April, 06 2021, 12:00am EDT
The Biden Administration Must Revise Its Landmine Policy
In response to a statement today by the Department of Defense reiterating that the United States would continue to develop and use landmines, Adotei Akwei, the advocacy director at Amnesty International USA said:
"It is hard to imagine a policy more outdated and destructive than United States policy on antipersonnel landmines. The decision to continue the development and deployment of landmines is deadly and dangerous. The Biden administration must immediately reverse this decision and it should join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.
WASHINGTON
In response to a statement today by the Department of Defense reiterating that the United States would continue to develop and use landmines, Adotei Akwei, the advocacy director at Amnesty International USA said:
"It is hard to imagine a policy more outdated and destructive than United States policy on antipersonnel landmines. The decision to continue the development and deployment of landmines is deadly and dangerous. The Biden administration must immediately reverse this decision and it should join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.
"Landmines are inherently indiscriminate weapons that maim and kill long after conflicts end. They should not have a place in the arsenal of any country. This landmine policy starkly sets the U.S. apart from its allies. It is in direct opposition with President Biden's aspirations to be a global human rights leader - for the United States to truly be a leader, it must change its land mines policy as soon as possible."
Background
The global community came together to reject this weapons ban through the 1997 Mine Ban treaty to which 164 countries are state parties, including every other member of NATO. While still not a signatory, the U.S. has functionally adhered to several provisions of the Mine Ban Treaty - except those that would prohibit the U.S. from ordering the use of landmines on the Korean peninsula. The United States has not used antipersonnel landmines since 1991, excluding the use of a single munition in 2002; it has not exported them since 1992 and has not produced them since 1997.
This statement is available at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/the-biden-administration-must-revise-its-landmine-policy/
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.
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Trump has picked Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She has stated that it must be "made unsafe" for hospitals to provide trans care, and frequently shares Libs of TikTok posts. She intends to target trans people in blue states. Subscribe to support my journalism.
[image or embed]
— Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) December 10, 2024 at 8:14 AM
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