Washington, DC
July 4, 2011
Independence Day is a uniquely American celebration of the values of justice, equality, the rule of law, and above all – liberty. Freedom. Freedom of religion, of association, of speech. Freedoms that are guaranteed to us in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. With the July 4 holiday in sight, it might be well to reflect for a moment on the plight of those whose basic freedoms are denied to them. This article discusses the role of the U.S. towards countries that use imprisonment and torture to intimidate their citizens.
There was a lot of political activity on Capitol Hill last week in regards to U.S. policy on the issues of international human rights, civil liberties, and the use of torture. Congressional committees in both the House and the Senate explored these themes in an effort to define the U.S. role in dealing with countries that violate the rights of their citizens by the use of torture and intimidation.
On the House side, the Lantos Commission co-hosted a briefing with the Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition (TASSC). The briefing panel of witnesses included torture survivors from Syria, Ethiopia, Philippines, Honduras, Pakistan, and India. Each of the panelists’ stories was uniquely horrific, and each of them sought to address how an adjustment of U.S. involvement with the governments of their respective countries could improve the situation and prevent more people from undergoing the atrocities that they went through. Their recommendations centered upon 2 themes: 1) accountability, and 2) international pressure.
Accountability – It has been a long-standing tradition of the United States to provide military funding and support to the governments of countries it wishes to prop up. From Latin America in the 1980’s to Africa in the 1990’s to the current fronts in the war against terror (the Middle East and Asia), military funding from the U.S. and its allies often makes its way to government officials who are desperate to remain in power and use the money accordingly. Instead of promoting stability, U.S. support has been used by corrupted leaders to conduct their own ‘reigns of terror’ by targeting political opponents, domestic legal activists, peaceful protesters, journalists and even medical personnel who treat the wounded in government clashes. Is this the best use of our tax dollars? Is this a realistic foreign policy?
At the very least, strategies must be put in place to determine whether funding is used for the purposes for which it is intended.
A more sustainable, less intrusive method of U.S. support may be to provide funding to the country’s internal non-governmental organizations which provide services such as health care, education, labor training, democracy training, and infrastructure support. Thus, huge amounts of money are not funneled to a central location or leadership which is susceptible to theft and corruption. Accountability methodologies can be put in place and tested continuously to evaluate what works and what doesn’t. This is a more rational, peaceable, and long-term solution which will yield better results in the long run in terms of stability, competency, and good-will towards the U.S.
The international community must pressure rogue nations to conform to international standards.
All countries must honor their international human rights commitments. Global organizations such as Amnesty International and the International Red Cross, domestic organizations which monitor human rights and civil liberties, and heads of state responsible for foreign affairs must speak out against nations large or small which blatantly and continuously violate the freedoms of their citizens with the use of torture and intimidation. Institutions such as the U.N. must review and investigate all allegations of human rights violations, put an end to such abuses, and seek to bring perpetrators to justice in tribunals such as the International Criminal Court.
In the case of the United States, its relationships with other countries must reflect its status as a world leader, a powerful democracy, a member of the United Nations, and a current member of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Its values must reflect the democratic principles upon which it was founded – life, liberty, truth, and justice for all – and it must stop bowing to the ‘sensitivities’ of such countries as China and India who routinely use torture and intimidation to suppress the rights of their citizens. We need to present the values of freedom and tolerance, and let the world know that this is where we stand.
Our country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light, protect us by thy might, great God our king