Human Rights Abusers Of The World

[Good Doctor HST]

Okay, here are some key quotes from Mr. Boschwitz's address to the chairman of the U.N. and editorialized comments by me:


"Mr. Chairman,

As President Bush's representative to this 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, let me assure you that he views these proceedings as key to his Administration's efforts to promote human rights and democracy worldwide, part of what he calls his 'forward strategy for freedom.' (By the way, thanks for letting the U.S. back..... the U.S. was kicked out in 2001 for opposition to treaties to abolish land mines, the International Criminal Court and availability of AIDS drugs to all countries in need.)
"The United States particularly values this segment of the Commission -- when we focus on the situation of human rights in specific countries around the world. We are convinced that reinforcing positive developments when they occur is an important part of the work of this body.

My fellow delegates, though some of you would prefer to dispense with Item 9, it is not sufficient for this body to condemn the abuses but shy away from naming the abusers. Speaking clearly about all those regimes that commit such abuses is necessary if this Commission is to retain its credibility.

Distinguished Delegates,
We find ourselves in an extraordinary era of progress for human rights and democracy. Around the world -- mostly notably in the broader Middle East and Eurasia -- freedom is on the march."

"In the three years since the fall of the Taliban regime, the people of Afghanistan have struggled against terrorism and traditional ethnic, religious and tribal cleavages, to extend fundamental rights to women and minorities, open their society to unprecedented political competition and freedom of expression, and to craft a new constitution faithful to their values and way of life." (By the way, there's now many thousands of Afghanis exterminated courtesy of carpet-bombing from 30,000 ft. by the U.S. while trying to kill one man, who's still missing to this day.... Gore Vidal once said that bombing Afghanistan to eliminate terrorism is like bombing Palermo, Sicily to eliminate the Mafia)

On January 30, Iraqis took an important step toward democracy, when millions braved violence and threats to cast their votes in the most democratic and transparent election in their history." (Once again, an unnecessary war, still being fought under false pretenses, maiming 100,000+ Iraqi civilians and 1,500+ U.S. soldiers, paved the way....)

"Sadly, as we look around the globe, some states with long, democratic traditions or more recent democratic transitions, have taken perceptible movements back toward patterns of political authoritarianism, constraints on freedom of the press, restrictions on political competition, and executive influence over their judiciaries.

My government shares others' concerns that Ukraine's recent progress stands in contrast to current trends in it's giant neighbor, Russia, where regression toward the concentration of power in the Kremlin poses questions for that country's democratic transition." (They're probably sore that we took over their major oil supplier in aforementioned faulty war. What have they done for us though, I mean, except warn us repeatedly about hijacked airplanes and Al Qaeda days before 9/11?)

"The Government of Venezuela has increased its control over the judicial system and its interference in the administration of justice, packing the Supreme Court with loyalists and using the judiciary to harass political opponents." (That's upcoming for the U.S., when Bush packs the Supreme Court with friends. Our supreme judiciary has only harrassed enough to determine the outcome of a presidential contest in 2000, nothing major....) "The Venezuelan Government has brought criminal charges of "defamation" against individuals for making statements critical of government officials or the military." (See, here in America, we can openly criticize the president too.... as long as it's a mile away from wherever he happens to be and inside a fenced area)

More To Come.... Stay Tuned.....

[Good Doctor HST]

And We're Back.....


Cuba: "The majority of the 75 dissidents jailed in 2003 remain incarcerated. While 14 were released late last year, we note that these people were seriously ill and should never have been imprisoned in the first place. Moreover, the Cuban Government continues to hold at least 300 other political prisoners." (Ummm..... Guantanamo Bay? Ever heard of it?

Or, better yet, how about stuff that happens in the U.S. of A.? Following Info from soundvision.com:

1. The US government has secretly arrested about 1,200 non-US citizens in connection with the investigation into the 9/11 terror attacks, although the government has not disclosed the exact number. Most of them are from the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa. A number of these people were arrested during random meetings with law enforcement officials or the suspicions of neighbors based on their being Muslim, Arab or South Asian, according to an August 2002 Human Rights Watch report.

2. Some of these detainees have been held for prolonged periods without charges and have not been allowed access to legal counsel.

3. These people have also been subjected to forced interrogations.

4. The US government has overridden judicial orders to release these detainees on bond during immigration proceedings.

5. A minimum of 752 men, were jailed on immigration charges. Meanwhile, the government continued to investigate them, and kept them in detention until it decided they had no links to or knowledge of terrorism.These were called "special interest" cases. In February 2002, the US Justice Department admitted that most of the people jailed in connection with the investigation into the 9/11 terror attacks and who were also charged with immigration violations (called "special interest" cases) were not connected to terrorism. These people were eventually deported for violating their visas.

"We remain concerned about the Chinese Government's lack of commitment to improve its poor human rights record, despite the willingness of my and other countries to help. We have engaged with the Chinese in a broad discussion about political and religious freedoms, and our discussions on these issues will continue." (Hey, they ratted us out first, bringing up our secret torture policy toward detainees captured in the U.S. and then sending them to torture-happy countries who will do our bidding)

"In neighboring North Korea, we remain deeply concerned about continued reports of torture and execution for political and religious reasons, severe punishment of some repatriated citizens, and extensive state use of starvation, prison camps, forced labor, pervasive surveillance and extreme repression." (We've covered the torture and punishment parts, how about pervasive surveillance? Would that be like wiretapping random lines, monitoring online activity, items within the Patriot Act/II? And prison? As of 2003, 2,078,570 prisoners were incarcerated in the U.S., about 1 in 150 persons)

"Mr. Chairman,

The U.S fully supports efforts by the Commission and others to help governments seeking to transition to greater freedom. We enthusiastically support the High Level Panel's recommendation to beef up the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to give advisory services and offer that help." (Office of High Commisioner: Louise Arbor, from Canada. Good thing the U.S. has been getting buddy-buddy with our Northern neighbors lately....) "We co-tabled a resolution at the Commission's last session to make the High Commissioner's office a focal point in the UN for promoting democracy and rule of law, and made a voluntary contribution to fund that function. Yet this Commission must speak up on behalf of the international community to identify those regimes unwilling to seek help and deserving moral opprobrium." (I'm trying to identify one often forgotten....)

"As I have just highlighted, freedom and the ability to choose one's government" (see Black Box voting scandals, Diebold voting machines, etc....) "still elude many people in many portions of our globe." (We understand completely) "But let the message of these deliberations be one of hope and promise to the oppressed. As is the mandate of this Commission, let our work on Item 9 of the Commission's agenda be the embodiment of the United Nations' commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who live in tyranny and hopelessness. As the primary institution for the protection of human rights in the UN system, our message to these true patriots of their nations must be that you are not ignored and you are not forgotten, and we will not excuse those who are responsible for your oppression."