...Made the World a More Dangerous Place Interview with Josh Rubenstein, Amnesty International, conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris
Amnesty International Declares U.S. War on Terrorism Has Made the World a More Dangerous Place
Interview with Josh Rubenstein, Amnesty International, conducted by Scott Harris
As increasing numbers of U.S. soldiers are killed and wounded in ambush attacks across Iraq, and the search for Saddam Hussein's "weapons of mass destruction" continues to come up empty-handed, many Americans are beginning to question the Bush administration's justification for their war against Baghdad. After the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the White House declared what they said could very well be "an endless" war against terrorism which sent U.S. troops first to Afghanistan and then the Persian Gulf, while curtailing civil liberties here at home.
Contrary to international law, hundreds of prisoners captured in Afghanistan, some of them juveniles, have been held at the U.S. Navy's prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba without charge for up to 18 months. Meanwhile, Attorney General John Ashcroft, under the authority of the USA Patriot Act, held hundreds of immigrants in secret detention, without filing charges, while denying many of them access to attorneys or family members. Allegations that many of these immigrants were abused while in custody are supported in a recent investigation conducted by the Justice Department's inspector general.
In its annual report on global human rights released on May 28th, Amnesty International declared that Washington's war on terror has made the world more dangerous by curbing human rights, undermining international law and shielding governments from scrutiny. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Joshua Rubenstein, northeast regional director with Amnesty International USA, who discusses his group's concerns about the questionable tactics employed by the Bush administration to fight the terrorist threat.
Contact Amnesty International USA by calling (617) 623-0202 or visit their Web site at www.amnestyusa.org
Related links
Amnesty International: "War On Terror" Has Made World Worse," by Gideon Long, Reuters May 28, 2003
LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:
http://66.175.55.251/btl061303.html
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
betweenthelines@snet.net
*
©2003 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.
**
Original: BTL:Amnesty International Declares U.S. War on Terrorism Has...