Human Rights Watch Annual Report Slams Bush Administration
by Raj Purohit | January 14th, 2009 | |
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HRW is an incredibly important voice in the human rights arena. They have just released their World Report for 2009. Ken Roth, who heads the group, used the launch to offer some advice to the President-elect:
“As a vital first step, Barack Obama and his team should radically rethink how they fight terrorism. It is not only wrong but ineffectual to commit abuses in the name of fighting terrorism or to excuse abuses by repressive governments because they are thought to be allies in countering terror.”
Predictably the State Department, via spokesman Sean McCormack, hit back at HRW saying that the Bush administration was:
“proud of our record on promotion of human rights. We take a back seat to no-one in our defence of human rights, whether that is helping free people in Iraq and Afghanistan or working to put an end to human traffic, or fighting for the right of every individual to worship as he or she wishes.”
While it is true that the Bush admin has made real progress on issues like HIV/AIDS in Africa, it is also important to note that McCormack’s response came on the same day that the Washington Post ran a front page, above the fold, story by Bob Woodword titled “Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official.”
Not much more to say really….
The HRW report is worth looking at – here is a link.
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