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WikiLeaks Founder Urges US to Investigate Alleged Abuse by Its Troops
Julian Assange says claims in leaked documents yet to be investigated, as US faces UN grilling over human rights record
The founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has called on the US to investigate alleged abuses by its troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying it has a "proud tradition" of self-scrutiny.
Julian Assange made his comments as the UN human rights council prepares to examine the human rights record of the US. (Photograph: Valentin Flauraud/Reuters) Julian Assange says the US has not started any investigations into the alleged incidents detailed in thousands of documents published by WikiLeaks and has instead concentrated on tracking down those responsible for the leaks and on hounding his group.
Last month, WikiLeaks published 400,000 US field reports containing evidence that US soldiers handed over detainees to a notorious Iraqi torture squad. This followed a the publication of 75,000 documents in the summer revealing how coalition forces killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents in Afghanistan.
Assange made his comments ahead of a big diplomatic set piece in Geneva tomorrow, when America's human rights record comes under scrutiny before the UN human rights council for the first time. Every UN member is subject to what his called a universal periodic review every four years. The US is taking its moment under the spotlight seriously, sending a high-level delegation of some 30 officials to fend off expected attacks in a forum dominated by developing countries, many of them Muslim.
Iran has already begun sniping at the US. Earlier this week an Iranian foreign ministry official said Tehran was concerned about violations of human rights in western countries, particularly in the US.
"We are seriously concerned about the human rights situation in western countries and will bring up our points during the UN human rights council universal periodic review conference," said Ramin Mehmanparast, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.
In anticipation of criticism from countries such as Iran, the US said it was open to fair criticism of its record, while former senior American officials warned of political fireworks.
"There should be no illusions: the council is a highly political environment, and there is bound to be strong criticism of the United States on specific matters," said a comment piece in the New York Times co-written by Thomas Pickering, the former US ambassador to the UN.
While the US may brush aside attacks from the likes of Iran and Bolivia as highly partial, it cannot so lightly dismiss concerns from allies and friends. Britain, Japan, Norway have all raised concerns about the death penalty in the US.
"The UK remains concerned about the continuing use of the death penalty in the US, and particularly by evidence that the death penalty is administered in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner with an inevitable risk of miscarriages of justice," Britain said in a question submitted to the US. "Could you tell us what steps the administration is taking to address these concerns?"
Another pithy British question likely to make the Obama administration uncomfortable said: "Could you please outline the next steps needed to ensure the final closure of the detention facility in Guantánamo?"
Human rights groups have also piled in with their submissions. More than 300 activist groups, including Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union, have issued a separate 400-page report claiming that protection of fundamental freedoms has eroded since 9/11.
"Human rights advocates across America have not only documented substandard human rights practices which have persisted in the US for years, but also those that reflect the precipitous erosion of human rights protections in the US since 9/11," said Sarah Paoletti of the US human rights network.
"Whether it is migrant labourers who are excluded from workplace protections, children denied education because of the school-to-prison pipeline, or women denied equal pay in the workplace, advocates feel compelled to bring their experiences before international human rights mechanisms because the US legal system has fallen short."
A state department submission in August, written after extensive public consultation, said American was a democracy guided by "simple but powerful principles", but admits to discrimination against black people and Hispanics and a "broken" immigration system.
The US said it was at "currently at war with al-Qaida and its associated forces" but that it would comply with all applicable domestic and international law in armed conflicts and had ordered foreign detainees be treated humanely.
It pointed to a "free, thriving and diverse independent press", said it upheld freedom from religious persecution and had worked to ensure fair treatment of Muslims, Arab-Americans and South Asian communities affected by discrimination and intolerance since 9/11. It acknowledged concerns about the US justice system including capital punishment, juvenile justice, racial profiling and racial disparities in sentencing.
The UN general assembly created the 47-member human rights council in 2006 after its predecessor, the UN human rights commission, was discredited as a politicised forum which gave a platform to regimes with dismal human rights records.
- Posted in
50 Comments so far
Show All"While the US may brush aside attacks from the likes of Iran and Bolivia as highly partial, it cannot so lightly dismiss concerns from allies and friends. Britain, Japan, Norway"
Yes, any criticism from dumb brown Bolivian indians or greasy, smarmy shifty-eyed bearded Persians is indeed totally without merit!
You must be a make up artist. IGNORE just joking.
In Soulidarity.
"It pointed to a "free, thriving and diverse independent press"
Ha-ha-ha-haHa-ha-ha-ha
Ha-ha-ha-ha
Ha-ha-ha-ha
Ha-ha-ha-ha
(gasp)
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Doesn't the Stare department know that the US corporte news media is the laughingstock of the world? That it maintains the US populace in a state or ignorance not found anywhere in the world?
..hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
10/29/10
Assange Is 'Force-Feeding Truth To A World That Has No Stomach For It'
Here's an interesting assessment of the Wikileaks phenomenon and its prime mover, Julian Assange, that makes a lot of sense.
Alex Moore argues that Assange's countercultural mission is having a hard time finding a home in a world without counterculture.
He points up the differences between the way in which Daniel Ellsberg's leak of Vietnam war secrets, known as the Pentagon Papers, was greeted in 1971 and the response to Assange's recent web postings of secret information on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In the 1970s - when hippies were alive and kicking - there was "a generation that valued integrity and the principle of truth." People were concerned about the substance of the leaks, the discovery that the US president had lied to the people.
By contrast, even though the Wikileaks revelations tell of killings and torture in Iraq that are more shocking than those exposed by the Pentagon Papers, "all anyone seems to talk about is what a jerk the guy [Assange] is."
Ellsberg may have told the New York Times, "I've been waiting 40 years for someone to disclose information on a scale that might really make a difference", but, writes Moore, "the world has changed."
In Ellsberg's time, Assange's revelations would have incited mass protests and indignant calls for accountability. The government was the target. Now, we seem to be unsurprised by the substance of the leaks and instead of protesting about that, we appear to accept that Assange is a fair target.
Moore writes: "Assange's leaks do not inspire marches on Washington or palpable protests of any kind. President Barack Obama, for all his campaign rhetoric of transparency and integrity, hasn't praised Assange as a champion of truth...
"Even foreign governments whose agendas aren't complicated by hiding military secrets are hesitant to take him in.
"Assange may have been born at the wrong time. It's as if he's force-feeding truth to a world that has no stomach for it."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/oct/29/wikileaks-julian-assange
Mr. Moore's assessment is horribly depressing, but probably true. Integrity and truth are as out of style as powdered wigs and whalebone corsets. All that counts is whether the shadowy media forces declare a person is a hero or a dork - based on the most superficial appearances. Assange is most decidedly a nerdy dork - although his hair and dress would have been quite fashionable in the British new-wave-music scene of the early 80's.
I can't help but to think that this complete denial of anything with substance has to do with the capitalists strategy of total-saturation of the population with titillating electronic-media crap.
Homo-economicus electronicus.
I think it was Sean Penn who said we need "a revolution of truth-telling in this country".
How about Homo-headupassicus. :)
People were concerned .....
Now they're merely entertained...rite up to the last act.
where is Human Rights Watch on this? hiding in the gutter?
I believe Soros donated $100,000,000 to Human Right Watch on 7th September 2010. And George Soros is Obama supporter.
After all these years of the Cuban embargo...half a century and UN-Declarations unanimous except for the USA and Israel to lift the embargo you would think that at least one human rights group would list the restrictions of US citizens to freely travel to Cuba would be an issue.
Am I the only one to care that We do not have the right of association and free speech with Cuba?
Maybe next year.
As a USAn, one of the delightful shocks when visiting a Canadian city is seeing the ads for Cuban vacations on TV and in the subway statons.
Also:
No big-pharm drug ads on TV
No big monopolistic hospital corporation ads on TV
Much reduced public cell-phone and Ipod use
Incredibly harmonious ethnic diversity
A population that seems to be much happier, secure, and friendly.
thanks for that info & details which U R very good @.
In Soulidarity
I'm with you Jim.
I have some bad news for Mr. Assange. Santa called him a "REALLY bad boy" and he is not getting anything for Christmas either! Oh, Rita Katz is on that list too!.
Take this one step further: how about an independant investigation and prosecution of War Crimes, Treason, Crimes Against Humanity for the Bush regime and then later the Obama regime?
Of course that will never happen, and there is no historical precedent for it. The ruling class almost never is held accountable for their crimes, with a very few, yet notable historical exceptions.
Exactly what I was thinking. The people who started these invasions based on horrendous lies are the ones who should be investigated, prosecuted and tried First.
Were it not for the despicable and inhumane policies of the Cheney/Bush admin and all of the private, mercenaries they employed who developed these torture/killing protocols, the US soldiers would bet even be in Iraq or Afghanistan doing these things.
The French Revolution is certainly a notable exception. Perhaps we should wipe the cobwebs off Madame Guillotine.
YES an indi.investigation led by ummmmmm...eric holder.!
<<<
Yeah.
I saw today where George W. Bush had the audacity to ADMIT that he ordered torture as POTUS.
But I don't see Eric Holder going after Bush. He's too busy fighting marijuana legalization in Cali.
this is laughable,
Iran is a country that a person may be hung for being a homosexual
Iran has already begun sniping at the US. Earlier this week an Iranian foreign ministry official said Tehran was concerned about violations of human rights in western countries, particularly in the US.
"We are seriously concerned about the human rights situation in western countries and will bring up our points during the UN human rights council universal periodic review conference," said Ramin Mehmanparast, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.
Last year they hung a 17 year old woman for sitting in a car with a man,
human rights my ass
And Reza Shah Pahlavi and the Savak were such great people. If only the CIA could bring them back, ah the good ol days.
Now, when Iran is bombed, the US and Israel can kill off at least a few hundred thousand of those terrorist savages - women children and all. Just like Iraq, hey but when the Empire does it, it is not against the law.
So just hang in there awhile you will get what you want.
thanks for that mighty animal leap, that historic reflex of the dark past that its ugliness the empire has imposed on Iran. Having an active memory is vital to sea the present moment in the mirror of the hear & now.
Unfortunately in the American mirror all you can C is John Wayne, flags, bibles and Elvis in fun in Acapulco sadly Elvis did not ask Mexicans questions about the locals and who was establishing the various dictatorships in Latin America or the meaning of imperialism and cultural imperialism. He was himself victim of imperialism on smaller scale by Colonel Parker, who was a ruthless capitalist who used Elvis as a brand & an image of healthy capitalism to explore to the third world country,tragically we know how Elvis ended and we also know where the empire is heading.
Today they export military hardware and basis. In simple terms somebody played the mind of millions of Americans, seventy years of mind control, the good news, many millions are not buying it any longer, this conversation is IT.
Obama is right about one thing the change is undeniably happening but it has to start from U & I Now & here.
In soulidarity
was not at all what I was saying, I think you miss understood my intent. its was more of 'the pot calling the kettle black'
Personally I think the death penalty is a waist of time, appeal after appeal after appeal.
any how, life sentence, no parole, no release ever. Some crimes deserve that, some deserve worse than a rope, bullet or IV. Solitary confinement for ever really gets the message accross
The troops? Try starting at the Bush administration and going from there. Try high level politicos all the way up to the Presidency. Yeah, the troops.
Hang the politicians first, please.
"The US said it was at "currently at war with al-Qaida and its associated forces" but that it would comply with all applicable domestic and international law in armed conflicts and had ordered foreign detainees be treated humanely.
It pointed to a "free, thriving and diverse independent press", said it upheld freedom from religious persecution and had worked to ensure fair treatment of Muslims, Arab-Americans and South Asian communities affected by discrimination and intolerance since 9/11."
WOW. Talk about Orwellian-speak. This is truly 1984. The U.S. has done the exact OPPOSITE of all those things, but they can actually get an official to stand there and - with a straight face, no less - blatantly lie and say it hasn't.
How sad. The U.S. is like a huge, dumb giant with the IQ of a coffee table - it doesn't realize it is the laughingstock of the rest of the world, which for the most part both fears it, pities it, and just sadly shakes its collective head at its stupidity and ignorance. Nobody believes anything the U.S. says, and everyone now sees the U.S. for what it is for many years now: a dying, failing Empire that has lost its light and sunk into darkness. And the only one who doesn't see that is the U.S. itself, still clinging blindly to its illusions of grandeur.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
Going after the big guys is a total waste of resources. They will not pay for their crimes. I am very suspicious of people who concentrate only on criticizing the bigwigs, while honoring those who push the broom into innocent people's bodies as heroes.
I say we commit our resources to going after the soldiers asap. That's where we can get results. Saying that you were "ordered" to sexually torture innocent people is not a valid excuse. That defense was rejected at Nuremberg.
If we don't make those who commit the violence pay, they will continue to volunteer to go killing and sexually torturing innocent families in order to feed theirs. If they don't volunteer out of fear of paying for their crimes, Obama will NOT pick up a broom and stick it into Muslims' bodies himself.
When I was growing up, my mother used to say, "are you going to do your homework, or will you just join the military when you grow up?"
Most Western soldiers are cowards who are afraid of getting a job like everyone else.
Listening to the BBC yesterday (my time) I heard with a real shock/horror thrill..British Troops had tortured innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan... to a GREATER degree than had USA troops.. .I say 'horror' because I am English. (living in Australia). I now understand better the way Americans feel when they are told of their troops behaviour... far, far, far from being heroes they are murderous thugs.. given permission to be!
They don't like the slur.. neither did I concerning English troops. I had previously only read, concerning these troops that 'some few had tortured'....As if I shouldn't have known that this bit of reporting (english papers) was the tip of an iceberg.. and the iceberg itself was not to be made available to view.
The British guy speaking told of the orders FROM ABOVE that the troops should 'get the guys they pick up NAKED. That is to be the FIRST step on the road to toruture and humiliation.
That these Muslims GOT naked before others (males and females 'soldiers') was a measure of the torture they knew they would receive, or had received, if they did not 'do as they were told, 'quick-smart. They obeyed! One Brit solider, to the applause of the giggling of his 'comrades' masturbated on the backs of the kneeling 'terrorists', who had been dragged off the streets to be played with.
Now for the USA guy... he was a soldier over there and watched the tortures which settled down somewhat when some ruling came about to 'stop torturing'... .illegal. A couple of years ago.
He said he had to jump into a crowd of soldiers laughing and applauding a soldier who had leaped on to a naked terrified guy on the floor and had begun to strangle him.. He saved this man's life.
The soliders, the message was, felt free and encouraged to torture.. Not for subtle 'information' that any might have.. these were torturers enjoying with no legal consequence, innocents.. they tortured for 'legal' fun.
The American said : Humans have become a bunch of savage beasts... a bunch of savages...
A response during the interview was from a high ranking 'british' soldier... who spoke with a practiced plum in his mouth. We have been unable to verify any of these alleged tortures, no doubt there is some truth in some of the allegations.. but simply ridiculous AND IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVE accusations that not worthy of man hours following up the "hundreds, indeed 'thousands' (!!!) of complaints we receive.
IRAQIS : the USA soldier in Iraq said he was constantly being told : 'We were delerious with happiness when the British marched in to protect us, to bring democracy to our land.'
Within months they hated and feared... despised... these troops.
So it's not just American guys and girls... !!
~sc
"abnsmith November 4th, 2010 5:20 pm
this is laughable,
Iran is a country that a person may be hung for being a homosexual"
Or shot dead with hatred in the heart.. heads of abortion clinics for example.... Even for raped girls.......
Homosexuals are despised in Christianity - if the christians could get away with it.. they would all be 'deleted'.... same result as hanging. They already started that with the christian crusades, which have left muslims in their own country VERY, VERY wary.
We each have our own 'evil' things as the code of behaviour for our society (which changes as circumstances change)... much of which follows on from what the vicious god of the bible tells us to do. Like murder all the two years old..... like murder you son to show how much you worship me... etc.
~sc
Excellent point!
RAIN your thoughts R like WATER you R beautiful being.
In Soulidarity.
The US will stick to its cover story.
There was no doubt at the beginning of their terror,
That US forces sought blood for their own glory.
And that masses of troops have terrorist behaviour.
Citizens of other nations have zero rights,
Their bodies are target practice when the bold
US soldiers have them in their sights.
Death is an automatic weapon when blood runs cold.
Wounded natives are left to rot,
by the US that has never once cared,
for the people that they have shot.
Each bullet is a new terrorist made.
Not one US dollar is spent to resettle,
millions of refugees who fled for their lives,
their nation turned into a field of battle.
In their camps of neglect hope barely survives.
Future costs continue to mount world-wide.
Predictive consequence was overcome by pride.
The problem is that overwhelming military might,
is only destruction without spiritual insight.
Worse still, the US chooses to release this evil.
Knowingly selects every bomb, and relishes every kill.
History records that long before the twin towers fell,
Neocons planned invasions, and knew which stock prices would do well.
They selected which enemies they would like to have,
To whip up the US media hatred slather.
The most elaborate lies do they weave.
To give naked ambition a fig leaf cover.
Presented to the full worlds assembly,
Completely fabricated lies as honest facts,
When futher extending the rule of guns,
No legal rule can rescue what violence enacts
For the remaining future of this nation so special,
from the mouths of any media or government official.
never one single word should be truely believed.
World wide war-criminal plots are often concealed.
ASSANGE - If you are 'struck down with a box of pills beside your bed' or 'struck down from being run-over' or 'struck down as you walk in the woods and slit your own wrists'...(the englishman Kelly refers!)what would we do without people who are like you?
Our rulers, like the alleged ruler of all things : the'God' of the bible, will strike you down as this 'God' smote Lucifer down for daring to enLIGHTen the children.
~sc
Mr. Assange should pick his successor and his successor's successor at once. And they should never be at the same place at the same time.
Julian Assange says the US has not started any investigations into the alleged incidents detailed in thousands of documents published by WikiLeaks and has instead concentrated on tracking down those responsible for the leaks...
Gee, I wonder who they will track down first...Julian Assange or Osama bin Landen ??? It's obvious which one they actually want to track down and which one they don't.
Of course, there many differences between Assange and bin Laden. Assange is actually alive and when he appears on tape, the tapes are really him.
Why should they track down Bin Laden? Do you have evidence that Bin Laden did anything wrong? If so, I'd like to seee that evidence.
And if you're referring to 9/11/01, I suggest you look into the facts, because, among other things, the gov't claims that
1) A jumbo plane crashed into a grassy field and left ZERO wreckage
2) A jumbo plane crashed into the Pentagon and left ZERO wreckage
3) A plane... an ALUMINUM TUBE designed to be as light as possible, went through dozens of the world's strongest steel columns at the WTC, and the nose exited intact on the other side od the building.
4) WTC 7 fell just because the leaseholder said "pull it!" He collected several billions on his monthlong "terrorism" insurance investment.
5) In a Freudian moment, Rumsfeld said the plane was shot down over Pensylvania
6) Many of the "highjackers" (lol... highjackers!) are alive.
ASSUMING THAT 9/11 WAS CARRIED OUT BY ARAB MUSLIMS IS RACIST, IGNORANT AND DANGEROUS!
ps: Google "Operation Norwood".
Julian Assange says the US has not started any investigations...
Don't worry, when the US does start an investigation of the WikiLeaks revelations Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton will be the co-chairs and Philip Zelikow will be the executive director.
They'll get to the bottom of it.
I thought that Joseph McCarthy died a long time ago. Is he the one that's running the "free and independent press?
like daggers, Assange's words penetrate the heart of the american empire.
I am afraid these "daggers" barely penetrate the rhino like skin of the Amercan "support the troops" mentality.
in denial, the heart-less body will be going through the motion for a while.
The United Nations should investigate this human rights abuse disgrace even if it has to through the Human Rights Council and let the US secretary of state go kiss a booty. She is absolutely a war mongering jack ass. The fact that she's still in that office says all that needs to be said about the current US president.
The United States likely will have no problem at all with the United Nations. U.S. officials can threaten to pull the purse strings closed, as usual - if there's any borrowed money left.
One big problem with the United Nations is its undemocratic Security Council. As long as most countries are excluded from it, peace is going nowhere. I'm still scratching my head over U.N. support for the occupations of Haiti and Afghanistan. Why?
Maybe Obama can pull out his shocking Nobel Prize speech again. His ideas about the necessity of maintaining a violent state in a "dangerous world" (largely in reaction to U.S. foreign policies) seemed to go over well back then. It was his inverse MLK moment.
The body count grows day by day in senseless wars. How many more will be tolerated for a few dollars more.
-TIA
"The US said it was at "currently at war with al-Qaida and its associated forces" "
Not really; it is though at war with itself.
The party of punishment has been in power in America for decades. Conservatives especially Christians have advocated the most outrageous cruel and unusual punishments in America and throughout the world with supporting and training in the school of the Americas death squads; torture (of even Nuns and Priests); killing union leaders, teachers ,organizers for farm workers;family planning reproductive health clinics and anyone who helped the poor were branded communist or socialist and targeted. Now many who are Muslim men and help the poor are profiled as connected to terrorism. Muslim men are preemptively imprisoned through trial convictions based on Islamaphobia. This is less known about than the internment camps for Japanese but just as much a violation of human rights. Children, mentally ill and retarded, and mostly poor people get the death penalty.The punishers want to imprison women who get abortions for health ,rape or incest reasons. The Iraq first war, sanctions, and second war were a punishment for using chemical weapons with U.S. help and fighting wars against Iran with U.S.help and false accusations of WMD and connection to 9-11. Constitution be damned, cruel and unusual punishment is the law of the land.
constitution is like the bible. it has nothing to do with reality, has done nothing for justice, and means what those in power want it to mean.
Most will jump on the "hang the traitor" train, to score nauseating patriotic points with their neighbors.
Now that Bush publicly admits he okayed waterboarding, torture according to the laws of most countries including the US, what government will be the first to issue an arrest warrent?