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Princeton churches unfurling anti-torture stand

By Lisa Merolla, Staff Writer
   PRINCETON — Three Princeton churches have taken a stand against torture this June by displaying banners in observance of Torture Awareness Month.
   The display is part of a nationwide effort called “Banners Across America,” which was organized by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Around 300 congregations, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, are posting anti-torture banners for the month of June.
   The Princeton churches — Nassau Presbyterian, Witherspoon Street Presbyterian and Princeton Friends Meeting — have displayed black banners that read either “Torture is a moral issue” or “Torture is wrong” in white lettering.
   Local involvement with the cause began with the Princeton Area Anti-Torture Advocacy Group, a group founded in 2006 to work against torture. Bob Duncan, convener for the group, said churches are speaking out because torture is a moral issue.
   ”Yes, it’s a political issue in some ways, but the basic issue is a moral one,” he said. “The basic issue is the dignity of human beings, of human life. If we allow our government or any institution to use practices that degrade human beings as individuals, we start down a very slippery slope.”
   Torture issues have caught the public’s attention recently, with the Supreme Court deciding a case on Guantánamo Bay detainee rights and the U.S. Senate holding a hearing on the topic. Mr. Duncan said the recent publicity has helped raise awareness of torture, but more attention still needs to be paid. He said the banners are aimed at increasing awareness.
   ”It is gathering steam as an issue that the public can’t avoid thinking about,” he said. “It’s really uncomfortable, so people avoid thinking about it. Simply raising people’s consciousness and awareness is worth the effort.”
   The Rev. David Davis, the pastor at Nassau Street Presbyterian Church, said the banners only have generated positive reactions, with several people thanking him for the display. The banners have not drawn any complaints at his church.
   ”We feel strongly about joining our voices with people of all faiths who are speaking out on the issue,” The Rev. Davis said.
   The National Religious Campaign Against Torture was founded in Princeton in 2006 by George Hunsinger of the Princeton Theological Seminary. It has grown to include people of all faiths, including Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Its “Banners Across America” campaign will go through the end of June.
   June has been dubbed Torture Awareness Month because the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment went into effect on June 26, 1987.
   The Princeton Area Anti-Torture Advocacy Group is also marking the month with a talk by Stephen Xenakis, a retired Army general opposed to the torture of detainees. His talk, “No More Torture: Defending Against Global Risk,” is scheduled to occur 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Nassau Presbyterian Church.