Human rights

October 16, 2009 -- (Washington D.C.) - The Congressional-Executive Commission on China published its 2009 Annual Report on October 14. The Commission was created by Congress in 2000 to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China. The full text of this year’s report is available at www.cecc.gov, along with a PDF containing case records of 1,279 political prisoners currently detained or imprisoned in China.    » read more »

Congress recently reached agreement on landmark legislation that brings our nation closer to living up to its ideals.

October 16, 2009 -- "Senate and House negotiators included the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The act, which I helped shape as the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will soon become law.

The hate crimes language included in the act has passed both houses of Congress in the past. Existing law gives federal officials jurisdiction over crimes of violence which are committed because of a person's race, color, religion, and national origin. The new language adds gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and membership in the military.    » read more »

October 6, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired a second hearing today on the U.S. government’s efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute suspected human rights abusers found to be living in America. Durbin’s first hearing on the subject was in late 2007.

“Two years ago, this Subcommittee held the first-ever Congressional hearing on the enforcement of human rights laws in the United States. While progress has been made, there is still much more to be done,” Durbin said. “The world is watching us closely. When we bring human rights violators to justice, foreign governments are spurred into action, victims take heart, and future perpetrators think twice.”    » read more »

United States Senator Roland W. Burris Delivers Floor Statement on Senate Resolution to Apologize for Slavery

June 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Roland W. Burris today delivered a statement on the Senate floor supporting Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) for their introduction of a resolution to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow laws, and policies of segregation and hate.

Senator Burris made the following remarks from the Senate floor:    » read more »

Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee Holds Hearing To Examine ‘Prolonged Detention’

WASHINGTON -- June 9, 2009 – A Senate Judiciary Committee panel Tuesday morning will consider the consequences of ‘prolonged detention’ of detainees held in U.S. custody. The Subcommittee on the Constitution, chaired by Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), will hear testimony from a panel of six witnesses. Member statements, witness testimony, and a live webcast of the hearing are available online.

Full Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following statement at the hearing.

Statement Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),

Chairman, Committee On The Judiciary,

Hearing On “The Legal, Moral, and National Security    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today vetoed HB 6578, An Act Concerning the Penalty for a Capital Felony, which sought to eliminate the death penalty as a sentencing option in Connecticut.

A copy of the Governor’s veto message is attached.

June 5, 2009

The Honorable Susan Bysiewicz

Secretary of the State

18-20 Trinity Street

Hartford, CT 06106

Dear Madame Secretary:

I am hereby returning without my signature HB 6578, An Act Concerning the Penalty for a Capital Felony. This bill eliminates the death penalty as a sentencing option for crimes committed on or after the bill's effective date.    » read more »

But US Needs Stronger Message for Repressive Regional Allies

June 4, 2009 -- (Cairo) – President Barack Obama’s much-anticipated June 4, 2009, speech to the Muslim world avoided confronting authoritarian governments directly, but sent a welcome message that Washington would not let the prospect of empowering Islamist parties deter it from supporting democracy in the region, Human Rights Watch said today.    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) welcomed North Dakota native Roxana Saberi home to North Dakota today, four months after she was first arrested in Iran.

A statement from Senator Dorgan follows.
TEXT OF STATEMENT
BY SENATOR BYRON DORGAN

May 29, 2009

“Roxana Saberi and her family have been through a lot in the past four months. She was wrongly arrested and imprisoned, falsely accused of being a spy, sentenced to eight years in prison, and finally released after an outpouring of support from people around the world.

“After all of that, it feels good to welcome Roxana home to North Dakota.    » read more »

New Report Charts Changing Global Opinion Against the Weapon

May 29, 2009 -- (Geneva) - The prohibition on cluster munitions is firmly taking hold as more countries join the new treaty banning the weapon and hold-out states shift their policies in the right direction, says a report jointly released today by Human Rights Watch, Landmine Action, and Landmine Monitor.    » read more »

28 May 2009 -- More than six decades of human rights failures by governments have been exacerbated by the world economic crisis, which brought the problems of poverty and inequality to the fore, according to Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

"It’s not just the economy, it’s a human rights crisis: the world is sitting on a social, political and economic time bomb," said Irene Kahn as she launched Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of the world’s human rights.

Billions of people are suffering from insecurity, injustice and indignity around the world. In many cases, the economic crisis made matters worse, with millions more sliding into poverty.    » read more »

28 May 2009 -- Amnesty International’s Secretary General has called on the G-20 grouping that brings together the world’s leading economies to lead by example and show real commitment to human rights.

"To be truly global leaders, the G-20 must subscribe to global values and confront their own tarnished records and double standards on human rights", said Irene Khan as she launched Amnesty International’s annual report on the state of the world’s human rights.

The G-20 is made up of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK, USA and the EU.    » read more »

05/22/2009 -- WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed an amendment last night introduced by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) which establishes a procedure to block release of the detainee photos.

Last week, after consulting with General Petraeus, General Odierno, and others, President Obama decided to fight the release of photographs that depict the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody. Those photographs are the subject of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) yesterday reintroduced the Vietnam Human Rights Act to address systematic human rights abuses in Vietnam, including religious and political persecution.

Senator Boxer said, “Unfortunately, another year has gone by and Vietnam has yet to significantly improve its human rights record. The Vietnamese government continues to arrest democracy and human rights activists, trade union leaders, journalists, bloggers, and many others. I support a strong U.S.-Vietnam relationship, but for that relationship to grow further, Vietnam must make some key changes. It's time for Vietnam to end its religious and political persecution once and for all.”    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) released the following statement last week in response to recent charges brought against Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi:

“The Obama Administration and Congress are reviewing America’s policy toward Burma. At this critical time, some in the junta are trying to leverage the recent alleged unauthorized entry into Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound to extend her detention. This action sends precisely the wrong message to the citizens of Burma, the people of Southeast Asia, and all those in the global community who seek for the Burmese people the opportunity to live in a country where universal human rights are respected, not trampled.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- Senator Judd Gregg last week released the following statement regarding the criminal charges filed against Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi by the ruling junta:

“The only thing criminal about Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been the abusive injustices she and her supporters have suffered under the State Peace and Development Council. Her transfer from house arrest to prison to face criminal charges is a serious matter that deserves the strongest condemnation from the world’s democracies – and from regional neighbors, including Thailand and China,” Senator Gregg stated.    » read more »