Your camera can fight torture

Don't turn a blind eye to torture An image from the #StopTorture tumblr campaign. Darrell Cannon and Anthony Holmes stepped in front of a microphone and told the world about the torture they suffered decades ago at the hands of the Chicago Police DepartmeWould you have been so brave? Join me and thousands of Amnesty International activists on June 26th to demand justice for torture survivors like Darrell and Anthony. Dear Tracy, In front of hundreds of activists and flashing cameras, Darrell Cannon and Anthony Holmes stood up and shared their painful stories at Amnesty's annual meeting. Electric shocks. Beatings. Mock executions. Suffocation. Humiliation. False confessions. Decades lost in prison. Torturers living without consequence. Justice delayed. Justice denied. Scars that will never heal. This is what Darrell and Anthony stood in front of us and shared, recounting trauma after trauma. What Chicago police - under the direction of Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge - did to these men, and approximately a hundred other men and women of color, hit me at my very core. Stand with Darrell and Anthony - share a #StopTorture image. Darrell and Anthony have told this story many times before. But authorities would not listen. Chicago lawmakers could not be convinced they deserve justice and reparations for what they suffered. They stood up and asked for help. Now it is our chance to stand with them. On June 26, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Amnesty International activists are urging the Chicago City Council to pass an ordinance to provide reparations for torture survivors like Darrell and Anthony. Submit your photo in support of torture survivors. We will share them with Chicago lawmakers so they can no longer turn a blind eye to torture. In solidarity, Jasmine Heiss Senior Campaigner, Individuals and Communities at Risk Amnesty International USA