WarCriminalsWatch Events

Please join the Culture Project and co-sponsors Alliance for Justice & Theaters Against War for an extraordinary night of art and activism. This event will open with a screening of Alliance for Justice’s short documentary film Tortured Law, which examines the role Bush administration lawyers played in authorizing the use of techniques that many would call “torture” in detainee interrogations. The evening will continue with a live theater performance of Theaters Against War’s highly acclaimed production, Denied, chronicling the inhumane conditions of confinement, and decimation of due process rights, of an American citizen accused of providing material support to “terrorists.” The performance features Broadway star Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit, Talking Heads) and longtime Howard Zinn collaborator, Brian Jones. 

Following the film and performance, a panel of distinguished scholars and social activists will lead a provocative discussion about the need for transparency and accountability for US torture. 

Featured speakers and panelists:

• Matthew Alexander, Senior Fellow, Open Society Institute
• Hope Metcalf, Associate Research Scholar in Law, Yale Law School
• Jeanne Theoharis, Author and Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, City University of New York
• Vince Warren, Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights
• Faisal Hashmi, Co-Founder, The Muslim Justice Initiative

Moderator:  Nan Aron, President, Alliance for Justice

After a five-year investigation, the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility concluded in a report released on February 19, 2010, that Bush administration Office of Legal Counsel officials John Yoo and Jay Bybee “exercised poor judgment” for their role in drafting the 2002 memos authorizing the use of techniques otherwise understood to constitute torture in detainee interrogations. However, a Department of Justice official overruled OPR’s recommendation, and determined that the officials should not be referred to their respective bar associations for investigation of professional misconduct. 

The release of the report has spurred criticism, particularly because OPR staff could not interview key witnesses or review hundreds of e-mails written by the lawyers.  Why were critical records destroyed? Why were witnesses and materials kept from investigators? Broader questions also remain: Were these lawyers simply giving the President their best legal advice? Or was their work part of a larger conspiracy to distort the law and assisted their client in criminal or fraudulent conduct?   

Suggested donation:  $10.00
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Space is extremely limited. 
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed.