The Congregational Unitarian Church has sent out a press release on torture. It appears below.

CONGREGATIONAL UNITARIAN CHURCH
STANDS AGAINST TORTURE

WOODSTOCK—A dramatic white on black banner over the corner entrance of the Congregational Unitarian Church proclaims

“Torture is a Moral Issue.”

The banner will be in place on the church at Dean and South Streets all June.

The banner was the brain child of Bob Tirk. His step father was tortured by the Japanese as prisoner during the Second World War. He was appalled that torture and abuse of prisoners is now the policy of the United States government.

“They simply define prisoners as ‘detainees’ or ‘unlawful enemy combatants’ and baldly argue that U.S. and international law does not apply and that clearly abusive and painful procedures are simply “aggressive interrogation.”

Similar banners are going up on churches and religious buildings across the nation this month in an initiative sponsored by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT). The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is among the many organizations that endorse the campaign.

Participating churches will also be contacting members of congress to advocate a rejection of torture and will be offering public education on the issue.

For more information contact the church at 815 338-0731 or e-mail office@cucw.org.

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Bob Tirk can be seen standing in front of Woodstock’s Congregational Unitarian Church. The photo was provided by the church.