US Report Decries World Crackdown On Civil Society

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is warning of increased pressure on human rights activists from nations such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela.

Secretary of State John Kerry held a briefing on the report Friday. He mentioned the Boston Marathon bombing and said, quote, "people have the right to run in marathons."

It's the annual human rights report from the State Department. The report criticizes a host of new restrictions on advocacy groups including laws banning free speech, assembly and religion.

Even worse, it notes that human rights, political and labor leaders in more countries are facing harassment, arrest and even assassination.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/washington/cabinet/20130419_ap_usreportdecriesworldcrackdownoncivilsociety.html

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[valerief]

1. But not to Medicare for All. nt

[fasttense]

2. Yeah like the federally orchestrated crackdown on peaceful protesters at occupy? n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Not in any way equivalent. Civil disobedience means taking your lumps according to legitimate law.

The report is about laws that violate rights, hence illegitimate by US constitutional standards.

When the Lunch Counter protests occupied the lunch counters they expected to be arrested. They did not expect to or plan to own the space for months on end.

[fasttense]

16. Of course it's equivalent.

Being pepper sprayed and beaten then thrown in jail is a crack down that violates demonstrators rights.

Just because protesters understand that they will be jailed for acts that are considered unlawful does NOT make those laws somehow NOT a violation of civil rights.

And if you want to talk about laws that violate civil rights we can start with the patriot act or the the terrorist list. How about that kingly right this administration took for itself to murder anyone, anytime, anywhere as long as Obama declares the person a terrorist. And we wont even begin to discuss the attacks on whistle blowers, such as Wikileaks, this administration has most aggressively pursued.

[killbotfactory]

4. Its like using USAID and NGO type groups as a front for CIA activities has backfired somehow!

Venezuela: WikiLeaks shows US use 'NGOs' to cover intervention
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53825

Yes, i'm sure the US State Department is very very concerned about human rights and "civil society", when they can use those issues as a cudgel against countries who aren't friendly enough for US business interests.

[SamKnause]

5. Kerry

Where was your outrage during the OWS protest Kerry ?

Where is your outrage over the dismal conditions of U.S. prisons ?

Where is your outrage over 2.3 million U.S. citizens being incarcerated ?

Where is your outrage over the deeds of the Bush administration and the Obama administration ?

Where is your outrage over the U.S. invasions, occupations, coups, coup attempts, backing coups, drone attacks and CIA assassinations ?

I am so sick of these blowhard hypocrites.

John Kerry should not be giving advice to any country !!!

[Doctor_J]

6. irony alert

I am pretty sure that the world no longer listens to the US on this subject.

[bahrbearian]

7. Its, OK to crackdown on whistle blowers.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. my hypocrisy meter just melted n/t

[closeupready]

9. The irony here, of course, will be lost on no one.

Many will feign ignorance, for the mileage it gets them, if nothing else.

[idwiyo]

10. Occupy anyone? Bradley Manning and how many others? The hypocrisy of this report is astounding.

[hughee99]

11. Perhaps foreign countries are considering the human rights activists "suspected militants"? n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. Ohh...I get it. It's a joke.....pot and kettle and all that.

For a minute there I took the headline seriously.

[Amonester]

13. Where is the Rest Of The World's report on the US crackdown on...

her own 99%?

[Fumesucker]

14. ...

[Purveyor]

15. Of course nary a soul dare mention the israeli/palestine apartheid issue that the US supports

'whole hog'....

" Civil Society"...indeed!

[BethanyQuartz]

17. Colombia didn't make the list?

When he said Venezuela, he really meant Colombia, right?

http://lawg.org/action-center/lawg-blog/69/1147

The year 2012 was "an endless round of meetings, workshops, encounters, studies, cell phones for protection, bullet proof vests, bullet proof cars, bodyguards, arms and conferences to debate the eternal situation of insecurity and persecution of a legal and legitimate exercise of rights that each day costs more lives in Colombia, but without attacking the real causes of the violence against human rights defenders in Colombia: the lack of investigations, and the real prevention of aggressions, impunity, corruption, stigmatization, and the abandonment of many leaders in regions of the country that are handed over to the control of armed actors, corrupt politicians and multinational corporations."