---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 06:05:41 -0700 (PDT) From: MichaelP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: US in the dock over human rights record (london) Electronic Telegraph International News ISSUE 1227 Sunday 4 October 1998 Amnesty puts US in the dock over human rights record By Christina Lamb in London and James Langton in New York < The death penalty - North America Project -- Amnesty International > ========================================== THE United States government is planning a furious rebuttal to a stinging denunciation of its human rights record by Amnesty International. For the first time, the London-based human rights agency has made the US the target of its worldwide campaign, accusing it of double standards and creating a climate "in which human rights violations thrive". The 153-page report, which is released on Tuesday, attacks the US for what it calls "a persistent and widespread pattern of human rights violations". Although Amnesty has often criticised the US in the past, and carried out investigations into specific issues, it is the first time it has made it the focus of its campaign for the year. Previous subjects in recent years have included Rwanda, Haiti, Afghanistan and Guatemala. US federal and state authorities, police, immigration and prison officers are all criticised in the wide-ranging report that paints a picture of generalised gratuitous violence, sexual abuse and cruelty. Shocked at being singled out for such ferocious criticism, the State Department is planning to issue a detailed repudiation tomorrow. The Clinton administration in particular has always been a supporter of Amnesty International, and there was a clear sense of betrayal over the report. The authors of the report said: "While successive US governments have used international human rights standards as a yardstick by which to judge other countries they have not consistently applied those same standards at home. Across the USA people have been beaten, kicked, punched, choked and shot by police officers even when they posed no threat." Aside from famous cases such as the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police, numerous instances of police brutality are cited. "Police officers have beaten and shot unresisting suspects; they have misused batons, chemical sprays and electro-shock weapons; they have injured or killed people by placing them in dangerous restraint holds." It claims that authorities pay out millions of dollars in damages rather than actually tackle the problem or institute any form of accountability. The report accuses the US of refusing to recognise the primacy of international law, reserving the right to use death penalty against juveniles, not paying its dues to the UN, to which it now owes over a billion dollars, and being one of only two countries (along with Somalia) that has failed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Conditions in American prisons come in for particular criticism. The number of people in US jails has tripled since 1980 to more than 1.7 million, and chains and leg-irons are commonly used as restraints despite being prohibited by international law. The report says: "Women and men are subjected to sexual as well as physical abuse. Overcrowded and underfunded prisons control inmates by isolating them for long periods and by using methods of restraint that are cruel, degrading and sometimes life-threatening. Victims include pregnant women, the mentally ill and even children." According to the authors of the report, much of this abuse is linked to racism. They say: "The US has not succeeded in eradicating the discriminatory treatment of blacks, Latinos and other minority groups." They also point out that up to one third of all young black men are in jail or on parole or probation and that in 39 states, gays and lesbians can be legally dismissed from their jobs because of their sexual orientation. It contains graphic descriptions of asylum seekers held in shackles, placed behind bars and detained in "inhuman and degrading" conditions. It says: "The USA was built by immigrants and claims to stand against oppression. Yet the US authorities violate the human rights of people who have been forced by persecution to leave their countries and seek asylum." Amnesty has been involved in a long-standing battle with the US over its continued use of the death penalty. Executions are on the increase, more than 350 people put to death since 1990 and a further 3,300 people are on death row. According to Amnesty, the death penalty is "applied in an arbitrary and unfair manner and is prone to bias on grounds of race or economic status . . . it has become so highly politicised that virtually no politician is willing to speak out against it". It cites for example the case of Karla Faye Tucker who was executed in February despite her acknowledged reform while on death row when she admitted her guilt, became deeply religious and spoke of her desire to help others to learn from her experiences. ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. ** -- For MAI-not (un)subscription information, posting guidelines and links to other MAI sites please see http://mai.flora.org/