[governance] Reposting Workshop 3: Transnational enforcement

Tue Apr 20 21:09:49 EDT 2010

Check out this Article

http://en.rsf.org/etats-unis-cia-destruction-of-interrogation-19-04-2010,37079.html
accessed on 21st April, 2010

"CIA destruction of interrogation videos threats US credibility on human rights

It emerged on 15 April from emails released by the CIA under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that the agency’s then director,
Porter J. Goss, approved the 2005 decision by the head of its
clandestine service, José A. Rodriguez, to destroy dozens of
videotapes of brutal interrogations carried out on two detainees in
Thailand in 2002 because of concern that they would expose the CIA to
prosecution.

“This is like a scene from a bad movie that keeps on being replayed,”
Reporters Without Borders said. “The destruction of these videos is a
major violation of the freedom of information of American citizens and
the sovereign principle of the First Amendment.”

The press freedom organisation added: “It is now clear that the CIA
systematically tried to hide from the public the illegal interrogation
techniques used during the previous administration. How many more
cases of destroyed videos will we discover?”

The request for documents relating to mistreatment and torture in the
CIA’s secret prisons was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union
under the FOIA in 2003. On 2 March 2009, the federal authorities
acknowledged that 92 video recordings of interrogations were destroyed
in 2005. This is the second revelation of its kind.

According to The New York Times, quoting from the released emails, the
CIA’s director “laughed” when Rodriguez offered to “take the heat” for
the destruction of the videos and replied that he, Goss, would be the
one who took the heat.

We think it is repulsive to “take the heat” when the credibility of
the United States as regards human rights is at stake and we reiterate
the request we made in March of last year for the new Obama
administration to order a special investigation into this infringement
of the American people’s constitutional rights and to punish those who
are responsible.

US society cannot dispense with an investigation into the serious
abuses that were committed in the name of the “war on terrorism.” The
White House’s attempts to block requests for information are
counter-productive. Since 2003, the US authorities have released more
than 100,000 pages of documents about the mistreatment of detainees by
US soldiers. They show that many of them were tortured and that the
techniques used reached a high level of cruelty under the Bush
administration.

The NGO Judicial Watch filed a similar request on 15 May 2009 for CIA
documents relating to briefings about “enhanced interrogation
techniques” that were given to US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her
senior aide, Michael Sheehy. The government was supposed to release
them by 16 April 2010 but it has asked for more time".

© AFP

On 4/19/10, Eric Dierker <cogitoergosum at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I seldom write in derision of my country. But this evil notion of embargo of
> information and knowledge is not acceptable. Article 19 here is good and
> true and holds to almost all Americans belief
> http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/  Just a mere 6 months ago our SOS
> Hillary condemned in country censorship and denial of access in multiple
> countries yet she stands by and supports denying whole countries the same
> unfettered right to information.
>
> Both of the statements below fall far short of what is needed.  Diplomacy
> between nations is great but when political agendas thwart basic human
> rights that are universal they must be condemned with the strongest
> unambiguous language. This is not a time or situation to coddle and appease
> and work out. If this IGF cannot stand for this basic and well established
> notion then we must look inside ourselves and check the tenants or our own
> reasons for participation. Perhaps here we can see the true distinction
> between those here from a deep abiding commitment and those here as part of
> a job.
>
> --- On Sun, 4/18/10, Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
>
>
> From: Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net>
> Subject: Re: [governance] Reposting Workshop 3: Transnational enforcement
> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org, "Adam Peake" <ajp at glocom.ac.jp>
> Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010, 4:49 AM
>
>
>
>
> Adam Peake wrote:
>  When the Geneva WSIS documents were being negotiated Cuba tried,
> unsuccessfully, to get this paragraph in:
>
> "56. Access to information and communication technologies shall be secured
> in accordance with international law, bearing in mind that some countries
> are affected by unilateral measures which are not compatible with it and
> which create obstacles for international trade."
>
> Adam
>
> The Geneva Declaration of Principle does say, in para 46
>
>
> In building the Information Society, States are strongly urged to take steps
> with a view to the avoidance of, and refrain from, any unilateral measure
> not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United
> Nations that impedes the full achievement of economic and social development
> by the population of the affected countries, and that hinders the well-being
> of their population.
>
>
> Parminder
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Parminder
>
>
>
> ***********************************************************
> William J. Drake
> Senior Associate
> Centre for International Governance
> Graduate Institute of International and
> Development Studies
> Geneva, Switzerland
> <mailto:william.drake at graduateinstitute.ch>william.drake at graduateinstitute.ch
> <http://www.graduateinstitute.ch/cig/drake.html>www.graduateinstitute.ch/cig/drake.html
> ***********************************************************
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>      governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>      governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>
> For all list information and functions, see:
>      http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>
> Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>     governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>
> For all list information and functions, see:
>     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>
> Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t
>
>
> -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>      governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>      governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>
> For all list information and functions, see:
>      http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>
> Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t

-- 
Salanieta Tudrau Tamanikaiwaimaro
P.O.Box 17862
Suva
Fiji Islands

Cell: +679 9982851
Alternate Email: s.tamanikaiwaimaro at tfl.com.fj

"Wisdom is far better than riches."
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t