yawn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz On May 17, 4:07 am, VT Sean Lewis <[email protected]> wrote: > THE WHITE HOUSE > Office of the Press Secretary > June 26, 2003 > > STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT > > United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture > > Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of > Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity > with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront > to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world > where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law. > > Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention > Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, > ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since > 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical > or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. > Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue > regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the > human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of > the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. > These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to > justice. > > Notorious human rights abusers, including, among others, Burma, > Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Zimbabwe, have long sought to shield > their abuses from the eyes of the world by staging elaborate > deceptions and denying access to international human rights monitors. > Until recently, Saddam Hussein used similar means to hide the crimes > of his regime. With Iraq's liberation, the world is only now learning > the enormity of the dictator's three decades of victimization of the > Iraqi people. Across the country, evidence of Baathist atrocities is > mounting, including scores of mass graves containing the remains of > thousands of men, women, and children and torture chambers hidden > inside palaces and ministries. The most compelling evidence of all > lies in the stories told by torture survivors, who are recounting a > vast array of sadistic acts perpetrated against the innocent. Their > testimony reminds us of their great courage in outlasting one of > history's most brutal regimes, and it reminds us that similar > cruelties are taking place behind the closed doors of other prison > states. > > The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of > torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all > governments to join with the United States and the community of law- > abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all > acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual > punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all > its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their > diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and others in > supporting torture victims' treatment centers, contributing to the UN > Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts of non- > governmental organizations to end torture and assist its victims. > > No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in > fear of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock > foreshadow a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of > torture victims must end, and the United States calls on all > governments to assume this great mission. > > (end text) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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