Members of a committee of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) brought a striking yet silent protest to the plaza outside St. Paul’s Ecolab on Wednesday.

Group members stood vigilantly on the steps, wearing bright orange bodysuits with black bags draped solemnly over their heads. Some of the demonstrators held banners and displayed posters that identified torture victims. Each of their heads was bowed. A blood red sign read, “Torture destroys us all.”

For those who paused at the scene, Sonja Johnson of WAMM, (pictured below) provided a little more information: “We’ve done a lot of research on torture,” she said as she handed out fliers that presented facts about crimes against humanity, while also touching on a few arresting cases. “We want people to be treated humanely … we want to stop torture at the top and we want to educate people about it.”

Activists protest torture.