Larisa Alexandrovna: UN report a 'moral indictment' of US

[kpete]

UN report a 'moral indictment' of US

Larisa Alexandrovna
Published: Thursday August 3, 2006

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has released its final report after a series of hearings in Geneva last week, which RAW STORY has learned amounts to a moral indictment of US treaty violations, as well as what some attendees and delegates described as US hubris, willful disregard for international and domestic law, and contempt for the Committee itself.

Understanding the Hearings

At the hearings, signatory nations to the Conventions against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment (CAT) and the 1992 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—one of two treaties that make up what is commonly referred to as the International Bill of Rights-- presented reports on their implementation of the agreed-upon standards of the treaties. The Committee holds hearings every four years to review the compliance status of ICCPR signatory member nations.

As part of that review, the official State report is presented along with what is called a “shadow report,” a rebuttal from non-government organizations (NGO), advocacy groups, and citizen representatives. The US “shadow report” was prepared by The Coalition for Human Rights at Home, a coalition of 142 not-for-profit groups.

The shadow report delivered -- a whopping 456 pages -- documents domestic human rights abuses generally go unreported. The report meticulously details over 100 instances of human rights violations, as a response to the official report by the US. The US for its part was seven years late in delivering any sort of report, something it is obligated to do as a signatory of the ICCPR.

more at:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/UN_report_moral_indictment_of_US_0803.html

[LuckyChoice]

1. This is an important report

but the UNHRC doesn't have much power. Our government seems to just ignore what other countries or international bodies say.

It's good to see that they are speaking up about it, anyways. Maybe it will start to wake up the sleeping masses. Rawstory is doing a good job highlighting this issue.

[lala_rawraw]

4. While true they don't have much power

The whole point the NGOs went was to help put public pressure on our government. Which is why we must get this attention. This is not usually my beat, but this goes to the heart of everything going on - as at home, so is abroad. When we can devalue, abuse, dehumanize our own citizens, what then is to stop us from doing that the world over in other countries.

[Ghost Dog]

5. Only kind of power the USA understands these days is military.

Certainly not legal, diplomatic, reasonable or moral.

[fearthem]

2. Another nail in the coffin -- report should be broadcast widely!

[mom cat]

22. We will have to be the media on this one. Us and the progressive

press.

[lala_rawraw]

3. Thank god MoJo picked it up as well...

I don't see anyone reporting on it... this is first time I have seen the international community issue such a critique on our domestic human rights records... did you catch the part about Somalia and the US?

FYI: MoJO
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2006/08/geneva_report_h.html

Please keep kicked. I know we have scandal fatigue, but beyond anything else, there is nothing more important than our respect for humanity, which we appear not to have.

please keep kicked... and Kpt, thanks for posting - as usual, you are ahead!!

[Ghost Dog]

6. Was discussed here in Spanish press, radio, Lala,

(I don't watch TV)... same most places in the world (outside USA), I guess.

[lala_rawraw]

7. not here, Gibson is all the news there is n/t

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

12. Good article lala

n/t

[Doctor_J]

8. I love Larissa

If one of the whore media outlets would run with this report, with Larissa as the "expert", their ratings would go through the roof, and the Rove Admin would come a-tumblin down.

[lala_rawraw]

13. thank you... this is nice to see after the psychotic

right wing has spent the last three weeks making up lies about me and posting them all over the Internet.:)

[Redbear]

9. How far we have fallen

We are no longer a beacon to the world.

[Garbo 2004]

10. K & R n/t

[autorank]

11. Thank you!!!

I did an OP on this a few weeks ago when you wrote on this subject previously. It's great to get an update. This is so important. How in the world can be be implicated in any of this. It must stop.

...and stop right away!

[lala_rawraw]

14. It won't stop, it did not even make primetime news... not

even the left leaning blogs picked it up... it was Mother Jones and me, everyone else is chasing Gibson around. unreal. i swear, if these people were tried at the Hague, no one would care enough to report on it. these are domestic human rights abuses for heaven's sake... they apply directly to us. arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

[redqueen]

18. *sigh*

thanks SO MUCH for this article.

[Kurovski]

15. K&R.

Thank you Larisa.

[alfredo]

16. I hope this is the first step to war crimes charges against

the bush junta.

[DemReadingDU]

17. Rawstory has the important news, so I read Rawstory first!

Thanks Larisa


K&R

[lala_rawraw]

20. Sure thing... now please contact members of

Congress and the press... changes must be made.

[chill_wind]

19. Glaring and ugly!

(...)

"The report also expresses concern about the clear correlation between race and poverty in America:

“The Committee is concerned by reports that some 50 % of homeless people are African American although they constitute only 12 % of the U.S. population. (articles 2 and 26).” (page 7, point 22.).

The report goes on to express concern about the large number of undocumented workers within the US borders – and what appears to be a military solution to the issue. It also emphasizes, both here and repeatedly in other sections, that the US has not provided adequate information:

(...)

bold-emphasis mine

[dogday]

21. What is to be proud of anymore?

With all the shit we have done in the past 5 years, just what is there to be proud of anymore? I have to remember that this country is not this government.. It is the people, and the people need to raise their voices if we ever want change in this country... We need to mend the divide and come together on the fact that this country is screwed up and needs fixing....