Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.

By Mailstrom
Contributor profile | More stories

Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

US Defies the UN

Thursday, March 12, 2015 21:19

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

A United Nations investigator has accused the U.S. of blocking access to prisons—including state and federal facilities where an estimated 80,000 people are in solitary confinement and the military prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba—leading civil liberties experts to wonder, “Is the United States hiding something?”

Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday that for two years he has asked to visit federal prisons in New York and Colorado and state prisons in New York, California, and Louisiana, among others. Meanwhile, UN human rights experts have asked to visit Guantanamo since 2004. He rejected the terms offered by U.S. authorities to visit Guantánamo, which he described thusly: “The invitation is to get a briefing from the authorities and to visit some parts of the prison, but not all, and specifically I am not allowed to have unmonitored or even monitored conversations with any inmate in Guantanamo Bay.”

Jamil Dakwar, head of human rights at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), criticized the U.S. for dragging its feet on the requests. “It’s simply outrageous that it’s taking such a long time to provide access to American detention facilities,” he said. “This begs the question: is the United States hiding something?”

According to the ACLU, more than 80,000 people are held in solitary confinement in the United States on any given day. “The numbers are staggering but even worse is the length of terms…It is not uncommon for people to spend 25, 30 years and even more in solitary confinement,” Méndez said.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/03/12/what-are-they-hiding-un-official-slams-us-limiting-access-prisons

“I have no country to fight for; my country is the Earth, and I am a citizen of the World.” – Eugene V. Debs

Source: http://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2015/03/us-defies-un.html

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!

Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

Comments

Online:
Visits:	1,603,671,538
Stories:	8,150,954