BERKELEY, California -- Students and staff at the Berkeley School of
Law today called on the Justice Department, the Pennsylvania Bar, and
the University of California “to conduct full and thorough
investigations” of former government lawyers who participated in the
drafting of memoranda authorizing torture, including John Yoo,
currently a tenured member of the Berkeley Law faculty.

The letter drive was organized by the Boalt Alliance to Abolish
Torture (BAAT), a coalition of student groups and individuals. The
letters call for investigations into potential violations of
professional and ethical duties, as well as possible criminal conduct.

“Abuse by government lawyers cannot be swept under the rug,” said Liz
Jackson, Co-chair of the Boalt chapter of the National Lawyers Guild,
a member of BAAT. “The Berkeley Law community is making a statement
that fundamental human rights were violated, and the institutions that
have authority over these lawyers have a duty to investigate.”

An inquiry by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional
Responsibility has yet to be made public, and both the Pennsylvania
Bar Association where John Yoo is registered and the University of
California have thus far refused to open ethics investigations.

“Lawyers to the government owe their client an honest appraisal of the
law, as informed by statutes, court cases and international treaties
and norms-- not a tortured interpretation that the ends justifies the
means,” said Stephen Rosenbaum, a Berkeley Law lecturer. “I teach a
course in civil rights in which one of the take-away points is that
actions by government officials--whether voting on a budget or making
policy-- demand accountability.”

Cat Norris, Communications Coordinator for the Boalt Hall Committee
for Human Rights, a member of BAAT, stated that “by calling for
investigations and accountability, students are taking a stand for
human rights.  We have a responsibility to restore U.S. respect for
the prohibition against torture, which is a core principle of
international human rights law."

The full text of the letters can be found at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21821415/DOJ-Sign-on-Letter (275
signatures); http://www.scribd.com/doc/21821666/PA-Bar-Sign-On-Letter
(245 signatures); http://www.scribd.com/doc/21821668/University-Sign-On-Letter
(209 signatures)

The Boalt Alliance to Abolish Torture (BAAT) is a coalition of student
groups and individuals at the University of California, Berkeley
School of Law whose mission is to restore respect for human rights,
civil liberties, and the prohibition against torture.