Let's see, shall we, how the United States is doing in regard to the 2006 findings of the United Nations Committee Against Torture that "found the U.S. was in stark violation of the treaty". The committee's recommendations in that report, to which the US government has just rather feebly "responded", were as follows.
- Insuring that no one is detained in any secret detention facility - unaddressed
- Prohibiting the transfer or the rendition of persons to countries where they could be at risk of being tortured and providing detailed records on all diplomatic guarantees assuring that a person will not be tortured if expelled, returned, transferred or extradited since 9/11 - unaddressed
- Closing the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, and either permitting access by the detainees to a fair judicial process or releasing them as soon as possible while ensuring that they are not returned to any state where they could face a real risk of being tortured - unaddressed
- Ending gender-based humiliation and the mistreatment of women detainees, including the federal Bureau of Prisons’ policy of shackling of women during childbirth in certain circumstances - unaddressed
- Promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigating all allegations of acts of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by law enforcement personnel and bringing perpetrators to justice - unaddressed
- Addressing sentences of life imprisonment for children, which could constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment - unaddressed
- Ensuring that reports of brutality and ill-treatment of members of vulnerable groups by law enforcement personnel—including those related to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—are independently, promptly and thoroughly investigated and that perpetrators are prosecuted and appropriately punished - unaddressed
I make that 0 for 7! Consistency is our hallmark - and our shame.
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