What You Can Do
1. See the Academy Award-winning documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side.” www.taxitothedarkside.com
2. Write a letter to your U.S. Senators and your Congressperson and ask for:
a. Repeal of the Military Commissions Act of 2006. – A critical step in reigning in U.S. abuse of detainees and asserting respect for international law is the repeal of the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
This law permits a person to be held indefinitely by the U.S. without charges and without any appeal to U.S. civil courts. Additionally it expressly prohibits a detainee from invoking international law in any action before U.S. courts. It also limits the powers of our War Crimes Act in prosecuting U.S. officials and personnel who have engaged in torture.
For a more detailed discussion see www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/154/2006
b. Formation in the Senate or the House of a Select Committee to Investigate U.S. War Crimes in Iraq. Documentation of U.S. war crimes in Iraq, involving soldiers, their military and civilian leaders at the highest levels, and business leaders can be undertaken by a Select Committee of the Congress. It would be essential for the committee to have subpoena power and the mandate to refer cases to the Justice Department for prosecution under the War Crimes Act.
Note on writing letters: A hand-written letter to a politician is taken much more seriously than emails or phone calls. When you receive a response, please send us a copy of it and the letter you wrote so we can publish them to inform and encourage others.