[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1869]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTERNATIONAL REHABILITATION CENTER FOR TORTURE VICTIMS RECEIVES CONRAD 
                N. HILTON FOUNDATION HUMANITARIAN PRIZE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to the attention of my 
colleagues the leadership shown by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for 
focusing attention on the widespread use of torture by some outlaw 
regimes by awarding this year's Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of 
$1 million to the International Rehabilitation Center for Torture 
Victims (IRCT). I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate 
and pay tribute to the ICRT.
  Mr. Speaker, as Co-Chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus 
I have had the privilege of working with ICRT and its network of 
affiliates around the world. Every year, the Caucus organizes a public 
briefing to mark the United Nations ``International Day in support of 
Survivors of Torture,'' during which we bring together survivors of 
torture from all over the world, healthcare personnel who assist in 
their treatment and rehabilitation, Members of Congress, congressional 
staff and the general public. These briefings are designed to educate 
our colleagues and their staff, on the practice of torture and the 
devastating physical and emotional complications that revisit torture 
victims, and to encourage appropriate Congressional action to address 
this important issue.
  This Hilton Award will be presented to ICRT today at a luncheon in 
New York City, at which the Dalai Lama will speak. The awarding of this 
prestigious prize comes at a very appropriate moment, as this Congress 
is about to re-authorize the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 by our 
adoption of H.R. 1813, which has already been approved by the House 
Committee on International Relations.
  The United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, 
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment establishes the basic 
human right of freedom from torture. Thus far, 134 States have 
recognized this right by becoming state parties to this important 
convention. Yet torture continues to take place in more than 117 
countries. It is estimated that one-third of the world's 12 million 
refugees are victims of torture.
  Mr. Speaker, torture is a brutal form of social and political control 
designed to stifle dissent through terror and it violates the basic 
rights of human beings and is contrary to the principles of the U.S. 
Constitution and fundamental nature of our Republic. Politicians, 
journalists, teachers, students, religious leaders, trade union and 
human rights activists are special targets. The aim of torture is not 
to kill the victim, but to break down the victim's personality. 
Crippled, traumatized, and humiliated, the victims are returned to 
their communities as a warning to others.
  I will not elaborate on the methods and consequences of torture, 
which my colleagues know well from previous debates here on the House 
floor. But I would like to emphasize again that there are an estimated 
500,000 torture survivors in the United States alone--refugees and 
asylum-seekers who have fled repressive regimes. In recent years, there 
has been a dramatic increase in the number of victims of torture 
seeking help at U.S. rehabilitation centers, and many centers now have 
long waiting lists. In the United States there are 25 rehabilitation 
centers and programs joined together under the National Consortium of 
Torture Treatment Programs. The passage of the Torture Victims Relief 
Act in 1998 positioned the United States as a leading donor to the work 
against torture. The re-authorization of this legislation, which the 
Committee on International Relations reported to the House on July 
23rd, will continue and expand American leadership to assist those who 
have been subject to this terrible human rights abuse. I urge the House 
leadership to schedule this bill for floor action as soon as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to briefly summarize for my colleagues the 
global efforts that IRCT has undertaken to eliminate torture and to 
explain the extraordinary work they are accomplishing now. The medical 
response to torture began in 1973 with an Amnesty International 
campaign calling for help to diagnose torture victims. At that time, 
very little was known about torture methods or the physical or psycho-
social consequences for torture victims. An Amnesty group of four 
doctors in Denmark was the first to respond and was soon joined by a 
network of some 4,000 medical doctors from 34 countries worldwide. It 
quickly became evident that, in addition to documenting cases of 
torture for use in potential legal proceedings, it was also critical to 
identify methods to help treat and rehabilitate victims of torture.
  In 1982, the first rehabilitation center was founded and established 
by medical humanitarian my dear friend Dr. Inge Genefke and the 
Rehabilitation and Research Center for Torture Victims (RCT) in 
Copenhagen, Denmark. As the global movement developed, and the need for 
global support increased, the International Rehabilitation Council for 
Torture Victims (IRCT) was founded in 1985, initially as the 
international arm of the RCT, until 1987 when it became a fully 
independent organization. IRCT's mission, with Dr. Genefke as its 
Ambassador, is to support and promote the rehabilitation of victims of 
torture, to advocate for the prevention and eradication of torture 
worldwide, and to provide documentation and research that will 
ultimately bring perpetrators to justice.
  Mr. Speaker, from a handful of rehabilitation centers in the mid-
1980s, a global network of 200 rehabilitation centers and programs is 
now operating in 80 countries. These efforts, however, are just a 
beginning in the global fight against torture. To keep a spotlight on 
the issue, IRCT's global campaign, ``Together against Torture,'' 
involves more than 10,000 people and 300 organizations in some 100 
countries every year to commemorate the United Nations International 
Day in Support of Torture Victims, which takes place annually on June 
26.
  In recent years, IRCT has developed successful models in post-
conflict interventions in support of torture victims in East Timor, 
Kosova, and in Pakistan for Afghan refugees. The IRCT Documentation 
Center is the world's largest library on torture-related research and 
IRCT is initiating the first comprehensive monitoring and documentation 
system on torture at the global, regional, and national levels.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, let me mention to my colleagues 
statements from global leaders in support of IRCT.
  Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan, Acting U.N. High Commissioner for Human 
Rights, said: ``Torture is a violation of basic human rights. Through 
extensive documentation and research, IRCT has become an essential 
source for governments and legal authorities in their efforts to expose 
atrocities and to bring perpetrators to justice.''
  Mary Robinson, former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and 
former President of Ireland, said: ``Through its support for victims 
and its global campaigning for the universal ratification and 
implementation of the U.N. Convention Against Torture and its Optional 
Protocol, the IRCT reminds us of our shared responsibility for ending 
torture throughout the world.''
  Former United States President Jimmy Carter said, ``Freedom from 
torture is one of the most fundamental of all human rights principles, 
enshrined in the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other 
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and other 
international agreements. This year, it is particularly fitting that 
the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has chosen to bestow its Humanitarian 
Prize on the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, 
an organization that has done so much to end torture and to support its 
victims worldwide.''
  Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Per Stig Miller said, ``There is 
no doubt that IRCT has had a determining role in placing torture and 
organized violence onto the international agenda and that the 
organization has achieved a special recognized status and voice that is 
listened to worldwide. The prize underlines the need for continued 
international support towards the work of the IRCT.''
  Dr. Reiner Brettenhaler, President of the Standing Committee of 
European Physicians, said: ``We are proud to nominate the IRCT for this 
year's Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. A unique strength of the 
IRCT is its approach to the work against torture: focusing on the 
medical aspects of torture, thereby focusing on the individual recovery 
of those subjected to this act of inhumanity.''
  Mr. Speaker, I again want to express my deepest appreciation and 
gratitude to the ICRT and its global network of treatment and support 
centers for their continued invaluable service to humanity. I also want 
to commend the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for recognizing and 
supporting the ICRT's efforts by awarding it the Conrad N. Hilton 
Humanitarian Prize.




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