City of Berkeley Proclamation for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

PROCLAMATION:

Whereas,

June 26 is the day on which the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into force in
1987; and

Whereas,

the Government of the United States ratified the Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in
1994, making the Convention part of U.S. law; and,

Whereas,

At that time, there were no treatment centers or services to treat torture
survivors, while today there are some 200 centers or programs all over the
world, with several of them in the Bay area staffed by citizens of
Berkeley where they offer profound knowledge of torture methods, the
effects of torture, and how to diagnose and rehabilitate torture victims;
and

Whereas,

the United Nations has proclaimed June 26 the United Nations International
Day in Support of Victims of Torture; and

Whereas,

the United Nations appeals to all Governments and members of civil society
to take action, every year, at the international, regional, national,
provincial, community, village, professional, family and individual level,
to defeat torture and torturers everywhere;

Now therefore, be it resolved that I, Tom Bates, Mayor of the City of
Berkeley, do hereby proclaim June 26, 2010, as

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Tom Bates, Mayor, June 26, 2010

Read here