[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 27 (Monday, July 5, 2004)]
[Pages 1167-1168]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of 
Torture

June 26, 2004

    Today, on United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of 
Torture, the United States reaffirms its commitment to the worldwide 
elimination of torture. The nonnegotiable demands of human dignity must 
be protected without reference to race, gender, creed, or nationality. 
Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right, and we are committed 
to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by 
the rule of law.
    To help fulfill this commitment, the United States has joined 135 
other nations in ratifying the Convention Against Torture and Other 
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. America stands 
against and will not tolerate torture. We will investigate and prosecute 
all acts of torture and undertake to prevent other cruel and unusual 
punishment in all territory under our jurisdiction. American personnel 
are required to comply with all U.S. laws, including the United States 
Constitution, Federal statutes, including statutes prohibiting torture, 
and our treaty obligations with respect to the treatment of all 
detainees.
    The United States also remains steadfastly committed to upholding 
the Geneva Conventions, which have been the bedrock of protection in 
armed conflict for more than 50 years. These conventions provide 
important protections designed to reduce human suffering in armed 
conflict. We expect other nations to treat our service members and 
civilians in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. Our Armed Forces 
are committed to complying with them and to holding accountable those in 
our military who do not.
    The American people were horrified by the abuse of detainees at Abu 
Ghraib prison in Iraq. These acts were wrong. They were inconsistent 
with our policies and our values as a Nation. I have directed a full 
accounting for the abuse of the Abu Ghraib detainees, and investigations 
are underway to review detention operations in Iraq and elsewhere.
    It is often American men and women in uniform who fight for the 
freedom of others

[[Page 1168]]

from tyrannical regimes that routinely use torture to oppress their 
citizens. From Nazi Germany to Bosnia and Afghanistan to Iraq, American 
service members have fought to remove brutal leaders who torture and 
massacre. It is the American people and their contributions that have 
helped to rebuild these traumatized nations to give former victims hope.

    A little over a year ago, American service members and our coalition 
partners freed the Iraqi people from a dictatorship that routinely 
tortured and executed innocent citizens because of what they believed in 
or what ethnic or religious group they came from. In torture chambers, 
innocent Iraqis were brutalized and the bodies of the dead left in mass 
graves. Throughout the past year, Americans have assisted the Iraqi 
people in establishing institutions to ensure accountability so that 
such acts do not occur again and to help victims recover.

    Despite international efforts to protect human rights around the 
world, repressive regimes continue to victimize people through torture. 
The victims often feel forgotten, but we will not forget them. America 
supports accountability and treatment centers for torture victims. We 
contribute to the U.N. Fund for the Victims of Torture and support the 
work of nongovernmental organizations to end torture and assist the 
victims. We also provide protection, counseling, and where necessary and 
possible, relocation in the United States. We stand with the victims to 
seek their healing and recovery and urge all nations to join us in these 
efforts to restore the dignity of every person affected by torture.

    These times of increasing terror challenge the world. Terror 
organizations challenge our comfort and our principles. The United 
States will continue to take seriously the need to question terrorists 
who have information that can save lives. But we will not compromise the 
rule of law or the values and principles that make us strong. Torture is 
wrong no matter where it occurs, and the United States will continue to 
lead the fight to eliminate it everywhere.