In an historic development in the decades-old effort to win justice for dozens of police torture victims in Chicago, former police commander Jon Burge was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. In order to find Burge guilty of the perjury/obstruction charges, the jury clearly had to find that Burge lied when he claimed he and his henchmen were innocent of torture.

Here is the press release from the Illinois Coalition Against Torture:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2010
For more information contact:
Joey Mogul, 773-235-0070, JoeyMogul (at) aol.com
Stephen Eisenman, 626-394-3311, s-eisenman (at) northwestern.edu
Melinda Power, 773-276-6706, melindapower (at) comcast.net

“Partial Justice” -- Coalition Calls for Further Action after Burge Guilty Verdict

CHICAGO – Today’s guilty verdict in the trial of former Police Commander Jon Burge was greeted with satisfaction by members of the Illinois Coalition Against Torture (ICAT) gathered outside the Dirksen Courthouse.

But attorney Joey Mogul, a spokesman for the group, stated that justice had been only partially served.

"Burge’s conviction for lying about the tortures he and his squad committed is just and righteous, but he was not convicted of the tortures themselves," said Mogul. "The expiration of the statute of limitations unfortunately prevented him from being charged with the violent crimes the jury found he and others committed."

ICAT is calling for:

> State and federal legislation criminalizing acts of torture by law enforcement officials, not subject to any statute of limitations.
> Fair hearings for the approximately two-dozen men still languishing in Illinois prisons based upon confession obtained under torture.
> Reparations for freed torture survivors including payments for medical treatment and psychological counseling.

If such anti-torture legislation already existed, Burge and his accomplices could have been prosecuted for their actual acts of violence – which included suffocation, mock executions, and administering electric shocks -- instead of false statements made during a federal civil rights case in 2003.

In addition, such a law would send a clear signal that torture and abuse by law enforcement officials anywhere in the United States is tantamount to a crime against humanity, like genocide and slavery, and other profound violations of internationally recognized human rights.

Any new law however, would not be retroactive, so it would not affect the additional police officers implicated in the Burge case, such as former Chicago Police Sergeant Jack Byrne and former Chicago Police Lieutenant Peter Dignan, who have been repeatedly accused of similar allegations.

Stephen Eisenman, an ICAT member, argued today that the verdict provides a powerful rationale for new hearings and restitution for torture survivors. He cited the cases of at least twenty-three Burge victims who remain incarcerated awaiting new trials, in addition to many exonerated survivors who spent decades in prison but lack any clear legal path to financial restitution.

ICAT is asking the City of Chicago to follow the lead of many other countries that compensate the survivors of state-sponsored torture.

In a written statement, coalition member Mary Fabri, Director of Torture Treatment Services at the Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center, emphasized the need for the City of Chicago to take responsibility for these crimes.

"With 23 years of experience working with torture survivors, my colleagues and I can attest to the courage required to confront the devastating consequences of torture for each individual survivor," said Fabri. "We as a city need to support survivors so they can recover from the dehumanizing effects of torture."

The demonstration today at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago was held just a short time after the verdict was announced. Among the speakers was Jonathan Jackson from Rainbow Push, who supported ICAT and demanded that Burge's guilty verdict open the doors of justice for other torture survivors, and that the City of Chicago not consider these issues resolved until there are laws bringing torturers to justice.

To that end, U.S. Congressman Davis recently introduced federal legislation to make torture by law enforcement officials a federal crime not subject to the statute of limitations. ICAT is currently in discussion with legislators in Springfield concerning a parallel bill at the state level.

The Illinois Coalition Against Torture (ICAT) is opposed to state-sponsored torture wherever it occurs, and has initiated an educational and legislative campaign with the goal of ending impunity for torturers.