Human rights champion criticizes Bush
Charles Davis
Staff Writer
The Institute for Peace & Justice Theatre was filled by students, faculty and staff for a lecture by Amnesty International Executive Director William Schulz. The March 9 presentation, “Tainted Legacy: 9/11 and the Ruin of Human Rights,” was part of the IPJ Distinguished Lecture Series.
Introduced by IPJ Executive Director Joyce Neu as a “deeply subversive, deeply caring, champion of human rights.”Schulz appeared personable and at ease in an animated and poignant speech that was critical of the Bush administration and what he called a human rights community that had “completely failed to articulate [an alternative] strategy for fighting terrorism.”
On the very day that President Bush signed an extension of the Patriot Act, Schulz criticized what he referred to as a wide-ranging number of human rights abuses committed by the United States government. Schulz began by criticizing the detention of 1,200 foreign nationals, almost entirely Arab Muslims, whom he claims were denied basic rights such as habeas corpus in the wake of Sept. 11.
In particular, Schulz cited the case of Cheikh Melainine ould Belal, the 20-year-old son of a Mauritanian diplomat who was detained a few days after Sept. 11, 2001. Unable to speak English, the FBI failed to provide a translator while shuffling him between detention centers, denying him access to both his family and a lawyer. After 40 days he was released without being charged with a crime. “But he was deported,” Schulz said, “[and] the government had every right to deport him; he had overstayed his visa.” He then dryly noted that, “well, he overstayed his visa because he was left in FBI custody."
The effect of these policies, Schulz claimed, is the enflaming of anti-American opinion throughout the world, as made evident by ould Belal’s statement to the New York Times following his release. “I used to like the United States, now I don’t understand it. I used to want [to] learn English. Now, I don’t want ever to hear English spoken again.”
In light of these alleged abuses, Schulz offered seven suggestions for improving the state of human rights. First, he recommended that people learn to refute the “ticking bomb” argument for torture by demanding that proponents provide evidence that no policy of torture “has ever kept us safer,” and by asking for proof that “information obtained under torture is, in fact the most unreliable in the world.”
Second, Schulz told the audience to remind American officials that “it is no longer unthinkable” that they “might well be accused of war crimes” after they leave office. Third, Schulz called for closing Guantanamo Bay, calling it an unflattering “symbol of American recalcitrance.”
Fourth, he stressed the importance of reaching out to local Muslim communities. Fifth, he called for Congress to “monitor and enforce the McCain Anti-Torture Amendment,” particularly since while signing the bill, President Bush issued a statement claiming the law would be enforced to the extent that it is “consistent with his presidential authority” in war, which Schulz interpreted as “in other words, not at all.”
Sixth, he called for outlawing the policy of “extraordinary renditions” of terrorist suspects to states known for torture. In his seventh point, Schulz encouraged members of both the military and religious communities to speak out against torture stating, “if there is any issue that calls for moral outrage… it is this one.”
Following the speech was a candid question-and-answer session with Schulz, moderated by Dr. Neu. One question asked for his response to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissing reports by Amnesty International critical of the United States. Schulz said, “Rumsfeld was all too happy to cite Amnesty’s reports in the run up to the Iraq war… I think the world can tell who is a hypocrite and who is not.” Another asked if it was the people of the United States who were ultimately to blame for electing the politicians who allowed these abuses, Schulz bluntly said, “Yes.”
The audience gave Schultz a standing ovation, with many praising Schulz’s ability to simply and powerfully deliver his message. Diana Kutlow, program officer for the Distinguished Lecture Series, described the Schulz speech as “one of the most popular… events in terms of attendance.” In addition to those watching in the theatre and on UCSD and USD television, Kutlow noted that overflow rooms were necessary to accommodate the approximately 550 people in attendance, including at least five USD classes and a large number of people from the community.
The Vista, March 23, 2006, Volume 43, Issue 7 |
