Media That Matters Film Festival: Outlawed: Extrordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the "War on Terror": About

SEVENTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL

Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the "War on Terror"

4:41 min
Documentary
Produced by WITNESS in association with fourteen other human rights groups worldwide

Honorable Mention

ABOUT THE FILM

Extraordinary torture and disappearances, justified by the U.S. government as acceptable mechanisms in the war on terror, are some of the most extreme violations of basic human rights of our times. Rapid action is required to rise to the challenge of eradicating these unacceptable practices by the U.S. government in collusion with other nations. Acceptance of these practices affects us all as it is directly related to the increasing corrosion of observance of our basic civil liberties in the name of security. There is a glimmer of hope with the admission by President Bush that "secret CIA detention centers" exist. As we move forward we remain hopeful that our government officials and legislatures will commit to abolishing these practices. WITNESS remains committed to supporting our allies in their endeavors to catalyze change around these issues.

Outlawed premiered on June 27, 2006 during the summer plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg, France in association with the release of a report on the subject by Swiss Senator and CoE Rapporteur Dick Marty. The screening took place on the day the Assembly adopted the resolution and recommendations of the widely publicized report by Marty. The report documents widespread European collusion with the CIA in renditions, torture and disappearances. In June, Outlawed was also delivered to every member of the U.S. Congress, in conjunction with a teach-in and special day of lobbying against extraordinary rendition as part of Torture Awareness Month coordinated by Amnesty International, The American Civil Liberties Union, Physicians for Human Rights, and others.

A report approved on January 23, 2007 by a special committee of the European Parliament stated that Britain, Poland, Germany, Italy and other EU nations knew about secret CIA flights over Europe and the abduction of terrorism suspects by U.S. agents. The report was the conclusion of a yearlong investigation into CIA activities in Europe, and calls for unspecified sanctions against member states found to have violated human-rights principles. In addition, new legislation addressing these issues will be introduced to the United States Congress in the coming months.