Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading
On January 11, 2013, the 11th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo, after the official protest in Washington D.C. came to an need -- consisting of a rally at the Supreme Court, and a march to the White House -- a group of protestors, mainly with the anti-torture group Witness Against Torture, decided to proceed to the White House, to tie 166 orange ribbons on the fence -- one for each of the men still held -- and also to display a number of banners, including this one.
A ban on the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment is at the heart of the various prohibitions on torture that have existed since the English Parliament declared in 1689, in the English Bill of Rights, that no "cruel and unusual punishments" may be imposed on Englishmen. In 1791, the United States adopted the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which also bans cruel and unusual punishments, and the ban is at the heart of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, passed by the UN in 1948, where Article 5 states, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." A prohibition on "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" is also in Article 3 of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, and in 1984 the struggle against torture reached a significant milestone with the adoption of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was ratified in 1987.
In the "war on terror," of course, the Bush administration turned its back on international and domestic laws and treaties relating to torture, and secured legal advice which purported to redefine torture so that it could be used by US operatives in the CIA and the US military. Those responsible have yet to be held accountable for the crimes, which remain crimes however much devious lawyers have tried to pretend that they are not.
For the UDHR, see: www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
For the UN Convention Against Torture, see: www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm
For more on the US torture program, see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/02/23/torture-whitewash-ho...
and: www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/03/14/what-torture-is-and-...
For Witness Against Torture, see: witnesstorture.org/
For more on Andy Worthington, see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading
On January 11, 2013, the 11th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo, after the official protest in Washington D.C. came to an need -- consisting of a rally at the Supreme Court, and a march to the White House -- a group of protestors, mainly with the anti-torture group Witness Against Torture, decided to proceed to the White House, to tie 166 orange ribbons on the fence -- one for each of the men still held -- and also to display a number of banners, including this one.
A ban on the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment is at the heart of the various prohibitions on torture that have existed since the English Parliament declared in 1689, in the English Bill of Rights, that no "cruel and unusual punishments" may be imposed on Englishmen. In 1791, the United States adopted the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which also bans cruel and unusual punishments, and the ban is at the heart of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, passed by the UN in 1948, where Article 5 states, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." A prohibition on "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" is also in Article 3 of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, and in 1984 the struggle against torture reached a significant milestone with the adoption of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was ratified in 1987.
In the "war on terror," of course, the Bush administration turned its back on international and domestic laws and treaties relating to torture, and secured legal advice which purported to redefine torture so that it could be used by US operatives in the CIA and the US military. Those responsible have yet to be held accountable for the crimes, which remain crimes however much devious lawyers have tried to pretend that they are not.
For the UDHR, see: www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
For the UN Convention Against Torture, see: www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm
For more on the US torture program, see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/02/23/torture-whitewash-ho...
and: www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/03/14/what-torture-is-and-...
For Witness Against Torture, see: witnesstorture.org/
For more on Andy Worthington, see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/