European Union Urged to Lead on Human Rights as U.S. Loses Moral Authority

[marmar]

from OneWorld.net, via CommonDreams:


Published on Friday, January 12, 2007 by OneWorld.net
EU Urged to Lead on Human Rights as U.S. Loses Moral Authority
by Haider Rizvi

NEW YORK - The Bush administration's failure to address international human rights concerns has prompted an unusual call from one of the world's leading human rights organizations.

With U.S. credibility undermined by the use of torture and detention without trial, the European Union must fill the global leadership void on human rights, New York-based Human Rights Watch said Thursday in releasing its World Report 2007.

"Since the U.S. can't provide credible leadership on human rights, European countries must pick up the slack," said the organization's executive director Kenneth Roth, who observed that instead, "the European Union is punching well below its weight."

The organization urged European countries to overcome bureaucratic obstacles that leave its leaders "mired in procedures," effectively tying the hands of those seeking a tougher approach to serious rights abuses.

The call came on the day that marked five years since the United States started sending terrorism suspects to Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. military base located in Cuba.

The authors of the 556-page report, which documents worldwide violations of human rights, said the U.S. abuses against detainees in Washington's so-called "war on terror" remained a major concern, as the Bush administration continued to defend torture by referring to it as "an alternative set of procedures."

Though a few prisoners have been released, more than 600 people are still locked up in the Guantanamo camp, where many have complained of severe torture and inhumane and degrading treatment at the hands of their captors.

Human Rights Watch and many other rights advocacy groups made fresh calls for the closure of the camp Thursday, noting that it was "long past time" to either bring to trial or set free the detainees who remain there.

Last October, when the international community and human rights organizations demanded fair trials for the prisoners, the Republican-led U.S. Congress flatly refused to entertain such requests.

But with the change of leadership in the Congress, it seems organizations like Human Rights Watch may find some reason to be hopeful about their demands. ......(more)

The complete article is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0112-05.htm

[NJCher]

1. A sad day for America

This is official recognition of the deplorable depths to which bush and cheney have taken us.

Sad, sad, sad. Very sad.



Cher

[marmar]

4. Truly.

To say that this administration's legacy will be disastrous is to say that water will be wet.

[Briar]

5. Let's see now

how much moral authority does the EU have? EU member the UK failed to condemn the execution of Saddam Hussein, despite the fact that the EU has outlawed that primitive and brutal penalty. Many EU members have aided and abetted the US in its rendition practices and the associated torture. Some may even have made bases available to provide facilities in which the disappeared are held and tortured. EU member the UK has failed to rescue its residents, held and tortured in Guantanamo. The EU as a whole has joined in with starving the Palestinian people because they had the temerity to elect a government of their liking rather than one of the US/Israel's. Not much of a record. The EU needs more backbone in standing up to the US before it can become a standard bearer for human rights.

[aquart]

2. God, that's humiliating.

[illinoisprogressive]

3. What a sad and shameful day for America. Actually, that was in 2000.

[rman]

6. Hopefully soon it will be revealed that the US never had any real moral authority,

nor did Europe.

Only then can we begin improving on the situation.