Center for Victims of Torture

02/18/2026

“Our clients are facing a brutal reality: Life in the United States is now like the life they fled.” Sara Nelson, CVT program manager, writes about what clients have faced in Minnesota as ICE agents have swarmed the region and detained six clients, all of whom are lawfully present in the U.S. Click to read more:

Imagine having to flee from your home in order to survive. Imagine what it would take for you to leave everything and everyone you love behind.

02/17/2026

CVT is proud to participate in this important conversation about human rights in Minnesota. Thank you to Human Rights First.

Thank you to the for meeting with us and over 70 other Minnesota groups & advocates who are on the frontlines defending the human rights of all people in the state. We shared urgent concerns about:
➡️ Human rights violations
➡️ Attacks on free expression
➡️ Due process failures

02/16/2026

“They are people who had been escaping from horrible situations in their countries and now find themselves here with something similar," said Dr. Florencia Montal, CVT senior evaluator & researcher, to La Nacion about CVT clients who have been deeply impacted by Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota and even taken by ICE.

Tras más de dos meses de redadas, protestas y detenciones masivas, la retirada de los agentes no alcanza para restablecer la vida cotidiana ni disipar el temor en las comunidades afectadas

02/13/2026

Refugees everywhere deserve to feel safe, seen, and supported. This Valentine’s Day season we’re sharing our love for refugees with 🩷

Repost to share your heart with refugees using the hashtag and leave a message of love in the comments. Together we can show the world that love is stronger than hate.

02/13/2026

GOOD NEWS! One of CVT’s Minnesota-based clients has been released from ICE custody after 33 days in a detention facility. She said, “In the darkest moments, your compassion shown bright, reminding me I’m not alone.”

02/11/2026

“Sharing my story helped me release pain I had carried for years,” said Beatrice Ladu, a survivor of LRA war in Northern Uganda, to Patrick Uma in this article about CVT's new report on survivor-defined justice for mothers and children born of war. Report co-author Joel Odokonyero, CVT transitional justice specialist, said, “This work centers survivor voices. We wanted to understand what justice means to them, not what outsiders assume it should be.”

Former survivors of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion have shared powerful personal accounts in a newly released book documenting their long struggle for justice, healing, and social acceptance in post-war Northern Uganda. The book, titled “Repairing the Wrongs in Northern Uganda: Survi...

02/11/2026

A crucial conversation about the challenges of humanitarian work in crisis zones was held by American Red Cross of Colorado, and CVT is delighted that Leora Hudak, migration partnerships program manager, was able to participate on the panel. Congratulations to all on an outstanding event!

02/10/2026

We must protect sensitive locations including schools, hospitals, places of worship, and more, from harmful ICE immigration actions. CVT is proud to join Center for Law and Social Policy and more than 430 organizations in this letter to Congress calling for oversight on Department of Homeland Security practices and accountability for abuses being seen in Minnesota and across the country during immigration enforcement. The authors write, “Legislation must have consequences for immigration enforcement officers who violate the law and protections for individuals who are victims of those violations.”

Today, 430+ national, state, and local organizations signed onto a letter urging Congress to protect these sensitive locations as it negotiates DHS funding.

02/10/2026

We have a lot of new followers around here - welcome! Sonya Funna Evelyn, CVT's new President and CEO, shares her vision for what we can achieve together. In challenging times, it is so important to hold on to hope and remember that we are strong in community.

02/10/2026

CVT joins Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR) and additional partner organizations this statement as alleged ISIS affiliates are transferred from Syria to Iraq, calling for efforts to fight impunity and protect the rights of survivors while upholding international legal and human rights standards.

C4JR Criminal Justice Working Group and its partners deem the reported transfer of thousands of alleged affiliates from to a crucial chance for Iraq to show leadership as a UN Human Rights Council member by fighting impunity, protecting the rights of survivors and the accused, and upholding international justice standards. Accountability for international crimes is both a legal and moral duty.

Read the full statement here:
Englishhttps://c4jr.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/C4JR-Criminal-Justice-Working-Group-Statement-English-.pdf
Arabic:https://c4jr.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/C4JR-Criminal-Justice-Working-Group-Statement-Arabic.pdf

تعتبر مجموعة العمل للعدالة الجنائية التابعة لتحالف التعويضات العادلة التقارير حول نقل آلاف المشتبه بانتمائهم إلى تنظيم #د١١عش من #سوريا إلى #العراق تمثل فرصة حاسمة للعراق لإظهار القيادة كعضو في مجلس حقوق الإنسان التابع للأمم المتحدة، وذلك من خلال مكافحة الإفلات من العقاب، وحماية حقوق الناجين والمتهمين، والالتزام بالمعايير الدولية للعدالة. إن المساءلة عن الجرائم الدولية واجب قانوني وأخلاقي في آن واحد.
اقرأوا البيان الكامل هنا.

انكليزي https://c4jr.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/C4JR-Criminal-Justice-Working-Group-Statement-English-.pdf
عربيhttps://c4jr.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/C4JR-Criminal-Justice-Working-Group-Statement-Arabic.pdf

02/09/2026

We appreciate this support from our global partners at Omega Research Foundation, International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, and OMCT, calling for accountability for U.S. immigration enforcement.

The OMCT, IRCT, and Omega condemn the human rights violations that have stemmed from the United States migration policy, including arbitrary detentions, deaths in custody, and extrajudicial executions, as well as the violent crackdown against peaceful citizens protesting against ICE raids in Minneso...

02/06/2026

NEW: “This is not the freedom I sought. This is a prison of fear,” said a CVT client, who spoke to the Star Tribune anonymously about what he’s experiencing today during the ICE enforcement surge in Minnesota. He notes he saw the same tactics used in his home country before fleeing for safety.
Scott Roehm, senior director of global justice and accountability, is also quoted saying, “Nobody is safe from what’s happening right now. Nobody. It’s a climate of terror, and you’re seeing more people recognize that.”

Across Minnesota, thousands of immigrants and refugees are staying home from work, church and school to avoid ICE agents.