posted by zaina19 on January, 2006 as Human Rights
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 1/20/2006 1:42 AM January 18, 2006 Human rights group rips PM By JIM BRONSKILL
OTTAWA (CP) - A civil liberties group accuses Prime Minister Paul Martin of siding with the United States to undermine a draft United Nations treaty outlawing government-sponsored disappearances.
Human Rights Watch says in its annual report that Martin apparently decided to run interference for the U.S. as a way for Canada to mend strained relations with its neighbour. The group, which has offices in several countries, says disappearances occur when governments seize people without acknowledging their detention, leaving them highly vulnerable to torture or execution.
The Foreign Affairs Department said Wednesday that Canada has a solid record of opposing the practice.
"We participated actively in support of a strong and effective new treaty," said spokeswoman Kim Girtel.
Several Latin American countries backed the UN effort because they experienced a plague of disappearances in the 1970s and '80s.
A working group of the UN's Commission on Human Rights has adopted draft provisions.
The United States and Russia "strongly opposed" the wording, Human Rights Watch says.
"The willingness to sacrifice basic human rights principles in the name of fighting terrorism hit a new low around the issue of enforced disappearances."
The Americans fought the treaty because of their reliance on disappearances in secret detention facilities abroad, the rights group contends.
It also accuses Russia of the practice in Chechnya, where young men suspected of being rebels or their allies have vanished after their arrest by Russian forces.
"Canada contributed to this shameful opposition, not because it is known to forcibly 'disappear' people," the report says, "but apparently because Prime Minister Martin, eager to improve relations with the United States that had been strained under his predecessor, decided to run interference for one of his neighbour's unsavoury practices."
Human Rights Watch says Canada "worked aggressively" to dilute key elements of the treaty.
Girtel insists Canada "participated actively in the negotiations" in support of provisions to address disappearances committed by non-state actors as well as the responsibility of superiors.
Canada also advocated a procedure to allow for urgent action, a complaints mechanism and the option of recourse to the International Court of Justice, she said.
In addition, Canada proposed banning statutes of limitations on such crimes and curbs on official immunity, but these provisions did not win majority support, Girtel said. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/01/18/1400100-cp.html
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