Psychologists for Social Responsibility has issued a range of public statements and letters on issues central to our work and mission. Below is a listing of recent examples, with links to PDF versions suitable for printing and distribution.
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PsySR’s Statement in Support of Comprehensive Rehabilitative Services for Torture Survivors
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PsySR’s Letter to Army Secretary Regarding Treatment of PFC Chelsea Manning
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PsySR’s Statement on the Latest Reports of APA-CIA Collusion
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PsySR’s Statement on Recent Revelations about APA-CIA Collusion
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PsySR Sends Letters to White House and Pentagon Calling for Changes to Army Field Manual
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PsySR Submits Letter to California Hearing on Solitary Confinement
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PsySR Sends Letter of Support for CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou
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PsySR Sponsors Letter Urging an End to Force-Feeding of GTMO Hunger-Strikers
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PsySR Joins Coalition Calling for End to Force-Feeding of GTMO Hunger-Strikers
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PsySR Issues Statement on Budget Priorities, Poverty, and Inequality
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PsySR Sends Letter to Attorneys General on Killing of Trayvon Martin
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PsySR Issues Statement on Psychological Health and Well-Being
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PsySR Signs Letter to President Calling for Halt to “Fracking”
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PsySR Signs Statement Calling for End of U.S. Support for Bahrain’s Repressive Government
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PsySR Joins Coalition in Opposing Expansion of Presidential War-Making Powers
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PsySR’s Letter to Congress on Budget Cuts, Poverty, and Inequality
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PsySR’s Follow-Up Open Letter on PFC Bradley Manning’s Forced Nudity and Solitary Confinement
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PsySR Joins Other Groups in Support for Spanish Court Investigations of Torture
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PsySR’s Open Letter on PFC Bradley Manning’s Solitary Confinement
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PsySR Calls on the Government of Israel to Lift the Siege of Gaza
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Letter to the Governor of Puerto Rico in Support of Non-violence, Dialogue, and Negotiation
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Immigration Reform, Yes — Scapegoating and Racial Profiling, No
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Child Abuse and the Catholic Church: The Need for Dialogue and Justice
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PsySR’s Statement on the APA and the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
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Coalition Letter to President Obama on Torture and Transparency
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Coalition Letter to APA Board on Psychologist Involvement in Abusive Interrogations
PsySR issues a statement opposing the exchange of inflammatory rhetoric between the U.S. and North Korea and calls for progress towards nuclear disarmament. (August 18, 2017).
PsySR issues a statement in support of the 2017 Earth Day March for Science in cities around the world (April 21, 2017).
PsySR issues a statement expressing our commitment to the right to comprehensive rehabilitative services for torture survivors, including current and former Guantanamo detainees (February 2, 2017).
PsySR issues a statement in support of the Standing Rock Sioux and their campaign of nonviolent resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline (October 26, 2016).
PsySR sends letter to Army Secretary expressing concern over recent ruling that subjects PFC Chelsea Manning to punitive solitary confinement for her suicide attempt (October 1, 2016).
PsySR issues a statement in support of crucial post-Hoffman reform efforts at the American Psychological Association (July 28, 2016).
PsySR issues a statement on the connection between issues of racial injustice in the U.S. criminal justice system and torture and other human rights concerns (April 3, 2016).
In coalition with other groups, PsySR presents leaders of the American Psychological Association with a set of preliminary recommendations related to human rights and psychological ethics in national security settings (March 8, 2016).
PsySR sends a letter to the Prime Minister of Turkey protesting mistreatment of scholars advocating for peace and negotiations (February 14, 2016).
PsySR sends a letter to the APA Board calling for changes to the Association’s interim CEO search process (September 27, 2015).
PsySR issues a statement supporting the Iran Nuclear Deal currently under consideration in Congress (August 24, 2015).
PsySR issues a statement responding to the investigative report on APA collusion with the DoD and CIA (July 13, 2015).
PsySR issues a statement calling for accountability and reform in response to new revelations of APA-CIA collusion (May 6, 2015).
PsySR issues a statement expressing sympathy and support for those saddened and outraged by recent events in Ferguson (November 27, 2014).
In light of new evidence, PsySR issues a statement condemning APA-CIA collusion on ethics policies and calls for an independent investigation of the APA (October 27, 2014).
PsySR sends letters to President Obama and Defense Secretary Hagel calling for an end to ongoing abusive interrogation practices permitted by the Army Field Manual (April 28, 2014). The DoD’s response is available here.
PsySR submits a letter highlighting the severe psychological effects of solitary confinement to the California Joint Legislative Committee Hearing on Solitary Confinement (February 11, 2014).
PsySR sends a letter to the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons urging that former CIA agent and whistleblower John Kiriakou be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence in a halfway house (January 30, 2014).
PsySR sends a letter to the Ethics Office of the American Psychological Association expressing serious concerns about the decision to close the ethics complaint against former Guantanamo psychologist John Leso (January 29, 2014).
PsySR joins other organizations and over 400 health professionals and human rights advocates in urging President Obama to end the force-feeding of hunger-strikers at Guantanamo (August 12, 2013).
PsySR joins the ACLU and other organizations in urging Defense Secretary Hagel to end the force-feeding of hunger-striking prisoners in Guantanamo Bay (May 13, 2013).
PsySR writes an open letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel calling on him to address the Guantanamo hunger strike in a manner that respects the concerns and autonomy of the detainees (April 8, 2013).
Following the December 2012 tragic shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, PsySR issues a statement calling for determined efforts to address the widespread violence that harms so many children in the U.S. and around the world (January 10, 2013).
PsySR issues a statement calling for budget priorities that recognize the critical importance of working together to reduce poverty and inequality in the U.S. (April 25, 2012).
PsySR sends a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for further investigation into the tragic killing of teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida (March 25, 2012).
PsySR issues a statement expressing strong support for the Occupy movements, which serve as a source of inspiration, hope, and unity for millions of citizens (October 20, 2011).
PsySR issues a statement highlighting the need to limit the excessive protections provided by “corporate personhood” in order to better promote human welfare (October 7, 2011).
PsySR issues a statement highlighting the urgent challenges faced by professionals and the public in more broadly advancing psychological health and well-being during this time of growing economic, social, and environmental crisis (September 19, 2011).
PsySR joins other organizations in a letter urging President Obama to halt hydraulic fracturing until and unless the environmental and health impacts are well understood and the public is adequately protected (August 8, 2011).
PsySR joins the Campaign for Peace and Democracy in a statement calling for an end to U.S. support for governmental repression in Bahrain, which has included the arrest of health professionals for providing care to wounded protesters (May 16, 2011).
PsySR joins a coalition of 23 organizations in sending a memorandum to the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services opposing language in a bill that would dramatically expand the President’s war-making powers (May 9, 2011).
PsySR sends a letter (signed by 166 members) to members of the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, and President Obama expressing deep concern over budget cuts on millions of U.S. families and children living in poverty (April 23, 2011).
PsySR writes a follow-up letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the worsening pretrial detention conditions of alleged Wikileaks source PFC Bradley Manning, which now includes the humiliation of forced nudity in addition to solitary confinement (March 9, 2011).
PsySR joins other human rights groups in expressing support for Spanish courts considering cases to bring American officials to justice for the crime of torture (February 10, 2011).
PsySR issues a statement calling on U.S. leaders to stand firmly in support of democratic change in Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere (February 1, 2011).
PsySR writes an open letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressing deep concern over the pretrial detention conditions of alleged Wikileaks source PFC Bradley Manning, including solitary confinement, a forced lack of exercise, and possible sleep deprivation (January 3, 2011).
PsySR issues a statement, developed by members of PsySR’s Poverty and Inequality Project, on the urgent need to address poverty and inequality (September 29, 2010).
PsySR issues a statement calling on the Government of Israel to end the siege of Gaza and urging health and mental health professionals to join our call (August 30, 2010).
PsySR writes to the Governor of Puerto Rico and to key officials of the University of Puerto Rico calling for dialogue, negotiations, and non-violence during the ongoing student-led strikes (May 14, 2010).
PsySR strongly opposes Arizona’s SB 1070, the new state immigration law that allows enforcement officers with “reasonable suspicion” to demand proof of legal residency (May 13, 2010).
PsySR issues a statement emphasizing the need for dialogue and justice in response to growing revelations about child abuse within the Catholic Church (April 22, 2010).
PsySR issues a statement urging the American Psychological Association to change course and not hold events at the Manchester Grand Hyatt during its 2010 Annual Convention (December 23, 2009).
PsySR opposes the proposed U.S. military escalation in Afghanistan. Highlighting key psychological and human rights considerations, we instead call for a heightened focus on development and diplomacy (December 14, 2009).
PsySR joins other human rights groups in a letter to President Obama calling for an investigation of all former U.S. officials allegedly complicit in incidents or policies of torture of detainees housed at Guantánamo Bay and elsewhere (November 24, 2009).
PsySR sends a letter to Congress urging representatives to take urgent action to prevent the growing risks to our psychological health from climate change (November 6, 2009).
PsySR joins other human rights groups in an open letter to the Board of the American Psychological Association in response to the board’s minimizing the extent of psychologists’ involvement in state-sanctioned abuse as well as APA’s own defense of such involvement. (June 29, 2009).
PsySR urges the appointment of an independent torture commission to examine the role of psychologists and the American Psychological Association in prisoner abuse (April 23, 2009).
PsySR issues a statement affirming its support for same-sex marriage and its opposition to any national or state legislation that seeks to deny same-sex couples the right to marry (November 24, 2008).