Posted 9:57 PM
by Mary
"Fanning the Flame of Tolerance: The Role of the Media"
THIRD UNLEARNING INTOLERANCE SEMINAR OPENS 3 MAY 2005
AS PART OF WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY COMMEMORATION
The third seminar in the Unlearning Intolerance educational series of the
United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) will focus on “Fanning
the Flame of Tolerance: The Role of the Media”. It will be held at United
Nations Headquarters in New York on 3 May 2005 from 9:50 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
This seminar is being held in the context of DPI's commemoration of World
Press Freedom Day, held each year on 3 May. It will examine ways to counter
the effects of hate media and how the media can, should and, indeed, does
educate people by “fanning the flame of tolerance” through reporting and
confronting manifestations of intolerance around the world.
The seminar will be chaired by the Under-Secretary-General for
Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor. There will be a panel
discussion offering different perspectives on the educative role of the
press in countering hate today and in fostering tolerance and understanding,
as well as on ideas for confronting hate media more effectively. Speakers
will include journalists and experts dealing with media and issues relating
to tolerance and education.
The seminar will be webcast live at http://www.un.org/webcast.
Registration Information Registration is free.
To attend, please register online at
Registration The half-day programme will be open to members of the public,
non-governmental organizations and media representatives who register in
advance. Those in possession of a valid UN grounds pass, such as delegations
of United Nations Member States, UN-affiliated non-governmental
organizations and media representatives need not register.
Posted 8:44 AM
by Mary
newstandardnews.netCivil Rights Group Appeals to United Nations Over U.S. Torture
by Michelle Chen )
Apr 6 - In an effort to focus world attention on the treatment of
prisoners held by the United States government in the so-called "War on
Terror," a leading American civil rights group sent a delegation to
address the highest international body overseeing human rights
concerns.
Appealing to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) for
a resolution to condemn the interrogation and detainment practices
Washington has made policy in the post-9/11 period, representatives of
the American Civil Liberties Union say they are attending in order to
form a new front of sorts by which their organization -- usually
focused on domestic strategies -- can put pressure on the US
government.
The ACLU's presence at Geneva indicates a growing convergence between
international human rights movements and domestic campaigns indicting
the US for abusive tactics in its so-called "War on Terror."
This year's session of the Commission in Geneva, which will last until
April 22, is the first such meeting since the Abu Ghraib scandal
exposed the abuse of Iraqi detainees by the US military. The 53-member
Commission will deliberate with more than 3,000 representatives from
national governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The ACLU, historically known as a domestic advocacy organization, is
going before the international forum with the goal of bringing US
anti-terrorism practices into the light of both international
jurisdiction and public scrutiny.
In a statement issued on Monday, Jamil Dakwar, an attorney with ACLU's
Human Rights Working Group representing the organization in Geneva,
said, "No country is above the law, and the United States should not be
permitted to violate fundamental human rights in the name of national
security."
In the organization's official statement before the Commission, the
ACLU urged the members of the body to pressure the US "to take
effective measures to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman,
or degrading treatment in all places under its control and jurisdiction
. and to hold accountable those officials who encouraged, ordered,
sanctioned, or permitted such acts."
The ACLU also called for investigations into the treatment of
detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cuba, and in as-yet undisclosed
detention areas. Such inquiries, the group suggested, should be
conducted by "special [representatives], independent experts, and
chairpersons of the working groups" under the UNCHR.
In a phone interview from Geneva, Dakwar expressed optimism that due to
"both international and domestic pressure," the US government is "at
least showing an intent of cooperating with some of the international
mechanisms."
Manfred Nowak, the Commission's special envoy, or "rapporteur," on
torture -- one of several UN experts charged with investigating
violations of international human rights conventions -- reported during
a public briefing session that US representatives were engaging in
negotiations to open the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba for
investigation, possibly as soon as this year.
The so-called "Guantánamo detainees," some who have been held for more
than three years in connection with terrorism-related investigations,
have been stripped of due process rights and reportedly subjected to
severe mistreatment. International organizations, including the Council
of Europe and the International Committee of the Red Cross, have joined
US-based advocacy groups in condemning the detentions. Though more than
200 detainees have been released or transferred to the custody of other
governments, there remain approximately 540 detainees at Guantánamo,
according to a March 12 Department of Defense report.
If granted access to the detention center, UN special rapporteurs could
conduct independent investigations on whether the US military is
violating international human rights laws. Dakwar said that opening the
US-run detention center to an international probe would be an
unprecedented sign that the US is yielding to public pressure, from
within its borders and abroad, on torture-related controversies.
Dakwar noted that although the US has made overtures in the past to UN
officials about granting access to the Cuba military base, the talks at
this year's session suggest the US is more willing than before to
cooperate with the Commission's oversight authority.
"It wasn't just another meeting," commented Dakwar. However, he also
acknowledged that US officials could be using the Geneva talks "to just
create the expectation . that they will allow access" in hopes of
diverting pressure from the international community.
Beyond Guantánamo, Dakwar added that the ACLU will continue their
campaign "to open all US facilities, no matter where they are" to
investigation under the same international protocols that apply to
other countries.
