Dimming the Beacon of Freedom: The ACLU's Report to the U.N. Human Rights Committee

^{Categories: International Human Rights | War on Terror}

In 2004, the ACLU created its Human Rights Working Group to "incorporate international human rights strategies into ACLU advocacy on issues relating to national security, immigrants' rights, women's rights, and racial justice," with the ultimate goal of "holding the U.S. government accountable to human rights principles." The most canonical expression of human rights principles is the U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), adopted in 1966.

Today, the ACLU Human Rights Working Group produced a monumental 117-page summary of U.S. violations of the ICCPR. Titled Dimming the Beacon of Freedom: U.S. Violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it is quite possibly the most comprehensive summary of U.S. violations of international human rights standards that can be found anywhere. It focuses on five areas of concern:

• National Security
• Immigrants' Rights
• Racial Justice
• Women's Rights
• Religious Freedom

While the recently-redesigned U.N. Human Rights Committee has a spotty history of dealing even with the world's worst human rights abusers, making the international community more aware of U.S. human rights abuses may pressure the government to work to end such abuses. On civil liberties issues, the United States has historically set an example for the rest of the world to follow, more often than not. The only way to carry on that tradition is to hold our government to the strictest standards of accountability.

See also:

• A New U.N. Human Rights Council
• Rice Supports Gay Representation at United Nations
• Blueprint for a Modern United Nations