With the United States having largely disqualified itself from human
rights promotion, China and Russia effectively undermining the effort,
and the global South not yet bearing its share of the burden, it is
imperative that the European Union rise to the occasion and assume a
leadership role.
Human Rights Watch’s 2006 World Report just came out, and it had little positive to say about the future of human rights leadership in the United States. Clearly, HRW is right when it admonishes the US for its recent human rights record, but I don’t think the future is quite as grim as the above quote would suggest. I don’t think the Europeans alone will be left carrying the torch of human rights for the world –or, they won’t be if we get our acts together.
I won’t convince myself that the Bush Administration will make any of these changes, but here are some ways we could improve our human rights practices and restore our credibility:
1) Close Guantanamo Bay and either charge and try, or release detainees with reparations.
2) Abolish the death penalty. Controversial, obviously –and I know there would be massive outcry in the United States from death penalty supporters. That said, human rights and majority rule do not always go hand in hand.
3) End torture.
4) Join the ICC. The world needs to know that we believe those who commit grave human rights abuses should be brought to justice. This would go far to restoring lost trust, especially in Europe.
5) Implement rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (more on this in some later post.)
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January 15, 2007 at 1:08 am
DesperatelyObvious.com
Human Rights Watch World Report
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its annual World Report. It is instructive to take a look at how the American press reported the publication.
A brief news search shows that there were basically two different stories on the report. …
January 29, 2007 at 11:20 am
Dorothee
Hi,
Just saw Amnesty International have launched another cool campaign, a virtual trip to Guantanamo asking for it to be closed. I just joined and it’s fun. Give it a try, it’s for a good cause and it takes only a couple of minutes. Postin’ some of the info from their blog:
“Where can you find bearded ladies, parachuting mermaids and Siamese pirate twins on the web? On the way to Guántanamo!
Amnesty International has launched an animated online petition asking for people to join our flotilla travelling all the way to Guantánamo. We have already got thousands of people on the voyage with us. The travellers are taking part in AI’s latest online campaign to draw more people to our campaign against the US government to close Guantánamo. This online petition will run until 26 June, International day for the Protection of Victims of Torture.
Help us pass the message! Please forward the link to as many people as you can http://www.amnesty.org/ and ask them to sign up to the campaign and forward it to their friends and colleagues. People can also link to the flotilla from their website or blog. Find here banners and buttons in several languages. Together we can Close Guantánamo. Let’s give it a good try!
Joining only takes a minute and it is a lot of fun. And while you’re there, have a look at how your friends and colleagues here have designed their outfits, done their hair and chosen their mode of transport — its a hoot! Have you always wanted a beard but were afraid to grow one? Now’s your chance!
The campaign is gathering momentum and is creating quite a splash. Now we need your help to pass on the message. Can we count on you to keep up the momentum and ensure we get this awful detention site closed for good?
Thanks, everyone!
Amnesty International”
so there you are, ladies, go grow your beard on the way to Guantánamo! 🙂
(the mermaid with a beard riding a sea dragon, that’s me!)