Daily archives: July 15, 2006


Dimming the beacon of freedom

From ACLU

GENEVA ‘ The American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Human Rights Network hosted a panel of people who have been victimized by the U.S. government’s failure to uphold civil and political rights. On Monday, the U.N. Human Rights Committee (HRC) is scheduled to review the United States’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a major international human rights treaty ratified by the United State in 1992.

The ACLU report, Dimming the Beacon of Freedom: U.S. Violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, documents the United States record on human rights in five areas: national security, women’s rights, racial justice, immigrants rights and religious freedom.

‘What I am seeking is an acknowledgement that the CIA is responsible for what happened to me, an explanation as to why this happened, and an apology,’ said Khaled El Masri, a victim of extraordinary rendition who spoke on the Voices of Victims panel. ‘It is my hope that the Human Rights Committee will hold the U.S. government accountable for the abuse I have suffered.’

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