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The Torture of Prisoners by the US Government
An Issue of Human Rights
BACKGROUND OF ISSUE: 1. Definition of human rights. 2. How human rights are being affected
in the world.
Webster’s Dictionary Definition:
Human Rights:
rights (as freedom from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution) regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons
WHAT IS HAPPENING? … the lives of individuals, their well-being
and sense of security continue to be scarred by torture on a daily basis…
…torture is reported with growing frequency from all regions of the world.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Discussion Point: Why is it important to defend human rights?
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE? Universal Declaration of Human Rights-
signed by the United States in 1882
Geneva Convention- signed by the United States in 1948
CASE STUDY: The Torture of Prisoners by the US Government
Why did we choose this area?
The treatment of prisoners is an essential part of human rights. All human being have rights, even those accused of criminal behavior.
We cannot fight terrorism using state terror. Jing Zhou USA
More than 100 detainees have died in U.S. custody since 2002.
27 of these cases were suspected or confirmed homicides.
In at least seven cases detainees were tortured to death.
Human Rights First (HRF)
US Detainees at Guantanamo Bay
“After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration considered
Guantanamo Bay a suitable place to hold men suspected of links to the Taliban and al Qaeda, contending that U.S. laws do not apply there because Guantanamo is not part of the United States. Lawyers for the detainees have challenged that interpretation ever since.” http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/06/24/afx2110388.html
“Of the more than 770 detainees who have
endured Guantánamo in its nearly seven-year lifetime, over 500 have been released without formal charges or trial. So far, of the 200 or more who remain in detention, only 23 have been charged with a crime.”
Human Rights Center University of California, Berkeley http://hrc.berkeley.edu/pdfs/Gtmo-Aftermath.pdf
Former US President Jimmy Carter states,
"Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights," Carter said. "We've said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we've said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime to which they are accused." http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/10/carter.torture/index.html
Essentially the United States, a country which was founded on the principles of human rights as stated in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence is now turning against the principles and beliefs on which it was created.
You Tubes on Torture of US Prisoners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCUydXTFgNQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpEzkL-iAbU
Amnesty International Based on this organization we propose to
begin our own human rights club at SAS called
Students for Justice (SFJ)
What Do You Think? What are the basic human rights that
everyone deserves?
In your groups come up with at least three human rights and write them on your paper.
I determine that the 'Taliban detainees are
unlawful combatants and…do not qualify
as prisoners of war under Article 4 of
Geneva……
Geneva does not apply to our conflict
with Al Qaeda…
Al Qaeda detainees do not qualify as
prisoners of war.
February 7, 2002
President George Bush
The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.
Thomas Jefferson
Students For Justice
Why should
we do
anything?
What can we do
as a community?
US citizens can write to their state representatives.
Non US citizens can speak up through organizations like Amnesty International.
•Join Model United Nations to see how the UN works and how we can have a voice through the Youth Assembly.
•Join organizations such as GIN (Global Issues Network) to focus on spreading the message through other schools.
It has long been recognized that an essential element in protecting human rights was a widespread knowledge among the population of what their rights are and how they can be defended.
-- Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Sixth UN Secretary-General, 1992-1996
The more people who know this is taking place, the more likely it is that we will speak up.
We can work together to say that human rights must be protected at all times.
Students For Justice (SFJ)
ACTION PLAN: What Will We Do?
Students for Justice (SFJ)
OUR AIM To raise awareness in the school community of the
torture of prisoners by the US government with the purpose of encouraging our community to join together with global communities to stop the torture of prisoners by the US government
Our Message
We need to raise awareness because the more people who know this is taking place, the more likely it is that communities will speak up. The US government is elected by the people. If people speak up and are supported by communities around the world, we can work together to say that human rights must be protected at all times.
Look at our wiki for ideas
www.studentsforjustice.com
Our Goals SHORT TERM GOALS
Learning more about this issue ourselves Raise awareness of the torture of US prisoners here at
Pudong
LONG TERM GOAL To continue to fight for the rights of prisoners
through high school, college and as an adult
In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me — and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Pastor Martin NiemoellerA German Anti-Nazi activist, 1960
SPEAK UP
Works Cited Slide 1: Human rights in Iran
Sajad Asadi (Iran) Slide 5: Violations imprison us all
Cyndy Patrick (USA) Slide 7:When lying on paper
human rights can hurt Simone Verza(Italy)
Slide 8: Abolish Torture Marlena Buczek-Smith (USA)
Slide 10: We cannot fight terrorism using state terrorJing Zhou (USA)
Slide 12: www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=taxonomy/term/39&page=3
Slide 13: The Guardian www.twf.org Slide 15: Slide 22:
http://www.filmtotaal.nl/images/newscontent/guantanamo/poster.jpg
Slide 37: Our T(Error)Michael Canturi (UK)
**Slides 1,6,8,9,11,37 from http://good50x70.org/2007/gallery/gallery03/