Chicago could become first city in the U.S. to oppose all forms of torture

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Chicago could become first city in the U.S. to oppose all forms of torture
'Whether you like it or not, you have to live with it the rest of your life,' Mario says of the torture he faced in Chile. Courtesy of ‘Beneath the Blindfold’
Chicago could become first city in the U.S. to oppose all forms of torture
'Whether you like it or not, you have to live with it the rest of your life,' Mario says of the torture he faced in Chile. Courtesy of ‘Beneath the Blindfold’

Chicago could become first city in the U.S. to oppose all forms of torture

By
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This Thursday, the Chicago City Council will consider a new resolution that publicly condemns torture. If it passes, it would make Chicago the first city in the U.S. to oppose torture in all forms. Anti-torture activists say they hope the resolution will send a strong message of solidarity against a practice that, they believe, is all too routine in prisons and conflicts around the world.

Worldview talks to two Chicago residents who are pushing for the resolution. Mario Venegas was tortured under the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile; he’s now a member of the Illinois Coalition Against Torture. And Dr. Frank Summers is a psychologist who works with torture survivors. He’s also president-elect of the division of psychoanalysis at the American Psychological Association. They explain why they want Chicago to take an explicit stand against torture.