Bush rejects global pact to outlaw enforced disappearances


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Submitted by New York IFP on Wed, 2007-02-07 22:25.

US will not sign a global treaty that outlaws enforced disappearances and allows victims’ families the right to learn the truth about what happened after the pact, after Bush administration rejected the UN sponsored treaty as the authorities would have to account for thousands of detainees who were abducted, detained and forcibly disappeared by the CIA.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances contains an absolute prohibition on the practice and calls on all States Parties to ensure that it is an offence under their domestic laws.

Significantly, it deems any widespread or systematic practice of enforced disappearances to be a crime against humanity.

The advocacy group American Civil Liberties Union expressed disappointment and urged Congress to examine the government's policies and practices that would have conflicted with the agreement and to shut down permanently all secret detention programs and facilities and end the practice of illegal kidnapping.

"Our government’s practice of kidnapping people off the streets and sending them to secret detention cells violates due process and core American values," Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, said. "This is the behavior we expect of repressive regimes and not from our government. The accord sought to bring an end to forced disappearances, used by dictatorships to secretly detain, arrest or kidnap individuals and then deny it occurred."

In a speech to today’s ceremony in Paris marking the opening for formal signatures, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said the task now is to make sure the treaty is implemented as soon as possible.

“Far from being a tragic relic of past ‘dirty wars,’ this shameful practice still persists in all continents," Ms. Arbour said. "This treaty closes a glaring gap in international human rights law by making explicit the prohibition on disappearances.”

The treaty was adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December, and sixty countries have so far signed it.

The convention affirms the right of victims – including families of those abducted – to know the truth about the circumstances of an enforced disappearance and the fate of the disappeared person and to claim reparation for the harm inflicted to them.

The treaty’s monitoring body will be entitled to receive requests for urgent action on individual cases, to conduct visits with the agreement of States parties concerned, and, in the situation of suspected widespread or systematic cases being practised in the territory under the jurisdiction of a State party, to urgently bring the matter before the General Assembly.

"We urge Congress to shine a bright light on our government’s use secret detention and rendition," Fredrickson said. "The Bush administration should stop stonewalling congressional efforts to examine these abuses of basic due process and human rights. Congress must permanently shut down these secret programs and facilities.

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easy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-08 14:14.

easy

reply
-4 points

and to think, the U.S. is a

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-08 14:31.

and to think, the U.S. is a communist country with a democratic face..? only problem realy is we dont get the perks of a real communist system, healthcare & education. sure, some parts of the country get education, but its not so good in new orleans. even before katrina it wasnt good. bush needs to get his head out of his ass and high-tail his shit out of office.

reply
6 points

Politics are never easy.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-08 14:38.

Politics are never easy.

reply
22 points

Idiots believe this crap.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-08 14:51.

Idiots believe this crap. I'd recommend you look at the Bill of Rights and you'll find we already outlaw such things for Citizens of the USA. People of other countries DO NOT have the same rights as a US citizen nor should they. I wouldn't want him to sign something we already protect for our citizens. Besides if there's a foreigner walking around our cities with bad intentions, I'd like him abducted and interrogated immediately.

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7 points

Communist?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-08 14:57.

No not communist, more along the lines of fascist, authoritarian with a mask of democracy. Definitely NOT the free open society it claims to be. Free-er than most but not like it should be.

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1 point

@Communist

Submitted by Jeff (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-08 23:52.

Actually, Bush already got rid of that protection for Americans.

Check out the Military Commissions Act, and the John Warner Defense Act

It's pretty obvious that they're planning on really pissing off a lot of people.

I think we're in big trouble.

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1 point

taxes and protection

Submitted by hezekiah white (not verified) on Sun, 2007-02-11 03:08.

First of all if you are a u.s. citizen your
taxes are voluntary not mandatory, so why are
you paying taxes, because you don't know what the tax book says. Now imagine what would happen if all u.s. citizens said no to taxes
i know you're saying they take the taxes before
i get paid ok, then take the i.r.s. to court
and make them prove as a citizen you have to pay taxes when it's voluntary. think about it
this will stop lots of injustice around the world but being afraid to stop injustice is
the same as doing the injustice yourself. Take
back your government it's yours we the people
need to get some back bone, when the government
wants to stop us they take away funding and that works for them now lets make it work for us the u.s. citizens in this country thats right we the people can do this we have to or
suffer the outcome of our igrorance and coward-ice. Are we cowards or are we the people to stop this nonsense going on in america...
-----------------------------------------------
No one can take away your protection but you
why do people feel they have to go along with
what others say protect yourself or get hurt or dead remember you have a right to life and
not because someone said you did, but god says you do. Stop following the government unless it
serves your interest, and when was the last time your government stood up for it's citizens
interest. Stop letting others tell you how to live your life, who are they remember you were
born with a brain use it, why should a person
have to think about going to jail for protecting themselves, don't go along with it
when was the last time a politician asked you to protect him or her, the people need to stand
for something or fall for anything. Protect thy
neighbor stop calling the cops handle it yourself and mean it. Who is going to protect you when you can protect yourself nobody, stop
the drugs in your neighborhood help the
presidential candidates understand you mean it.Stand up for your god given rights or do you
want them, ok you're saying i could get killed
so what die standing up for god and not satan.
Why are dispicable people still living, in the
bible it says if a man commits a dispicable act
is found guilty he is to be taken to the gate of the property and stoned to death, why do
people swear on the bible in court doesn't the
bible say thou shalt not swear, what happened to gods laws? Government doesn't follow them
and your government has people thinking about
anything but gods laws. Why do people go to church on sunday when the bible says the lord
created the heavens and the earth in six days
and on the seventh day he rested, is'nt the
seventh day saturday, this is the sabbath day
and it's supposed to be kept by all, this is gods day that means no work, play or anything
else but prayer and relaxation pay attention to
god. Walk the narrow path to righteousness not
the wide path to distruction, see what happens
when we take the wide path?