Center for Victims of Torture
@cvt.org
Center for Victims of Torture (CVT): Healing the wounds of torture globally, strengthening healers & human rights defenders, advocating to end #torture. www.cvt.org
Pinned
Center for Victims of Torture
@cvt.org
· Jan 28
We’ve received stop-work orders from the U.S. requiring us to halt multiple international programs and furlough the majority of our staff. These closures impact safety, health and wellbeing of the people we serve. You can help: www.cvt.org
It's illegal to send people to prisons like CECOT. CVT's Yumna Rizvi said in May: “The Trump administration continues to destroy the rule of law, lives & communities with its performative efforts to intimidate immigrants as it actively sends people to torture dungeons.”
www.cvt.org/statements/t...
www.cvt.org/statements/t...
December 23, 2025 at 6:42 PM
It's illegal to send people to prisons like CECOT. CVT's Yumna Rizvi said in May: “The Trump administration continues to destroy the rule of law, lives & communities with its performative efforts to intimidate immigrants as it actively sends people to torture dungeons.”
www.cvt.org/statements/t...
www.cvt.org/statements/t...
“We know for sure that our survivors we are no longer able to serve are suffering,” said Scott Roehm, CVT sr director of global justice & accountability, in this NYT article that accounts for how little was saved by DOGE cuts this year, and just how much was lost.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
“We know for sure that our survivors we are no longer able to serve are suffering,” said Scott Roehm, CVT sr director of global justice & accountability, in this NYT article that accounts for how little was saved by DOGE cuts this year, and just how much was lost.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
“It is unconscionable that companies are allowed to promote these products inside the EU. It is grotesque that such products even exist. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.” @simonadams.bsky.social on the need to ban goods used for torture.
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
The World’s Right-Handed and Left-Handed Torturers
Jeanne Kirkpatrick, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, once made a highly-debatable distinction between “friendly” right-wing “authoritarian” regimes (which were mostly U.S. and Western a...
www.ipsnews.net
December 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
“It is unconscionable that companies are allowed to promote these products inside the EU. It is grotesque that such products even exist. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.” @simonadams.bsky.social on the need to ban goods used for torture.
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/the-...
One of the most important things for survivors to repair the wrongs of war is a strong sense of community. After the LRA war in Northern Uganda, that community was badly damaged, and more work is needed to repair and heal.
Read CVT’s report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
Read CVT’s report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
December 23, 2025 at 3:02 PM
One of the most important things for survivors to repair the wrongs of war is a strong sense of community. After the LRA war in Northern Uganda, that community was badly damaged, and more work is needed to repair and heal.
Read CVT’s report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
Read CVT’s report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
A new report from CVT lays out survivors’ priorities for repairing the wrongs of war. Healing is the second of three top priorities for survivors of the LRA war in Northern Uganda. Watch here for more priorities.
Read the report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
Read the report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
December 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
A new report from CVT lays out survivors’ priorities for repairing the wrongs of war. Healing is the second of three top priorities for survivors of the LRA war in Northern Uganda. Watch here for more priorities.
Read the report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
Read the report here:
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
“The swirl of manufactured urgency and manufactured uncertainty has exhausted so many people and organizations,” said Kate Barr, CVT board treasurer and the president and CEO of Propel Nonprofits, in this article in the @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/ramstad-the-...
www.startribune.com/ramstad-the-...
Ramstad: The term ‘horrible year’ is inadequate for the pain nonprofits have felt in 2025
Kate Barr, a longtime leader on Minnesota’s nonprofit scene, says a big difference this year is charities have suffered alone.
www.startribune.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
“The swirl of manufactured urgency and manufactured uncertainty has exhausted so many people and organizations,” said Kate Barr, CVT board treasurer and the president and CEO of Propel Nonprofits, in this article in the @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/ramstad-the-...
www.startribune.com/ramstad-the-...
CVT Georgia’s Arman team held a special meeting with partners who are such an important part of our work with the Afghan community in the Clarkston area. We send thanks and appreciation to our partners!
December 12, 2025 at 2:11 PM
CVT Georgia’s Arman team held a special meeting with partners who are such an important part of our work with the Afghan community in the Clarkston area. We send thanks and appreciation to our partners!
How do survivors prioritize elements that repair the wrongs of war? A top priority is justice. Read CVT's report with perspectives on justice and healing from formerly abducted women and their children who were born in captivity in Northern Uganda during the LRA war.
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
December 11, 2025 at 12:35 PM
How do survivors prioritize elements that repair the wrongs of war? A top priority is justice. Read CVT's report with perspectives on justice and healing from formerly abducted women and their children who were born in captivity in Northern Uganda during the LRA war.
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...
CVT is proud to join this effort to restore humanitarian and immigration programs.
We joined 130+ groups urging #POTUS to fully restore our nation's humanitarian & immigration programs. Collective punishment & vilification of Afghans, Somalis, refugees, or immigrants is not sound national security policy. @rcusa.bsky.social @welcomewdignity.bsky.social
rcusa.org/wp-content/u...
rcusa.org/wp-content/u...
December 10, 2025 at 7:42 PM
CVT is proud to join this effort to restore humanitarian and immigration programs.
“Meaningful social relationships are fundamental to human dignity & well-being.” For #HumanRightsDay Lisa Hattori & Jenn Esala highlight evaluation findings from CVT’s Arman & Raahat projects that demonstrate the importance of community support in healing. www.cvt.org/articles/men...
December 10, 2025 at 1:39 PM
“Meaningful social relationships are fundamental to human dignity & well-being.” For #HumanRightsDay Lisa Hattori & Jenn Esala highlight evaluation findings from CVT’s Arman & Raahat projects that demonstrate the importance of community support in healing. www.cvt.org/articles/men...
“Now is not a time for timidity or silence,” – a message from @simonadams.bsky.social, CVT president and CEO, on Human Rights Day. In 2025, it is more important than ever that we stand up for human rights and reject all who want to dilute the protections in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
December 10, 2025 at 12:52 PM
“Now is not a time for timidity or silence,” – a message from @simonadams.bsky.social, CVT president and CEO, on Human Rights Day. In 2025, it is more important than ever that we stand up for human rights and reject all who want to dilute the protections in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Reposted by Center for Victims of Torture
📢 Peaceful protests are essential to democracy, yet many are met with excessive force & dangerous weapons.
Our new guide helps monitors identify, document, & challenge such misuse during protests.
Download our new United Against Torture Consortium guide: omegaresearchfoundation.org/news/new-uat...
Our new guide helps monitors identify, document, & challenge such misuse during protests.
Download our new United Against Torture Consortium guide: omegaresearchfoundation.org/news/new-uat...
New UATC Guidance Note to Help Expose Misuse of Police Weapons in Protests - Omega Research Foundation
The United Against Torture Consortium has released Challenging Repression: A Guide to Addressing the Misuse of Police Weapons in Protests, a practical tool for monitors working to safeguard the right ...
omegaresearchfoundation.org
December 8, 2025 at 4:02 PM
📢 Peaceful protests are essential to democracy, yet many are met with excessive force & dangerous weapons.
Our new guide helps monitors identify, document, & challenge such misuse during protests.
Download our new United Against Torture Consortium guide: omegaresearchfoundation.org/news/new-uat...
Our new guide helps monitors identify, document, & challenge such misuse during protests.
Download our new United Against Torture Consortium guide: omegaresearchfoundation.org/news/new-uat...
NEW! CVT is proud to announce our new program in Sonora, Mexico where we support individuals & families who had their migration plans disrupted in Northern Mexico. We also provide training and capacity building to area organizations. Read more: www.cvt.org/what-we-do/c...
December 9, 2025 at 12:05 PM
NEW! CVT is proud to announce our new program in Sonora, Mexico where we support individuals & families who had their migration plans disrupted in Northern Mexico. We also provide training and capacity building to area organizations. Read more: www.cvt.org/what-we-do/c...
Reposted by Center for Victims of Torture
What happens to asylum seekers stranded at the US-Mexico border? @CVT.org is working in Nogales, MX to help provide humanitarian solutions. www.cvt.org/what-we-do/c...
Mexico - Center for Victims of Torture
CVT works in Nogales, Sonora and the Northern Mexico region, providing support to individuals and families who had their migration plans disrupted and find themselves stranded at the northern border.
www.cvt.org
December 6, 2025 at 7:12 PM
What happens to asylum seekers stranded at the US-Mexico border? @CVT.org is working in Nogales, MX to help provide humanitarian solutions. www.cvt.org/what-we-do/c...
NEW: “The shooting is a tragedy," said CVT's Yumna Rizvi. "So, too, is the Trump administration’s response — a series of collective punishments for all Afghans and immigrants more broadly in the United States. CVT condemns both.” New in the @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/rash-prosecu...
www.startribune.com/rash-prosecu...
Rash: Prosecute the individual, but don’t persecute the Afghan diaspora for D.C. shootings
From columnist John Rash: If convicted, the Afghan immigrant accused of murdering Sarah Beckstrom should face the full extent of the law. But other Afghan arrivals might, too, in a case of collective ...
www.startribune.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:36 PM
NEW: “The shooting is a tragedy," said CVT's Yumna Rizvi. "So, too, is the Trump administration’s response — a series of collective punishments for all Afghans and immigrants more broadly in the United States. CVT condemns both.” New in the @startribune.com
www.startribune.com/rash-prosecu...
www.startribune.com/rash-prosecu...
Reposted by Center for Victims of Torture
A brief reflection as my team and I wrap up our work.
Providing mental health support, social services, and community programs-always with people at the center-has been life-changing for those we served and for us as a team.
Providing mental health support, social services, and community programs-always with people at the center-has been life-changing for those we served and for us as a team.
NEW: Mahdi Surosh writes about the Raahat project’s impacts: “I am profoundly moved by the resilience of Afghans and other refugees, whose courage and determination to rebuild their lives in a new land have taught me invaluable lessons about hope and perseverance.”
www.cvt.org/articles/fin...
www.cvt.org/articles/fin...
Finding Hope, Healing and Connection in a New Land: Story of the Raahat Project in Minnesota
Dozens of Afghan women, dressed in their colorful traditional attire, sat around Dastarkhān, our “traditional dining space," on an autumn day in a regional park in St. Paul, Minnesota.
www.cvt.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:46 PM
A brief reflection as my team and I wrap up our work.
Providing mental health support, social services, and community programs-always with people at the center-has been life-changing for those we served and for us as a team.
Providing mental health support, social services, and community programs-always with people at the center-has been life-changing for those we served and for us as a team.
The derogatory comments from President Trump about the Somali community in Minnesota are unconscionable. His words are meant to sow division. CVT stands with the Somali community. Read our statement from @simonadams.bsky.social here:
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
December 3, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The derogatory comments from President Trump about the Somali community in Minnesota are unconscionable. His words are meant to sow division. CVT stands with the Somali community. Read our statement from @simonadams.bsky.social here:
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
NEW: Mahdi Surosh writes about the Raahat project’s impacts: “I am profoundly moved by the resilience of Afghans and other refugees, whose courage and determination to rebuild their lives in a new land have taught me invaluable lessons about hope and perseverance.”
www.cvt.org/articles/fin...
www.cvt.org/articles/fin...
Finding Hope, Healing and Connection in a New Land: Story of the Raahat Project in Minnesota
Dozens of Afghan women, dressed in their colorful traditional attire, sat around Dastarkhān, our “traditional dining space," on an autumn day in a regional park in St. Paul, Minnesota.
www.cvt.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:53 PM
NEW: Mahdi Surosh writes about the Raahat project’s impacts: “I am profoundly moved by the resilience of Afghans and other refugees, whose courage and determination to rebuild their lives in a new land have taught me invaluable lessons about hope and perseverance.”
www.cvt.org/articles/fin...
www.cvt.org/articles/fin...
As Trump curbs immigration after the DC shooting, Yumna Rizvi says, “The murder is reprehensible. But Trump’s punitive actions are overreaching in their scale and cruelty to a group of people to whom we made promises of safe haven and the chance to make a new life.” www.cvt.org/statements/d...
December 2, 2025 at 3:00 PM
As Trump curbs immigration after the DC shooting, Yumna Rizvi says, “The murder is reprehensible. But Trump’s punitive actions are overreaching in their scale and cruelty to a group of people to whom we made promises of safe haven and the chance to make a new life.” www.cvt.org/statements/d...
“We need governments to invest more in humanitarian solutions to global problems, not spend billions of dollars more every year on the manufacture and marketing of shiny new killing machines.” @simonadams.bsky.social comments on the rise in global arms sales.
pressnewsagency.org/africa-risin...
pressnewsagency.org/africa-risin...
Africa: Rising Arms Revenues and Rising Death Tolls Underscore Ongoing Military Conflicts & Civil Wars
United Nations — The revenues from arms sales and military services by the 100 largest arms-producing companies rose by 5.9 per cent in 2024, reaching a record $679 billion, according to new data r…
pressnewsagency.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:39 PM
“We need governments to invest more in humanitarian solutions to global problems, not spend billions of dollars more every year on the manufacture and marketing of shiny new killing machines.” @simonadams.bsky.social comments on the rise in global arms sales.
pressnewsagency.org/africa-risin...
pressnewsagency.org/africa-risin...
NEW: CVT stands with the Somali community after recent negative remarks from President Trump. “The president’s derogatory comments about the Somali community in Minneapolis are deeply harmful and divisive, and palpably untrue,” said CVT's @simonadams.bsky.social
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
December 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM
NEW: CVT stands with the Somali community after recent negative remarks from President Trump. “The president’s derogatory comments about the Somali community in Minneapolis are deeply harmful and divisive, and palpably untrue,” said CVT's @simonadams.bsky.social
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
www.cvt.org/statements/c...
“Generalizing an isolated case of an individual and dehumanizing a community … can incite violence against the community,” said Mahdi Surosh, CVT project manager, on the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration after shootings of National Guard members.
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics...
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics...
After attack on Guard members, Trump’s immigration crackdown grows
A Trump deportation campaign was already underway before Nov. 26. But the shooting of National Guard members has prompted stepped-up measures to limit entry and to scrutinize Afghan and other immigran...
www.csmonitor.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:24 PM
“Generalizing an isolated case of an individual and dehumanizing a community … can incite violence against the community,” said Mahdi Surosh, CVT project manager, on the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration after shootings of National Guard members.
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics...
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics...
“. . . those acts of violence are exactly the things that we have fled from.” Mahdi Surosh, CVT project manager, condemns recent shooting & comments on impacts on the Afghan community.
www.startribune.com/in-social-me...
www.startribune.com/in-social-me...
In social media posts, Trump targets Somali community in Minnesota after National Guard shooting
The messages posted late Thanksgiving night on social media blaming immigrants for social issues came as the president intensified anti-immigrant rhetoric.
www.startribune.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:54 AM
“. . . those acts of violence are exactly the things that we have fled from.” Mahdi Surosh, CVT project manager, condemns recent shooting & comments on impacts on the Afghan community.
www.startribune.com/in-social-me...
www.startribune.com/in-social-me...
As an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of torture and trauma, CVT understands the importance of the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In fact, in 2024, 62% of our international clients were women or girls.
November 25, 2025 at 12:43 PM
As an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of torture and trauma, CVT understands the importance of the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In fact, in 2024, 62% of our international clients were women or girls.