Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Guantanamo "the Gulag of Our Time"

This according to Amnesty International:
Amnesty International branded the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a human rights failure Wednesday, releasing a 308-page report that offers stinging criticism of the United States and its detention centers around the world.

"Guantanamo has become the gulag of our time," Amnesty Secretary General Irene Khan said as the London-based group launched its annual report. Amnesty International called for the camp to be closed.

The annual report accused the United States of shirking its responsibility to set the bar for human rights protections and said Washington has instead created a new lexicon for abuse and torture.

"Attempts to dilute the absolute ban on torture through new policies and quasi-management speak, such as 'environmental manipulation, stress positions and sensory manipulation,' was one of the most damaging assaults on global values."
Yep. I'm proud to be an American right about now...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Priscilla Owen Confirmed As Federal Judge

Sad news

Other Lisa said...

yep. The only upside is that she's confirmed to the 5th Circuit court, which if I'm remembering correctly is based in the south and I gather is already pretty much stacked with conservatives. More worrisome is the woman who is up for the DC judgeship.

I am very relieved, however, that the senate agreement will keep bush's bad nominee off the 9th Circuit court, which remains a bulwark against conservative judicial activism.

Anonymous said...

Lisa, I watched CNN last night about the amnesty international reports. AI is asking for other countries to arrest Bush, Rumsfled, Tenent, Gonzalez etc for human right violations. The White House refused to comment.

Other Lisa said...

Boy, if that isn't my fantasy: Bush, etc., in the dock at the Hague...speaking of which, have you seen this?

http://billmon.org/archives/001864.html

Anonymous said...

Bulwark
Strange word u use there!
It stems possibly from my language which is DUTCH: BOLWERK.

BOL + WERK = SPHERE + WORK

Didn't know it existed in English too.
Cool.

Thijs

Other Lisa said...

Thijs, your comment sent me to the dictionary to make sure i was using the word correctly (I was, to my great relief). What does the word mean in Dutch? In English it's a protective barrier, either real or metaphoric.

Anonymous said...

Lisa, I love that link, HAHA.

Anonymous said...

Lisa,
I rememeber "bulwark" from my history textbook... for Holland and Belgium as bulwark against future German invasion after the treaty of Versailles.