The UN declared 26^th of June the United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture. To honor these victims and their families, International Bridges to Justice brought together members of every faith at the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Center in Geneva, Switzerland to light a candle and say a prayer for the end of torture in our lifetime.

Religious leaders, country representatives, and members of the Geneva community came together to stand in solidarity with International Bridges to Justice and the efforts of our JusticeMakers and Fellows around the world working to enact justice for all accused.

Guests gather at the World Council of Churches’ Chapel

Michael French conducts the welcoming

Reverend Richard Gyhra representative from the Holy See Mission to the United Nations in Geneva

“We also pray for a change of heart of the perpetrators of torture, because we want what is good, what is true, and what is just.”

-Rev. Richard Gyhra

Reverend John Beach, Rector of Emmanuel Church in Geneva

“We give thanks to you, for those who defend human rights and the various people who work with determination and faithfulness for the care of  all victims of violence. Let us never make peace with despair.”

-Reverend John Beach

Vuillemin Vincent Keisen from the Zen Dojo of Geneva

“As numerous are the sentient beings, we make the vow to save them all.”

-Vuillemin Vincent Keisen

Dr. Rama Mani offering a chant for peace

“I ask us to prayer for all the torturers around the world.  May their shuttered hearts be blown open by the power of love. May they rediscover their humanity, so they can begin the long journey to undo their harm and to sow the seeds of love.”

-Dr. Rama Mani

Rav Dr. Izhak Dayan, Grand Rabbai of Geneva

“Our leaders today must learn that abusing weak and helpless prisoners compromises our ideals and diminishes rather than enhances our power”

-Rav Dr. Izhak Dayan

Faramarz Falahi and Ramin Granfar

Faramarz Falahi quoted Kitab-i-Aqdas who spoke of the human condition in regards to the Baha’i faith:

«l’importance de la valeur des êtres humains, de l’importance de la coexistence paçifique , de la coopération et du soutien mutuel, sans discrimination, haine, hostilité et préjugés religieuses aveugles »

“the importance of the value of human beings, the importance of peaceful coexistence, cooperation and mutual support, without discrimination, hatred, hostility and blind religious prejudice”

Amir Hashom and Sayed Salih Al-Hakim from the Al-Hakim Foundation

Sayed Salih Al-Hakim

Sayed Salih Al-Hakim, Director of the Dialogue Center “Al-Hikma,” in Najaf, Iraq, offered a prayer for a commitment to peace from every faith.

Geshi Luntok, Geshi Gedun, and Othok Rinpoche, from the Shedrub Choekhor Ling Monastery and Buddhist Center in Mont Salève offering a chant

Othok Rinpoche

“Je prie et je souhaite le monde de vient une famille, et comme une famille, et pour ça on a tous la responsabilité de faire ce qu’on peut.”

“I pray and I hope the world becomes a family; we all have the responsibility of doing what we can for our family.”

-Othok Rinpoche

Founder and CEO of IBJ, Karen Tse

“We are at a time in history where standing on the side of righteousness says we will stand with everyone. We will stand because no one should be tortured.”

-Karen Tse

The IBJ Choir leads the singing of Word of Justice with Patty Solomon

Sanda Freeman leads Dona Nobis Pacem

Guests were invited to light a candle

Karen Tse and Rav Dr. Izhak Dayan

Maria Teresa Avila Shogetsu, Vuillemin Vincent Keisen, and Reverend Richard Gyhra

Rav Dr. Izhak Dayan, Maria Teresa Avila Shogetsu, and Vuillemin Vincent Keisen

Reverend Beth Linguri closes with a moment of reflection

“We bring this energy of love and surround them with this light. This brings peace and justice and the qualities of love into those places where there appears to be separation, where there appears to be injustice.”

-Rev. Beth Linguri

Esteemed guests and IBJ staff gather together after the Vigil

IBJ received pictures from over 16 different countries and 4 continents! We are thankful for the outpouring of support IBJ has received internationally, from individuals and groups alike, giving us strength to build our vision of a just and peaceful world. The success of the Interfaith Peace Vigil Worldwide and CitiesForJustice campaigns remain a central  force behind our global effort to eradicate torture in the 21st century.

John Bosco Bugingo, IBJ Rwanda Fellow in Kigali

Marlon Zakeyo, Former IBJ Africa Program Officer, Johannesburg Area, South Africa

IBJ JusticeMakers Fellow, Patrick Dunkwu in Lagos, Nigeria

IBJ Zimbabwe Fellow Innocent Maja at the Interfaith Peace Vigil held in Harare on June 26th

Youth Scholar Ethan Swift in front of the Merlion statue in Singapore

IBJ’s team at Bell & Drum towers in Beijing, China

Youth Scholar Daniel Fung Jr. holding a vigil at his home with family and friends in Hong Kong

Members of Justice Centre Hong Kong organizing a vigil in solidarity with IBJ

Red Square in Moscow, Russia

Youth Scholar Jihun Hong holding an Interfaith Peace Vigil for family and friends in Seoul, South Korea

Former IBJ Staff David Zhou in Toronto, Canada

India Peace Centre in Maharashtra, India

Swami Agnivesh of India at the Inter-Faith Vigil at Jantar Mantar Road, New Delhi, India

IBJ India Fellow, Ajay Verma and IBJ staff member Courtney Skiles in New Delhi, India

IBJ India Fellow Ajay Verma at a Tibetan temple in Delhi, India

Unitarian Universalists, Geneva, Switzerland

IBJ interns Geneva, Switzerland

Staff of Human Rights and Development Foundation of Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand

IBJ JusticeMakers Fellow  Judge Mahfuza Folad organized a vigil in Kabul, Afghanistan and invited judges, police, prosecutors, school children, and community representatives

IBJ Cambodia staff led by Cambodia Fellow Ouk Vandeth at an interfaith peace vigil organized in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Empire State Building in New York City USA

Former IBJ staff Jamila Justine Willis at Times Square, New York City USA

UN in New York, USA

International Program Director Sanjeewa Liyanage with former IBJ staff in Washington DC USA

Dallas, Texas USA

Shawna Foster in Omaha, Nebraska USA

Meadville Lombard students, Chicago, IL USA

Rev. Joanna Crawford, USA

Rev. Eric Posa, USA

Rev. Patrice Curtis, USA

Rev. Meg Riley, USA

Rev. Hank Pierce, USA

Youth raising awareness in Santa Monica, California USA

Guest Speaker and Founding IBJ Board Member Mia Yamamoto with local organizers Judith Lyons and Charlene Huang in Santa Monica, California USA

Milli Barendse in front of a Dutch windmill in Vlissingen, the Netherlands

Pawan Rauf in front of the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

On June 26, 2014, the IBJ China Program office in Beijing hosted an interfaith vigil event for the purpose of sending the message to end torture worldwide.  During the vigil, prayers and sermons from various faiths were recited by employees and interns at the IBJ, which included messages from the Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist communities.  Each prayer or sermon contained a theme of ending torture and promoted peace and healing.

IBJ’s Beijing staff at the Beijing Bell Tower

The IBJ China team posted IBJ banners in our office during the vigil and also lit incense on an altar at the office.  After the vigil, the IBJ team went to various locations around Beijing to take additional photos with the IBJ Vigil banners, including the famous Drum Tower in Guloudajie, the Bell Tower in Guloudajie, and the Bird’s Nest site in the Beijing Olympic Center.

IBJ’s China staff at their office in Beijing

What made this event so worthwhile was that it gave the IBJ China office a chance to step back and reflect on the IBJ’s short-term and long-term goals in the aspect of torture.  We were reminded of Karen Tse’s message for why this is such an important and meaningful cause, and her experiences are a significant driving force behind the IBJ’s projects.  This vigil demonstrated how people of different faiths and different cultures could unite in achieving the same peaceful resolution, and that message was truly inspiring to me.

IBJ’s team at Bell & Drum towers in Beijing, China

After reciting the prayers and messages from different faiths during the vigil, I was reminded of the significance and value of the IBJ’s work around the world, and I felt further motivated to contribute to the IBJ in any way that I can.  I truly hope that other IBJ workers and volunteers around the world were as affected by this vigil in the same way that I was.  No matter what our faiths or backgrounds are, we can all work together in achieving our goals if we continue to stay motivated and remain persistent.  For all these reasons, the vigil was a great success and I am truly grateful for having this experience with my IBJ team!

IBJ’s Ending Torture Event took place on 20, June, 2014 at the Toul Tom Poung Pagoda. The event focused on the importance of uniting people from all religious backgrounds in the common goal of putting an end to torture and bringing long lasting peace to our world.

IBJ, being a non-secular organization, deeply believes in the value of using universal religious principles as a means to convey our message and connect with the local culture wherever in the world we may be working. Buddhism is an ancient religion, which holds deeply the importance of Sīla, or ethical conduct. In the tradition of Sīla many direct and indirect connections can be made to IBJ’s mission in Cambodia. The purpose of this event was to honor the dominant religion in Cambodia while bringing together IBJ staff from different backgrounds to reflect on our work as well as pray for future success.

Participants in the event included IBJ lawyers from all the provinces as well as the entire staff of the head office in Phnom Penh. A monk started the gathering by leading a prayer, transitioning seamlessly into a traditional Buddhist mediation. The meditation was centered on four main principles: Metta, loving-kindness; Karuna, compassion, Mudita, sympathetic joy, and Upekkā, equanimity. The goal was for each participant to reflect on the work they are doing, internalize their impact on the world, and pray for the ongoing atrocities to finally come to an end. After meditating, each participant held a lit candle in one hand and a Lotus in the other while the monks recited another prayer. The candle represented light, a guide to heaven, while the scent of the Lotus acts as a traditional spiritual offering. After a monetary offering to the monks and the priests, they wished us success in our mission and the event came to a close.