Harbury Arrested at White House Demonstration

Despite the excessive late-June heat and humidity, members and supporters of the Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition (TASSC) held the ninth annual observance of the U.N. International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors in Lafayette Park, across from the north face of the White House.

While torrential downpours had flooded TASSC's offices overnight and curtailed some activities scheduled to take place during the 24-hour vigil, the scheduled march commenced exactly at noon and was followed by a stand-in by seven people who risked arrest for their action. Chanting "No more torture," the seven stood their ground at the White House while supporters across the street joined with their voices.

After a third warning from law enforcement, four mounted police officers moved toward supporters to push them away from the White House as the police began to arrest those demonstrators standing on the White House sidewalk.

Seven people were arrested, including Jennifer Harbury. The former director of UUSC's STOP (Stop Torture Permanently) Campaign, Harbury is a Harvard-educated lawyer whose three-year quest to find her Guatemalan husband has revealed high-level involvement between the CIA and the Guatemalan military in his capture, torture, and murder.