International Human Rights

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International Human Rights
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Early history

• 1865 Confederate soldiers executed for executing
  prisoners
• 1915 Allied Powers charge govt of Turkey with
  crimes against humanity

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Geneva Conventions

• A series of 4 conventions beginning in 1860s, and
  in force since 1949
• Article 3 prohibits mistreatment of prisoners,
  including torture and degrading and humiliating
  treatment
• Treatment of non-signatories?

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1948--Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• personal, social, legal, and political rights
• followed by dozens of other international
  conventions

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After WWII, War Crimes Tribunals established in
Tokyo and Nuremburg

• Following orders no defense
• Crimes were attacking countries at peace

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Genocide

• 1949 Convention passed GA against Genocide
  after Armenian and Jewish genocides
• Extermination in whole or in part
• Preventing reproduction
• Transferring children
• obligates international action
• 1986 Senate ratifies convention

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Genocide

• Cambodia
• Yugoslavia
• Rwanda
• and now http//video.on.nytimes.com/ifr_main.jsp?n
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• Sudan
• weak UN or international responses

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Also National laws

• American, Belgian, and other national laws allow
  prosecutions of crimes committed elsewhere
• American law--even non-citizens can sue people
  who have entered the US for crimes committed
  elsewhere

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International Courts

• In the 90s, tribunals for war crimes committed
  in Yugoslavia and Rwanda
• establishing precedent of holding leaders
  accountable

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ICC

• 2002 permanent International Criminal Court
  established
• US refuses to ratify

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Pinochet

• 1998 arrested in England for extradition to Spain
• British court held no immunity for head of state
• Released due to failing health
• Currently under investigation in Chile for murder
  and fraud

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Saddam Hussein

• Is held by American military, but tried by Iraqi
  special tribunal

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Charles Taylor

• Is being tried in special Sierra Leone Court,
  organized by UN, take place at ICC in Hague
• Serve sentence in Britain (if convicted)

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Special case before ICJ (World Court)

• Bosnia suing Serbia

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Ending conflicts

• South Africas Truth and Reconciliation
  Commission
• Also in many other countries Argentina, Algeria,
  Chile, El Salvador, Liberia, East Timor, US, etc

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Rights of Women

• http//video.on.nytimes.com/ifr_main.jsp?nsida3f1
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• http//select.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/01/2
  2/opinion/20060122_KRISTOF_VIDEO.html