Posted on 06/07/2005 1:41:51 PM PDT by Blue Turtle
ATLANTA - Former President Jimmy Carter on Tuesday called for the United States to shut down its Guantanamo Bay prison to demonstrate the country's commitment to protecting human rights.
"Despite President George W. Bush's bold reminder that America is determined to promote freedom and democracy around the world, the U.S. continues to suffer terrible embarrassment and a blow to our reputation as a champion of human rights because of reports concerning abuses of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo," Carter said in a news conference following the close of a two-day human rights conference at his Atlanta center.
In addition to closing Guantanamo Bay and two dozen other secret detention facilities, the former president said the United States needs to make sure no detainees are held incommunicado and that they all be told the charges against them.
His other recommendations included that the United States stop transferring detainees to foreign countries where torture has been reported and that an independent commission be created to investigate where terrorism suspects are held in U.S. custody.
Carter also said the United States should reaffirm its commitment to due process and international law, and assure that the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners are enforced.
Carter said many countries, including the United States, are using the campaign against terrorism as an excuse to restrict freedoms and silence human rights activists.
"In fact, combating terrorism, defending human rights and ensuring our collective security go hand in hand," Carter said.
The former president also pointed out abuses in other countries, including:
_ In Indonesia, efforts to reform the state intelligence body are being resisted in the name of safeguarding security.
_In conflict zones such as Chechnya and Colombia, crimes against humanity, and the targeting of human rights activists, are justified as counterterrorism.
_Persistent poverty contributes to insecurity and violence in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan.
A delegation of human rights defenders from around the world will be in Washington on Wednesday to present their testimony to key leaders of the U.S. government.
Despite his criticism of the Guantanamo Bay prison, Carter said Amnesty International should not have called it "the gulag of our time" when the describing the facility in a report last month.
Calling it "an ill-advised term," Carter said the abuses said to take place at Guantanamo Bay could never compare with the Soviet-era gulags, where thousands of people died.
"I think it's unfortunate that their choice of words has become the focal point of the debate," Carter said.
There is no bigger moron than James Earl Carter........
Yeah, Jimm', we'll get right on it.
Carter STFU! Go back and recertify Hugo Chavez's valid election....
RushCrush: Close Down Carter's Mouth
Close down Carter. Thank God this moron pacifist did not have to take us through a major war. We would have lost it -- like Viet Nam and other liberal failed atrocities.
Jimmy, it was your inaction that set this in motion. Time to sit back and watch, and shut up. Don't you think you've screwed this world enough?
Will this America-hater please shut the hell up?
Oh, we are not cutting off their heads? Hmm, well what should we do with them then? Hey, how about we give them the Panama Canal? They can have a nice climate to live in and make money off the ships as they go by. What, we don't own it anymore? Some idiot gave it away!
nevermind......
Fine Mr. President we'll close down Gitmo...what do you say about us placing its replacement....in say Plains Ga.?
We could move the "gulag" to Venezuela.
Since Carter legitimized their very illegitimate election of Hugo "Fidel II" Chavez, I'm sure this wouldn't be a problemo.
Jimmy Carter is absolutely right.
We should close Camp X-Ray now...and set up a new detention center up near his hometown of Plains.
Jimmy can spend a lot of time there watching out for human rights abuses and participating in Bible (or Koran) studies with the detainess there.
Screw you, Carter! STFU!
I Thank God this man is not President!
Close down Guantanamo Bay prison, give the Panama Canal to the Chinese, turn Iran over to the crazy Islamists. Who else but Jimmie Carter. The biggest fool who ever wandered around in the White House.
No problem. We'll move the terrorist scum up to your house on the peanut farm, Jimmuh. No problem with that?
I call for someone to shut down that nasty, diabolical old communist Carter.
"...the United States ... using the campaign against terrorism as an excuse to restrict freedoms and silence human rights activists."
Maybe in other countries but not here from what I see, Jimmah. Happen to have any proof of this? Didn't think so.
Well now, Jimmy Carter has spoken. We must hurry and do what he says. Actually, we should toss him in there and let him get a first hand view.
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