Center for Victims of Torture

There are long-standing legal pathways to becoming a U.S. citizen, and people reside in the country during this time. Here are two: 1. Asylum seekers live in the U.S. legally while their case is pending. 2. Refugees were already vetted overseas and are in a process seeking permanent residency.

The @minnpost.com Festival was a huge success this year! Among a stellar line-up of speakers, CVT's Sonya Funna Evelyn spoke with @nenrich.bsky.social, author of the best-selling book “Into the Woodchipper,” about the dismantling of USAID & its global impacts. Photos by Sarah Morreim

CVT sends gratitude & appreciation to our volunteers, whose efforts and dedication have served our clients and programs for 40+ years. Staff & volunteer leads met in St. Paul to share our thanks and discuss opportunities, challenges and ideas for volunteer support at CVT. Heartfelt thanks to all!

We’re celebrating another successful Restoring Hope Breakfast! Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning in Minneapolis to hear stories of resilience and hope. Your support for healing and justice for survivors is heartwarming and inspiring. Our deepest thanks to all our supporters!

CVT physical therapists incorporate cultural adaptions in their work with survivors. “We bring clinical knowledge, but the people we work with bring knowledge of their lives and culture. Effective rehabilitation needs both,” said Ilona Fricker, CVT clinical advisor. www.cvt.org/articles/the...

The United Nations made it clear: Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution and torture. It is legal for people to seek this protection in the United States.

📣 We are calling on the Council of Europe to extend and strengthen its instrument addressing the trade in goods used for the death penalty and torture.

CVT is hiring 2 Regional Strategic Partnerships Officers for East Africa and MENA. In this role, you’ll develop and advance locally grounded institutional partnerships that expand resources for CVT programs, cultivate prospective partners, and more. Deadline: Oct. 22. reliefweb.int/job/4233126/...

There is still time to register for CVT’s Restoring Hope Breakfast on 10/22! Join us for an inspiring morning to hear stories of resilience, stand with survivors, and take action to uphold human rights. Save your spot now - register here: give.cvt.org/event/2026-r...

What leads many people to seek safety in other countries is sadly quite simple: they are often direct victims of torture. Thanks to the Center for Victims of Torture for highlighting this aspect of forced migration as well as the difference that compassionate welcome can make.

Many people think of torture as a tactic used to extract information by causing pain. But that's not the full truth. Even without inflicting physical or psychological injury, many abuses violate international and U.S. law because they constitute torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

💡 Three years ago, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture launched a study on the global trade in tools of torture. Omega Research Foundation was pleased to provide expert research & technical analysis.

Refugee advocates like @cwsglobal.bsky.social @rcusa.bsky.social are speaking out against cutting off Medicaid to refugees and asylees (that have not yet received green cards). Those populations are definitionally traumatized; a large percentage of them are torture survivors.

NEW: Updated estimate that 27% of the population of refugees, asylees and other forced migrants in the US are direct survivors of torture. The number is based on review of 41 peer-reviewed studies covering 12,020 forced migrants in high-income countries, including US. www.cvt.org/statements/u...

Huge thanks to sponsors of the 2026 Restoring Hope Breakfast! Their generosity makes the event possible & supports our work to heal survivors. October 22: give.cvt.org/event/2026-r... Thank you Crooner's, @mwdagency.bsky.social, Horton Group, RBC Wealth, Lifelong Wealth Advisors & MHealth Fairview

On World Mental Health Day, a reminder that nearly 118 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world. These levels, and the trauma they suggest, are historic. Mental health care must be part of crisis response. Let’s make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.

CVT is hiring an Executive Assistant to provide support to the Executive Leadership Team: President/CEO and Vice Presidents. You’ll serve as a main point of contact for stakeholders including staff, board, donors and more. 100% remote in the U.S. Apply: jobs.dayforcehcm.com/cvt/CANDIDAT...

Good morning. Here's the big news that broke over night. Prosecutors are 5-0 in their losses to the so-called "clean team interrogation" challenges. The government is still deciding whether to appeal this one. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/u...

📈NEW POLL: The Lab, @refugeesinternational.org & @dataforprogress.org find that voters across party lines strongly support the US refugee program, oppose current immigration enforcement policies, & overwhelmingly support a path to citizenship for immigrants www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/resources/tw...

Throughout CVT’s study on trauma-informed, culturally responsive, integrated massage therapy, clients had different responses and improvements. Three case studies show the aspects of TCI-Massage that work best for addressing multiple problems. Read our case studies: www.cvt.org/what-we-do/a...

The UN Convention Against Torture bans torture globally. Published in 1984, signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, all signatory states must prevent and prosecute acts of torture, including causing pain or suffering to gain information, punish, intimidate, coerce or based on discrimination.

NEW: A scoping review on cultural adaptation in physical therapy notes there's wide discussion about the benefits of cultural adaptation as part of physical therapy intervention design, but little published research on the topic. Read more: www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/14...

We’re grateful to our friends at Crooners Supper Club for helping make this year’s Restoring Hope Breakfast possible! We look forward to gathering with our community for a meaningful morning of connection, hope and support for survivors of torture. Register today! give.cvt.org/event/2026-r...

Torture is never permitted in war or for nat'l security. Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibits: “Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture,” & “Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment.”

CVT Georgia participated in the CASA Community Wellness Fair, connecting community members with health, social and wellness resources. Shown are Laetitia Tokplo, Léonce Byimana & Azadeh Sadeghi. Congratulations on a wonderful event!

Don’t miss this important conversation and truly stellar lineup for the @minnpost.com annual festival! See details and get tickets: www.minnpost.com/the-whistleb...

CVT’s TCI-Massage helps clients learn simple self-massage techniques to manage tension and discomfort on their own. We have a guide you can use, too: 8 practices for the scalp, face, shoulders, arms, hands, back, thighs & feet, using just your hands or a tennis ball. www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...

We are hiring a part-time psychotherapist for a 7-month position in St. Cloud, Minn. to provide psychological assessment and treatment to survivors of torture and their family members. 60% remote. Send resume & cover letter to: Consoler.Teboh@cvt.org. Read details here: www.cvt.org/wp-content/u...

A new and comprehensive report from @amnesty-usa.bsky.social on human rights abuses in federal immigration enforcement.

For people who have experienced trauma, touch, close proximity, closed doors, physical exposure or lying down can activate protective responses. TCI-Massage was designed to address this by creating and building safety, predictability, communication, choice and control. www.cvt.org/what-we-do/a...

+450 state & local elected leaders just sent a letter to the federal government calling for them to rebuild a strong & fair refugee admissions program. It's clear: The American people overwhelmingly support welcoming refugees and our #FreedomToWelcome. freedomtowelcome.us

When the world came together after WWII to form the UN and publish the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to a life free from torture was near the very top of the list. Article 5 states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

CVT is hiring a program manager to provide leadership for CVT’s St. Paul program. Ensure the smooth service delivery for clients & support interdisciplinary care teams as they provide rehabilitative care to survivors of torture. Location: St. Paul; 20% remote. jobs.dayforcehcm.com/cvt/CANDIDAT...

❓ Why do we need to end the trade in tools of torture? 📣 Read & see what steps civil society is calling on states to take. 🔗: reachingcriticalwill.org/images/docum...

Why might massage be an ideal time to learn how to listen to your body? Check out these reflections from the CVT team behind our trauma-informed, culturally responsive massage therapy (TCI-Massage). Read more: www.cvt.org/what-we-do/a...

Registration is now open for CVT’s annual Restoring Hope Breakfast! Join us for an inspiring morning to hear stories of resilience and support healing care for survivors of torture and conflict-related trauma. 10/22, 8 am CDT, Minneapolis Convention Center Register: give.cvt.org/event/2026-r...

“There is no legal authority for migrants to be detained at Guantánamo, especially in Camp 6,” said CVT’s Yumna Rizvi to Mohamud Farah in @sahanjournal.bsky.social Read the article: sahanjournal.com/immigration/...

The Constitution of the United States explicitly prohibits cruel punishment. 8th Amendment says: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” This went into effect in 1791, not long after the U.S. became an independent country.

If national security is everything, then national security is nothing at all, apart from a tool to revive a zombie army of post-9/11 legal mechanisms against all sorts of domestic dissidents.

We should never forget the horror of 9/11. But it also triggered US detention and “rendition” programs that used torture. A moral and legal reckoning is long overdue. www.commondreams.org/opinion/9-11...

“The system has expanded to new uses, new targets, new opportunities to vilify, to punish, to create division,” said CVT's Yumna Rizvi to @hurwitz.bsky.social at @motherjones.com on how natl security strategies took on new meanings and new uses after 9/11. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Guantánamo’s Camp 6 is no place to hold asylum seekers. “This administration wants to conflate this threat of immigration with terrorism, so wants to create this idea that the individuals at Camp 6 are so terrible and so horrific,” comments CVT’s Yumna Rizvi. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

On World Suicide Prevention Day, a reminder that we can all do our part to support people during difficulties. The way we speak about suicide is important: suicide can result from underlying mental health problems. Let’s work together to encourage each other and help people move forward.

Guantánamo’s Camp 6 is no place to hold asylum seekers. “This administration wants to conflate this threat of immigration with terrorism, so wants to create this idea that the individuals at Camp 6 are so terrible and so horrific,” comments CVT’s Yumna Rizvi.

There are NO circumstances when torture is allowed. U.S. and international law apply universally, regardless of wartime status, concerns for national security or states of emergency. Importantly, these international prohibitions cover torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Like Representatives Ramirez, Stansbury, Goldman, & tens of others, we don’t think ICE should be buying torture equipment. ‼️ Electric shock gloves are torture equipment. ❌ They should never be used by law enforcement. Their letter to Secretary Mullin: ramirez.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

Breaking: A week after the 9/11 trial judge's big decision that threw out a post-torture confession from KSM, the man of accused of being mastermind of the plot... the prosecution team decides they can go ahead without it, won't appeal. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/u...

Hello DC: We’re partnering with Muslim Counterpublics Lab to examine lessons at the 25th anniversary of the War on Terror, George Wash Univ, 9/17-18. Great speakers include journalists, lawyers, organizers, scholars, directly impacted community members & so much more. Register: waronterror25.org

Trauma can affect how people think & feel. It can also affect sleep, pain, muscle tension & the body's response to stress. CVT’s trauma-informed, culturally-responsive massage therapy was developed to help address the physical side of recovery alongside psychosocial care. www.cvt.org/what-we-do/a...

Last week, DHS finalized its $16.7 million purchase of 6,650 pairs of electric shock gloves. Almost as quickly as the contract was finalized, pushback reached the legislative branch in a classic Congressional form: a whole bunch of open letters.