'Diplomatic Assurances' Allowing Torture

[Judi Lynn]

'Diplomatic Assurances' Allowing Torture
14 Apr 2005 22:55:15 GMT

Source: Human Rights Watch

(New York, April 15, 2005) Governments in Europe and North America are increasingly sending suspects to abusive states on the basis of flimsy "diplomatic assurances" that expose the detainees to serious risk of torture and ill-treatment, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The 91-page report, Still at Risk: Diplomatic Assurances No Safeguard against Torture, documents the growing practice among Western governments-including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands-of seeking assurances of humane treatment in order to transfer terrorism suspects to states with well-established records of torture. The report details a dozen cases involving actual or attempted transfers to countries where torture is commonplace.

"Governments that engage in torture always try to hide what they're doing, so their 'assurances' on torture can never be trusted," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "This is a very negative trend in international diplomacy, and it's doing real damage to the global taboo against torture."

States that offer such assurances include some of the most abusive regimes in the world-Syria, Egypt and Uzbekistan. Transfers have also been effected or proposed to Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Russia, and Turkey, where certain people-for example, suspected Islamists, Chechens, or Kurds-are singled out for particularly brutal abuse.

Torture is banned under international law. No exceptions are allowed, even in times of war or national emergency. The ban includes the absolute prohibition on transferring people to places where they face a risk of torture.
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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/e73a959d9fb86cf6990292cf051665ae.htm

[NVMojo]

1. The right wing followers of Christ strike again with love and compassion.

That's a set of morals and values I really want to have? NOT!!!