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... [T]he United Nations appeals to all governments and members of civil society to take action to defeat torture and torturers everywhere.

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

Declaration of Principles for a Presidential Executive Order on Prisoner Treatment, Torture, and Cruelty

Declaration of Principles for a Presidential Executive Order on Prisoner Treatment, Torture, and Cruelty. The six core principles we are urging the President to adopt include:

1. The Golden Rule: Do not employ any interrogation methods that would be unacceptable if used against Americans.
2. One National Standard: Adopt one national standard for treatment of prisoners. The most widely followed standard, the U.S. Field Army Manual, applies to the armed forces, but not the CIA.
3. The Rule of Law: Acknowledge all prisoners access to our courts or the International Red Cross. Allow prisoners to prove their innocence through a fair and just process.
4. Duty to Protect: Do not transfer any prisoner to countries that practice torture.
5. Checks and Balances: Allow Congress and the courts access to information necessary to provide oversight of our detention and interrogation policies.
6. Clarity and Accountability: Hold accountable all U.S. officials who authorize, implement, or fail in their duty to prevent the use of torture.

It was on June 26, 1987 that the Convention against Torture came into existence. It was an important step in the much-needed process of establishing a global standard of human rights and acknowledging that torture, and all forms of inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, are absolutely and universally illegal. It was in 1997 that the United Nations General Assembly decided to mark this historic date and designated 26 June each year as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Recently, the Supreme Court handed down its third decision against the United States' suspension of the right to habeas corpus for detainees being held at Guantanamo; some of whom have been detained for six years without access to judicial redress. In spite of the right to habeas corpus being upheld by the nation's highest court, this Congress and administration continue to try and find ways around allowing prisoners to be proven they are guilty.

At the end of 2007 there were 270 people being held at Guantanamo. Amnesty International reports that there are 81 countries that currently practice torture with the United States sadly being one of them.