The Honorable William Clinton
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

In 1945, reeling from the horrors of the Holocaust, people around the world 
and from every sector of society swore that nothing like it would ever happen 
again.  Yet more than a decade later torture was proclaimed the plague of the 
20th Century and remains widespread today.  Much stronger action must be 
taken to stop it.  

The United Nations General Assembly has declared June 26th as 
International Day in Support of Torture Victims/Survivors.  We are pleased 
to note that in Washington, D.C., a number of human rights organizations 
and torture survivors have come together as the Torture Abolition and 
Survivors Support Committee (TASSC), to plan a commemoration of that 
day.  We believe June 26th should be recognized in the United States as an 
opportunity to announce new initiatives to end torture.  The need is clear  --  
torture is used in over 100 countries and an estimated 400,000 torture 
survivors reside in this country alone.  Many suffer from severe 
psychological and physical injuries.

Mr. President, you have spoken publicly of your concern for human 
rights.  It is our hope that on June 26th your words will lead to new 
international efforts to end torture.  We make two recommendations: First, 
that you commemorate June 26th by issuing a proclamation calling for a 
renewed commitment to ending torture around the world and for expanding 
the availability of assistance to torture survivors.  Second, that you accept the 
invitation from the TASSC to meet with a group of torture survivors, 
comprised of men and women from various parts of the world, to discuss 
their concern.

We hope you will act upon our recommendations as further evidence of our 
governments unrelenting opposition to torture so that it will not continue to 
plague the world in the 21st century.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,




Patrick Leahy
United States Senator

Rod Grams
United States Senator

Paul Wellstone
United States Senator

Mike DeWine
United States Senator

Dale Bumpers
United States Senator

Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

Wendell H. Ford
United States Senator

Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Senator

Tom Harkin
United States Senator

Frank R. Lautenberg
United States Senator

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Patty Murray
United States Senator

Mitch McConnell
United States Senator

James M. Jeffords
United States Senator

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

Edward M. Kennedy
United States Senator

Carol Moseley-Braun
United States Senator

Daniel K. Inouye
United States Senator

Robert G. Torricelli
United States Senator

Carl Levin
United States Senator

Arlen Specter
United States Senator

Tim Johnson
United States Senator

Jeff Bingaman
United States Senator

John W. Warner
United States Senator