Human Rights Watch asks for a revamping of abusive practices

Among the many headaches President-elect Barack Obama will have to deal with when he takes office is what to do with the network of repressive measures spun by the Bush Administration in the context of the "war on terrorism." Many rights groups are already asking for a revamping of these measures. But there will certainly be strong pressure to maintain the counter-terrorism structure edified over the past eight years.

 

Among the groups demanding a revamp of present measures is  the Washington based Human Rights Watch (HRW) which has recently outlined 11 steps it considers Obama should take to reform U.S. counterterrorism practices. These include: "Closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, requiring the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to abide by the humane interrogation rules that apply to the military, and putting an end to renditions to torture."

In view of the upcoming debate on the issue of treatment of prisoners and how best to deal with the problem of terrorism, HRW’s recommendations are sure to be discussed inside and outside government circles. Since the issue of protecting basic human rights is sure to spark renewed discussion on how the struggle against terrorism should be carried out, it is of interest to contemplate the measures advocated by HRW, whose recommendations follow:

 

·       Close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay;

·       Abolish the military commissions and prosecute terrorist suspects in federal court;

·       Reject preventive detention (detention without trial) as an alternative to prosecuting terrorist suspects;

·       Reject the “global war on terror” as the basis for detaining terrorist suspects;

·       Issue an executive order to implement the ban on torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;

·       End the CIA detention program;

·       Prohibit renditions to torture;

·       Account for past abuses;

·       Provide redress for abuse;

·       Repudiate Justice Department memos and presidential directives that permit torture and other abuses; and

·       Protect innocent victims of persecution abroad from being defined as terrorists.

More information on HRW views is available at::
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/10/29/usdom20099.htm