For Immediate Release: March 22, 2012
Contact: Samantha Friedman: office: (202) 265-3000 or samantha@rabinowitz-dorf.com

TOMORROW: National interfaith coalition against torture to hold briefing

Washington, D.C. — The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a coalition of 313 religious institutions and organizations, will hold an interfaith briefing Friday, March 23, on two important areas of work: its advocacy against prolonged solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and its efforts to combat anti-Muslim sentiment.  The briefing is happening in conjunction with the 2012 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice, March 23-26 in Washington, D.C., of which NRCAT is a co-sponsor.

The briefing will include a screening of Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard, a film produced by NRCAT featuring several former prisoners who have experienced solitary confinement, including Sarah Shourd, who recounts her experience surviving 14 months of imprisonment in Iran.  She is today an outspoken opponent of prolonged solitary confinement. 

The briefing will be Friday, March 23, from 4-5:45 p.m., at the Doubletree Hotel, 300 Army Navy Drive, in Arlington, Virginia.

Leslie Manning, President of the Maine Council of Churches, will share the story of the “Maine miracle” – how the religious community helped secure a 70 percent reduction in the number of Maine prisoners housed in solitary confinement last year.

Christina Warner, Director of the Shoulder-to-Shoulder campaign, will discuss the religious community’s efforts to combat anti-Muslim sentiment and show clips from the video Hawo’s Dinner Party.  The briefing will include time for Q&A.

The briefing is open to the media, and coverage is encouraged.  Details below:

WHO:
Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director, National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Leslie Manning, President of the Maine Council of Churches
Christina Warner, Director of the Shoulder-to-Shoulder campaign

WHAT: A briefing on the work of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

WHEN: 4-5:45 p.m., Friday, March 23, 2012

WHERE: Monroe Room at the Doubletree Hotel, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, Va.

About the National Religious Campaign Against Torture: The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a growing membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, 313 religious organizations have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and local congregations.

About NRCAT’s participation in Ecumenical Advocacy Days: NRCAT is pleased to cosponsor the 2012 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice. It will be held March 23-26 in Washington, D.C.  NRCAT-sponsored events can be found at www.nrcat.org/ead. Registration for the conference is available online, and walk-ins are accepted.  All sessions will be held at the Doubletree.  NRCAT is coordinating three additional conference events:

• A workshop on “Human Rights in an Era of Economic Uncertainty: Organizing During a Recession” on Saturday, March 24 at 11 a.m. in the Harrison Room;
• A film screening of NRCAT’s new educational DVD, Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard (20 min.), followed by discussion on Saturday, March 24 at 9 p.m. in Lincoln Hall;
• A skills building workshop on state advocacy, led by Leslie Manning of the Maine Council of Churches on Sunday, March 25, in the Monroe Room at 2:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. (repeated).