Torture, War Crimes, & Militarism

CCR has a long history of challenging U.S. war-making and conflict-related human rights violations, both before and since the creation of the war-on-terror narrative. In the 1970s, we pioneered the use of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) to allow foreign victims of international human rights violations to sue perpetrators in U.S. courts. From seeking accountability from foreign dictators and paramilitary leaders for brutal campaigns of torture, rape, genocide, and other crimes, to suing private military contractors for their roles in torture and unlawful killings, we have worked to secure a measure of justice, and to ensure that U.S. courts remain open to these cases. To prosecute the torturers in our own government, we have pursued multiple cases in foreign courts under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction as well as supported international mechanisms for accountability. These efforts are part of our broader opposition to war – including our historical efforts to challenge U.S. military invention abroad. Since our formation, CCR’s anti-militarism strategies have involved coordinated advocacy with grassroots partners, anti-war peoples’ movements, and impacted community members to demand accountability and reparations for the long-term harms of war and recognition of the impact of war abroad on intensifying militarism and suppression of dissent at home.