME), Alfonse M. D'Amato (NY), Bill Frist (TN), Rod
Grams (MN), Charles E. Grassley (IA), Orrin G. Hatc (UT),
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (KS), Richard G. Lugar (IN), John
McCain (AZ), Bob Packwood (OR), Rick Santorum (PA), Olympia
J. Snowe (ME), Fred Thompson (TN), John W. Warner (VA)

House Members who have endorsed H.R. 1416

Ronald Dellums (D-CA), Vic Fazio (D-CA), Barney Frank
(D-MA), Martin Frost (D-TX), Elizabeth Furse (D-OR), Henry
Hyde (R-IL), Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-MA), Tom Lantos (D-CA),
John Lewis (D-GA), Nita M. Lowey (D-NY), Cynthia McKinney
(D-GA), Martin Meehan (D- MA), Constance Morella (R-MD),
Major R. Owens (D-NY), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), John Porter
(R-IL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Ed Royce (R- CA), Martin
Sabo (D-MN), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Bruce Vento (D-MN),
Charles Wilson (D-TX), Frank R. Wolf (R-VA), Sidney Yates
(D-IL)

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This material is made available by the Washington
Office on Africa (WOA). WOA is a not-for-profit
church, trade union and civil rights group supported
organization that works with Congress on Africa-related
legislation.

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