Human rights

June 12, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Boumediene v. Bush, which held that Guantanamo Bay prisoners have the right to contest their detention in federal courts:

Guantanamo Bay protest outside US Supreme Court: Photo by takomabibelot (CC)

“Today, our nation’s highest court again rejected the Bush Administration’s expansive view of executive power.    » read more »

12 June 2008 -- The United States said Thursday it has "persistently" expressed concern about human rights in Ethiopia with top officials in Addis Ababa, including alleged abuses in the Ogaden region. The comments follow an assertion by the monitoring group Human Rights Watch that the United States and key European countries have been silent on Ogaden rights violations.

Rural Addis Ababa: Photo by Travlr (CC)

The State Department says it is giving the Human Rights Watch report on the Ogaden careful study but it is rejecting out-of-hand the report's assertion of U.S. silence on Ethiopian human rights.    » read more »

June 3, 2008 -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today joined Massachusetts Democratic Representative Barney Frank and Wisconsin Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin in issuing the following Proclamation marking PRIDE Month:

"Today, on behalf of Democrats across America, we join together in celebrating the contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans and their families make to our society and reaffirm our Party's commitment to promoting full equality under the law for every American.    » read more »

Washington DC --02 June 2008 -- A new documentary "At the Death House Door" and a Virginia execution of convicted killer Kevin Green have once again stirred the controversy over capital punishment. New questions have been raised in recent years over the U.S. death penalty, as some officials say minorities and the poor are disproportionately put to death. In other cases, DNA tests resulted in the release of a few inmates who were scheduled to die.

On a Friday night in February 1983 a man with a knife walks into a Texas convenience store. The documentary "At the Death House Door" replays the conversation in which Wanda Lopez, a lone clerk, calls the police screaming for help while being attacked.    » read more »

Dublin, May 30, 2008 – The new cluster munitions treaty adopted in Dublin on May 30, 2008, will save thousands of lives for decades to come, with key treaty provisions stronger than even some of its staunchest supporters had expected, Human Rights Watch said today.

The treaty immediately bans all types of cluster munitions, rejecting initial attempts by some nations to negotiate exceptions for their own arsenals, as well as calls for a transition that would delay the ban for a decade or more.

In addition to the prohibitions on use, production, stockpiling, and trade, the treaty also includes very strong provisions requiring states to provide assistance to victims and to clean up areas affected by cluster munitions.    » read more »

Call Comes During Four-Day Visit to Pakistan

May 27, 2008 -- Islamabad, Pakistan - Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), during a four-day visit to Pakistan, called for the immediate and unconditional restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and all other judges illegally removed by President Pervez Musharraf during last year's emergency rule.

A colorful bus in Pakistan: Photo by Steve Evans (CC)

Senator Feingold also urged the Bush Administration to end its silence on the issue.    » read more »

Jerusalem / Tel Aviv (ICRC) – The Israeli authorities must take immediate measures to allow Palestinian families from Gaza to resume visits to their relatives detained in Israel, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today.

The family visits organized by the ICRC since 1967 had to be suspended on 6 June 2007 following a decision by the Israeli authorities. As a result, the parents, wives, husbands, sisters, brothers and children of more than 900 detainees have been deprived of direct contact with their detained relatives for almost one year. Detainees depend on these visits not only for psychological support but also for material assistance such as clothes and blankets.    » read more »

26 May 2008 -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has described Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip as "one of the greatest human rights crimes on Earth."

Mr. Carter was speaking Sunday at a literary festival in Wales. He told The Guardian newspaper that the Israeli blockade has led to what he calls the "imprisonment" of Gaza's 1.6 million Palestinians.

Israel and Egypt sealed their borders with Gaza after the Hamas militant group seized control of the territory last June. Israel continues to send fuel and humanitarian supplies to Gaza while blocking the regular crossing of people and goods.

Israeli leaders say the blockade is necessary to stop Gaza militants from firing rockets at Israeli towns.    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- The U.S. State Department said Wednesday a pending international treaty banning cluster munitions could have unintended consequences for international military cooperation in such areas as disaster relief. The United States and several other major military powers are not taking part in the 100-nation treaty talks in Dublin.

B-1B Lancer releashes cluster munitions: Air Force photo

State Department officials say they share international concern about civilian casualties caused by cluster bomb munitions lingering in former battle zones.    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- The United States has defended its policy of detaining juveniles in prisons in Iraq, and Afghanistan. The issue is expected to be high on the agenda Thursday when the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child examines U.S. compliance with U.N. rules on dealing with children in armed conflict.

In a report submitted to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, the United States acknowledges it has detained almost 2,500 youths under the age of 18 since 2002. Almost all have been detained in Iraq under President Bush's anti-terrorism campaign.

Washington says it is holding more than 500 juveniles suspected of being "unlawful enemy combatants" in detention centers in Iraq. Another 10 are being held at the U.S. base at Bagram, Afghanistan.    » read more »

Sen. Menendez, Reps. Lofgren and Conyers, along with representatives of the religious community and civil liberties advocates, push for passage of Detainee Basic Medical Care Act

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON—Today, a coalition of Members of Congress, representatives of the religious community and civil liberties advocates joined together to call for basic human rights for immigrants detained in the United States. The group was led by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), who are working to pass the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired a hearing today on global internet freedom and corporate responsibility. The hearing examined the role of U.S. internet companies in the suppression of freedom of speech and press in certain countries.

"Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed to all people and the advent of the internet has allowed billions of people to exercise this right more fully," Durbin said. "But many confront censorship and jail time for expressing themselves online. U.S. technology companies face difficult challenges when dealing with repressive governments, but they have a moral obligation to protect freedom of expression."    » read more »

May 13, 2008 -- MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today issued an executive order directing his administration to take significant steps to reduce racial disparities in Wisconsin’s justice system. Governor Doyle called for swift action to implement specific recommendations presented by his Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System.    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

May 12, 2008 -- Mr. President, I would like to speak for a few moments on another issue, and I ask that my remarks be printed at the appropriate place in the Record.

Mr. President, an urgent aspect of the immigration issue is the appalling lack of medical care available for immigrants held in custody of the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senator Menendez and I have introduced legislation today, the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008, to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to deliver timely and effective medical and mental health care to individuals in its custody.    » read more »

Subcommittee Authorizes Subpoena for Addington

May 6, 2008 -- (Washington, DC)- Today, the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties heard testimony from a panel of witnesses who agreed that there is no "ticking time bomb" that justifies harsh interrogation techniques that were approved in Bush Administration legal memos.

Protest sign, Washington, D.C.: Photo by Giovanni Variottinelli (CC)    » read more »