2/9/07: On Tuesday, 60 countries signed a treaty that bans governments from holding people in secret detention. The treaty came about through the efforts of families of people who have been “disappeared” by repressive governments. The United States, along with several Western European countries, did not sign on.
While US officials have not commented on exactly why they
have refused to sign, the fact that under the Bush regime, the CIA has
kidnapped “terrorism” suspects, taken them to secret “black site”
detention centers around the world, subjected them to torture, and
denied them any legal rights or contact with the outside world could
have something to do with it. And the fact that several Western
European countries have aided the CIA in this could have something to
do with why they haven’t signed.
Bush acknowledged the existence
of black site detention centers last September, but did not say he was
going to shut them down. The most powerful government in the world has
declared its right to completely violate the most basic tenets of
international law and kidnap and torture whomever it wants.
YOUR GOVERNMENT is openly torturing people, and justifying it. What are you going to do about it?