A Campaign to Stop Torture | Ghosts of Abu Ghraib |

The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign was a national community engagement and action initiative, directed by Working Films from 2007 to 2009, aimed at mobilizing citizens to help stop U.S. sponsored torture. .

The Problem

The Abu Ghraib prison scandal in 2004 first revealed that the United States routinely engages in violent and humiliating abuse against military detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba and elsewhere. Harsh interrogation techniques—including waterboarding, stripping detainees naked, exposing them to extreme hot, cold, noise and light, sleep deprivation, inflicting beatings and other mal treatment that violate the Geneva Conventions and the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The Process

Rory Kennedy's Emmy Award winning HBO documentary, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a groundbreaking examination of the psychological and political environment that supported torture and humiliation at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. Through dozens of interviews the film exposes the truth: the responsibility for the abuses at the prison went right to the top. Prison guards at Abu Ghraib were instructed by their superiors to use illegal torture tactics approved by the Bush administration.

In the summer of 2007, Working Films reached out to organizations at the forefront of advocacy against torture. We facilitated the development of a coalition that formed the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign, a collaborative effort directed by Working Films in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, American Freedom Campaign, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Together, we have positioned the film in a way that has built the momentum and support needed to stop torture in America's name.

In 2009, Working Films transitioned management of the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign to Moxie Firecracker Films, whose efforts have focused on renewing existing partner relationships and creating new ones, expanding the strategic use of the film as a ‘call to action’ for more humane and accountable interrogation and detention policy.

The Solution

The Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib campaign linked community-based anti-torture initiatives with the film to raise national awareness and engage thousands of viewers in targeted actions in opposition to U.S. sponsored detainee abuse. The campaign specifically spotlighted U.S. policies and directives that sanction torture, targeting Congressional members and the Bush administration with demands that they take a stand against torture.

Partner organizations also collaborated in the development of campaign resources, which included an instructional viewing guide, a legislative backgrounder, urgent actions, and an interactive website, ghostsofabughraib.org.

The Result

•    Over 900 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) affiliated screened Ghosts of Abu Ghraib in key election districts as part of the “Safe and Free” campaign. The ACLU screenings began in December 2007 and ran through the Spring of 2008. During this time, audience members wrote hundreds of letters to local newspapers and to elected officials demanding legislation to restore habeas corpus (HR 2826), the right to seek relief from unlawful detention. An additional 100 DVDs were used to enhance ACLU outreach on issues of torture and detention.

•    The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) sponsored over 600 "Spotlight on Torture" screenings aimed at involving congregations and other faith-based groups in ongoing efforts to raise awareness and advocate against torture. NRCAT continued to utilize Ghosts of Abu Ghraib throughout 2008, including distributing nearly 100 copies to activists from congregations across the country at the 2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days in DC.

It was a great way to draw people to our table and get them involved in our work. We have already been referring non-religious groups to the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib website and will continue to do so.
- John Humphries, Director for Program Coordination.

•    Amnesty International incorporated the film into their “86 Days of Action” campaign and sponsored approximately 300 screening events nationwide. Audiences spoke out to their Senators to encourage the cosponsor and passage of S. 1943, a bill that would ensure uniform standards for interrogations for everyone in U.S. custody, regardless of which agency is holding them.

•    The American Freedom Campaign, founded by Wes Boyd of Moveon.org, David Fenton of Fenton Communications, social entrepreneur William Hasseltine, and author Naomi Wolfe, invited their 16,000 e-newsletter subscribers to host a screening of Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and to take the American Freedom Pledge, which states: We are Americans, and in our America we do not torture, we do not imprison people without charge or legal remedy, we do not tap people's phones and emails without a court order and above all, we do not give any President unchecked power. I pledge to fight to protect and defend the Constitution from assault by any President. The American Freedom Campaign invitation linked readers to ghostsofabughraib.org and resulted in a dramatic increase in site visits to the Take Action portion of the website.

•    In response to the national debate around the legality of torture, a number of prominent law schools have initiated courses and clinics focused on torture, human rights, and coercion in response to the legal issues raised by U.S. sponsored torture. Ghosts of Abu Ghraib screenings have been held at Boston University, University of Minnesota, UCSF (Hastings), Fordham, University of Iowa, Wake Forest, and the University of Virginia, among others.

•    Torture Abolition and Survivors - Support Coalition International (TASSC), Center for Victims of Torture, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) each planned special events with Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.

The Success

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture incorporated of Ghosts of Abu Ghraib in their efforts, they engaged thousands of people of diverse faith traditions, including evangelical Christians, mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, Quakers, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus, as well as representatives of over 130 religious organizations, to end U.S.-sponsored torture.

Our other campaign partners, including American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights First and Amnesty International, hosted over 3500 screenings in just under four months, reaching tens of thousands audience members, igniting dialogue as well as support for new efforts by the US Congress to redefine how torture was classified and allowed.

In early February 2008, four months after the launch of the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign, the US Congress passed the newly revised Intelligence Authorization Act, banning waterboarding, temperature extremes and other harsh interrogation tactics used by the CIA and the military. The Act passed to the Bush White House on February 29; However, President Bush vetoed the Act on March 8, 2008.

For more up-to-date developments, please contact Serin Marshal at smarshal [at] moxiefirecracker.com.

Director/ Producer:
Rory Kennedy

Release Date: 2007

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	Home » Campaign Spotlight A Campaign to Stop Torture \| Ghosts of Abu Ghraib \| The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign was a national community engagement and action initiative, directed by Working Films from 2007 to 2009, aimed at mobilizing citizens to help stop U.S. sponsored torture. . The Problem The Abu Ghraib prison scandal in 2004 first revealed that the United States routinely engages in violent and humiliating abuse against military detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba and elsewhere. Harsh interrogation techniques—including waterboarding, stripping detainees naked, exposing them to extreme hot, cold, noise and light, sleep deprivation, inflicting beatings and other mal treatment that violate the Geneva Conventions and the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Process Rory Kennedy's Emmy Award winning HBO documentary, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a groundbreaking examination of the psychological and political environment that supported torture and humiliation at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. Through dozens of interviews the film exposes the truth: the responsibility for the abuses at the prison went right to the top. Prison guards at Abu Ghraib were instructed by their superiors to use illegal torture tactics approved by the Bush administration. In the summer of 2007, Working Films reached out to organizations at the forefront of advocacy against torture. We facilitated the development of a coalition that formed the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign, a collaborative effort directed by Working Films in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, American Freedom Campaign, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Together, we have positioned the film in a way that has built the momentum and support needed to stop torture in America's name. In 2009, Working Films transitioned management of the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign to Moxie Firecracker Films, whose efforts have focused on renewing existing partner relationships and creating new ones, expanding the strategic use of the film as a ‘call to action’ for more humane and accountable interrogation and detention policy. The Solution The Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib campaign linked community-based anti-torture initiatives with the film to raise national awareness and engage thousands of viewers in targeted actions in opposition to U.S. sponsored detainee abuse. The campaign specifically spotlighted U.S. policies and directives that sanction torture, targeting Congressional members and the Bush administration with demands that they take a stand against torture. Partner organizations also collaborated in the development of campaign resources, which included an instructional viewing guide, a legislative backgrounder, urgent actions, and an interactive website, ghostsofabughraib.org. The Result • Over 900 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) affiliated screened Ghosts of Abu Ghraib in key election districts as part of the “Safe and Free” campaign. The ACLU screenings began in December 2007 and ran through the Spring of 2008. During this time, audience members wrote hundreds of letters to local newspapers and to elected officials demanding legislation to restore habeas corpus (HR 2826), the right to seek relief from unlawful detention. An additional 100 DVDs were used to enhance ACLU outreach on issues of torture and detention. • The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) sponsored over 600 "Spotlight on Torture" screenings aimed at involving congregations and other faith-based groups in ongoing efforts to raise awareness and advocate against torture. NRCAT continued to utilize Ghosts of Abu Ghraib throughout 2008, including distributing nearly 100 copies to activists from congregations across the country at the 2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days in DC. It was a great way to draw people to our table and get them involved in our work. We have already been referring non-religious groups to the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib website and will continue to do so. - John Humphries, Director for Program Coordination. • Amnesty International incorporated the film into their “86 Days of Action” campaign and sponsored approximately 300 screening events nationwide. Audiences spoke out to their Senators to encourage the cosponsor and passage of S. 1943, a bill that would ensure uniform standards for interrogations for everyone in U.S. custody, regardless of which agency is holding them. • The American Freedom Campaign, founded by Wes Boyd of Moveon.org, David Fenton of Fenton Communications, social entrepreneur William Hasseltine, and author Naomi Wolfe, invited their 16,000 e-newsletter subscribers to host a screening of Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and to take the American Freedom Pledge, which states: We are Americans, and in our America we do not torture, we do not imprison people without charge or legal remedy, we do not tap people's phones and emails without a court order and above all, we do not give any President unchecked power. I pledge to fight to protect and defend the Constitution from assault by any President. The American Freedom Campaign invitation linked readers to ghostsofabughraib.org and resulted in a dramatic increase in site visits to the Take Action portion of the website. • In response to the national debate around the legality of torture, a number of prominent law schools have initiated courses and clinics focused on torture, human rights, and coercion in response to the legal issues raised by U.S. sponsored torture. Ghosts of Abu Ghraib screenings have been held at Boston University, University of Minnesota, UCSF (Hastings), Fordham, University of Iowa, Wake Forest, and the University of Virginia, among others. • Torture Abolition and Survivors - Support Coalition International (TASSC), Center for Victims of Torture, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) each planned special events with Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. The Success The National Religious Campaign Against Torture incorporated of Ghosts of Abu Ghraib in their efforts, they engaged thousands of people of diverse faith traditions, including evangelical Christians, mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, Quakers, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus, as well as representatives of over 130 religious organizations, to end U.S.-sponsored torture. Our other campaign partners, including American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights First and Amnesty International, hosted over 3500 screenings in just under four months, reaching tens of thousands audience members, igniting dialogue as well as support for new efforts by the US Congress to redefine how torture was classified and allowed. In early February 2008, four months after the launch of the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign, the US Congress passed the newly revised Intelligence Authorization Act, banning waterboarding, temperature extremes and other harsh interrogation tactics used by the CIA and the military. The Act passed to the Bush White House on February 29; However, President Bush vetoed the Act on March 8, 2008. For more up-to-date developments, please contact Serin Marshal at smarshal [at] moxiefirecracker.com. Director/ Producer: Rory Kennedy Release Date: 2007 Tell a Friend Campaign Spotlight A Campaign to Stop Torture \| Ghosts of Abu Ghraib \| Building the Movement for a Green and Just Future \| Everything's Cool \| Challenging Stereotypes in the Classroom and Community \| New Faces: Latinos in North Carolina \| Eliminating Poison Plastic \| Blue Vinyl \| Tying a Theatrical Release to On-the-ground Efforts \| Pray the Devil Back to Hell \| PAST PROJECTS READ OUR BLOG! Find films by Subject: