Most of my first postings have focused on tools for change, and rarely on the subject matter—the actual messages—that ought to be addressed by our society.
Today’s post represents a progress from theory to content:
Democratic societies are failing to eradicate the use of torture, and are now embracing it.
As a student of human rights and given a career working for international causes, I have come to begrudgingly accept that there are places in the world where despots and military dictators employ torture with impunity. The rights of so many are trounced by the privileged (or armed) few in Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Zimbabwe, Nigeria…
But I am ashamed to see torture—or more euphemistically, advanced interrogation techniques—now have become a necessity in our North American fight to protect our freedom.
Simply read through the report of the International Committee of the Red Cross on the documented role of the American government in sanctioning torture during the previous administration.
It is chilling.
Even Ronald Reagan, who is regarded by some as being responsible for significant aggression in US foreign policy (the Reagan Doctrine), was ardently against the use of torture for any purpose when, in 1988, he signed the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Although the full text of Reagan's statement is available here, I’ve copied the most relevant statement as follows:
"Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today."Let’s compare this noble statement to the words of former VP, Dick Cheney, reported in Politico, Feb 4, 2009 and quoted in the Red Cross report:
"If it hadn't been for what we did—with respect to the...enhanced interrogation techniques for high-value detainees—then we would have been attacked again."
And the most discouraging fact? Virtually everyone knows that torture yields confessions or information that is unreliable at best, and a lie at worst. Even the US military! Note the following quotation, given at a Department of Defense News Briefing with Deputy Assistant Secretary Stimson and Lt. Gen. Kimmons from the Pentagon on September 6, 2006:
"No good intelligence is going to come from abusive practices. I think history tells us that. I think the empirical evidence of the last five years, hard years, tells us that."
We are living in an oxymoron. The more freedoms we curtail in the name of security and self preservation, the less freedom we have. We are living in the protected, relatively safe confines of our own rules, and now we are breaking our own rules.
Here are five ways that you can help ensure that we don’t become victims of ourselves:
1. Remain informed of human rights issues through one of the following organizations: Amnesty International , the Canadian Centre for International Justice , Human Rights Watch, and Relief Web.
2. If something that is said in the political arena makes you feel uncomfortable, contact your member of parliament for more information.
3. Visit this site to learn more about the positions of your MP on the discussions and votes in parliament. They are speaking for you.
4. Read “around” the current media by searching online for different perspectives. Consider using the Google “Alerts” function to amass news postings on key words and have the links sent directly to your inbox.
5. (Re)visit the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights to remind yourself of the basic human rights, and to reflect on the value of those rights in your life, your career, your community and your family.
Note particularly the following articles:
Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 28: Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Torture is unecessary, ineffective, unjust and cruel.
The use of torture for any reason belittles us all.
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Well put.
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