Advocacy Alerts

The Illinois Coalition Against Torture is promoting that the City of Chicago adopt a "Zero Tolerance for Torture" resolution. Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center supports this action and requests that you sign the petition that shows your support of a "Zero Tolerance for Torture" resolution that will help us gain the support of the Chicago City Council. 

Mary Fabri, PsyD
Senior Director, Torture Treatment Services & International Training

Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center signs on to the Refugee Protection Act of 2011 (S. 1202/H.R. 2185) as introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Representative Lofgren (D-CA) ensuring the protection of refugees, asylum seekers, children and other vulnerable newcomers to the United States (June 2011)

Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center joins 33 agencies in support of the continuation of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law (December 2010)

White Paper by Physicians for Human Rights released: EXPERIMENTS IN TORTURE: Evidence of Human Subject Research and Experimentation in the "Enhanced" Interrogation Program (June 2010)

Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center joined 87 organizations urging support of the Restoring Protection to Victims of Persecution Act (HR 4800) to eliminate the arbitrary one-year bar to asylum (April 2010)

Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center joined 30 organizations in petitioning the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue regulations allowing the release of detained asylum seeker who pose no danger to the community and would face persecution if returned to their home countries (March, 2010)

Heartland Alliance and the Marjorie Kovler Center joined over 24 organizations in endorsing The Refugee Protection Action of 2010 (S.3113) to strengthen the country's commitment to protecting refugees fleeing persecution or torture (March 2010)

One-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Executive Order ensuring lawful interrogations and banning torture - January 22, 2010

Webcast of the first ever hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, entitled "The Law of the Land. U.S. Implementation of Human Rights Treaties"

Written testimony submitted by the Marjorie Kovler Center and submitted into the record (December 2009)

Advocacy Collaboration

• HealTorture.org
• Heartland Alliance International Programs
• Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC)
• International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)  
• Midwest Coalition for Human Rights (MCHR)
• National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP)
• National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (CVT)
• National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) 
• The Refugee Media Project
• Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC)