Village Presbyterian Church in Prarie Village, KS, will host "The Truth About Torture … Past and Present: A Conversation with Gerald Gray" as part of their Village University program. Here is how they describe the program.
What is “soft” torture? What are the consequences for countries/people that torture? How should we define torture? Is torture being used in “the war on terror?” These and other topics/questions will be addressed in this powerful conversation with one of the world’s leading experts on the subject of torture: Gerald Gray, who has dedicated much of his professional career to helping survivors of political torture from around the world — and bringing their tormentors to justice. Gray is founder and director of the Institute for Redress and Recovery on the Santa Clara University campus. The institute works to end impunity — exemption from punishment, penalty or harm — for human rights violators around the world. Gray is also a founding board member of The International Institute for Criminal Investigation (IICI) in The Hague, which trains police investigators to work in international human rights crime settings. Over the past 16 years, this and other organizations that Gray has established have helped more than 1,800 torture survivors from more than 80 countries, including Bosnia, Cambodia, Cameroon, El Salvador, India, Kenya and Turkey. In May 2001, Gray was one of 50 people recognized as “unsung heroes of compassion” by the Dalai Lama and is the recipient of several awards, including the Jefferson Award, which is administered by the American Institute for Public Service, a national foundation that honors community service for making a difference in one’s community. Moderated by Rev. Tom Are, Senior Pastor, Village Church.
March 11
7:00–8:00 p.m.
Friendship Hall
(Note: This conversation will not include photos or in-detail discussion of examples of torture.)
I know nothing of the speaker, but for those of you in the Kansas City area, I thought this might be of interest.
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