The first was that of Charles “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr. It’s only the second case ever brought under a US federal law making torture a criminal offense. Prosecutors say that, as part of the scheme, Ross Roggio, 53, abducted and tortured a potential whistleblower in Iraq in 2015 with the help of foreign soldiers placed under his command. The case concerns a private US citizen accused of torture as part of an alleged unlawful firearms manufacturing scheme in Iraq. The Republican Bush administration approved torture, the Democratic Obama administration chose not to pursue prosecutions for torture, and the Republican Trump administration hired someone who’d overseen torture to run the CIA.Ī torture trial that opened in the state of Pennsylvania this week won’t change any of that unfortunately, but it’s still a welcome move. It’s been a monumental, bi-partisan failure to uphold the law and defend basic human decency. No one has ever faced justice for US torture carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the wake of the September 11 attacks. It’s unlikely Pakistan’s authorities will de-escalate the situation with an unprincipled, impractical approach like that. Police have fired on protesters and used excessive force against them – tear gas, rubber bullets, baton charges… At least one man died in Quetta after police opened fire on protesters. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s authorities seem to be forgetting all this. This is the best way to try to prevent a bad situation getting worse. Law enforcement officers may only intentionally resort to lethal force when strictly unavoidable to protect life.Īgain, what’s principled is what’s practical. In dispersing violent gatherings, firearms may only be used when other less harmful means are not practicable, and even then must be used to the minimum extent necessary. That’s why – deep breath – the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials says security forces must always use the minimum force necessary. They need to protect people, and authorities need to ensure crimes are investigated and prosecuted.īut the last thing anyone should want in a situation like this is for police to go in guns blazing, sparking cycles of violence and counterviolence, and spinning things out of control. Police can’t simply stand by and let these things happen, of course. Some have set fire to ambulances, police vehicles, and schools. Some of Khan’s supporters in Pakistan have used rocks, Molotov cocktails, and in a few cases, assault rifles, to attack police. Interfering with people’s fundamental rights will only anger them and further escalate a fraught situation.īut what about when some protesters are not peaceful? What are authorities supposed to do then? That’s not only the decent thing to do, it’s also practical. Where such demonstrations are peaceful, the police should be respecting them and safeguarding people’s right to protest. Many have taken to the streets in protest. The arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on corruption charges Wednesday has outraged his supporters. Take the situation in Pakistan right now. Based on decades, even centuries, of human experience, they offer the best methods for addressing a problem, because they describe how to not make a problem worse than it already is. All true.īut they’re also the practical thing to do. Human rights guidelines are usually seen as the ideal way for a government to approach a situation, the humane path, the right thing to do.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |