An Evening of Art and Activism

Last night, Alliance for Justice proudly partnered with Culture Project and Theaters Against War to bring Tortured Law: An Evening of Art and Activism to New York City’s Judson Memorial Church.

Following a screening of AFJs short documentary Tortured Law, Theaters Against War performed a live theater piece, DENIED, detailing the ongoing legal struggle to free Fahad Hashmi. Since his extradition from Britain to the United States in May 2007, Fahad has been held in solitary confinement without trial. For the entirety of his confinement in the United States, Fahad has been subject to restrictive Special Administrative Measures, which limit his contact with family to one visit weekly, keep him on lockdown for 23 hours a day, and allow him to read only censored news one month after its publication.

Later in the evening, AFJ President Nan Aron discussed the Office of Professional Responsibility report about the “torture memo” authors, and the investigation into John Yoo’s missing emails. Nan then moderated an outstanding panel featuring: former Air Force interrogator and author Matthew Alexander; Yale Law School Professor Hope Metcalf, who serves as counsel to Jose Padilla; Professor of Political Science and civil rights author Jeanne Theoharis; and Center for Constitutional Rights Executive Director Vincent Warren. The panel drew on diverse experiences for a candid, interactive, discussion with the audience about the effects of torture and indefinite detentions on American safety and civil liberties.

Our thanks to the staff of Culture Project and the talented actors of Theaters Against War for an insightful and moving evening. Help maintain pressure for accountability: sign our petition to investigate the missing emails.