Complaint Pending Before Romanian Authorities

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Complaint Pending Before Romanian Authorities Numéro de dossier 33234/12 COUR EUROPÉENNE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS Conseil de l’Europe – Council of Europe Strasbourg, France REQUÊTE APPLICATION al Nashiri v. Romania présentée en application de l’article 34 de la Convention européenne des Droits de l’Homme, ainsi que des articles 45 et 47 du règlement de la Court under Article 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Rules 45 and 47 of the Rules of the Court Table of Contents I. THE PARTIES ......................................................................................................... 5 THE APPLICANT .......................................................................................................... 5 THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTY ................................................................................ 5 II. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 5 III. STATEMENT OF FACTS ................................................................................... 9 POST-11 SEPTEMBER 2001 SECRET DETENTION AND EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION PROGRAMME ............................................................................................................. 10 ROMANIA’S PARTICIPATION IN THE CIA’S SECRET DETENTION AND EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION PROGRAMME .......................................................................................... 11 MR. AL NASHIRI’S RENDITION TO A SECRET CIA PRISON IN ROMANIA ..................... 17 MR. AL NASHIRI’S SECRET DETENTION, TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT IN ROMANIA .................................................................................................................................. 20 MR. AL NASHIRI’S TRANSFERFROM ROMANIA ......................................................... 26 ROMANIA’S KNOWLEDGE OF SECRET DETENTION AND EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION BY JUNE 2003 ............................................................................................................ 26 Newspaper Reports ............................................................................................... 26 U.N. Sources ......................................................................................................... 30 Human Rights Organizations ............................................................................... 32 European Legal Cases .......................................................................................... 33 Publicly Available Information on Military Commission Trials and the Death Penalty .................................................................................................................. 34 Diplomatic Missions of Romania ......................................................................... 38 MR. AL NASHIRI’S DETENTION AND TREATMENT AT GUANTÁNAMO BAY ................ 38 ROMANIAN SENATE PROCEEDINGS ........................................................................... 43 2012 CRIMINAL COMPLAINT PENDING BEFORE ROMANIAN AUTHORITIES ................. 47 IV. ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE CONVENTION .................................... 47 STANDARD AND BURDEN OF PROOF .......................................................................... 48 STATE RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE CONVENTION .................................................... 50 A. TREATMENT AT THE BRIGHT LIGHT FACILITY, BUCHAREST ........ 52 1. TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT: ARTICLE 3 .......................................................... 52 Legal Standards: Torture and Ill-Treatment ........................................................ 53 Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment in Romania Violated Article 3 56 2. PROLONGED INCOMMUNICADO DETENTION: ARTICLE 5 ....................................... 58 Legal Standards: Unlawful Detention .................................................................. 58 Prolonged Incommunicado Detention in Romania Violated Article 5 ................. 60 3. ILL-TREATMENT AND INCOMMUNICADO DETENTION: ARTICLE 8 .......................... 60 Legal Standards: Physical and Psychological Integrity and Family Life ............ 60 Ill-treatment and Incommunicado Detention in Romania Violated Article 8 ...... 61 B. TRANSFER FROM ROMANIA ......................................................................... 62 1. TRANSFER TO THE DEATH PENALTY: ARTICLE 2, ARTICLE 3, PROTOCOL NO. 6 .... 62 Legal Standards: the Death Penalty ..................................................................... 63 2 Transfer to Real Risk of the Death Penalty Violated Articles 2 and 3 and Protocol No. 6...................................................................................................................... 66 2. TRANSFER TO ILL-TREATMENT IN U.S. DETENTION: ARTICLE 3 ............................ 68 Legal Standards: Transfer to Ill-Treatment ......................................................... 68 Transfer from Romania Despite Real Risk of Further Ill-Treatment Violated Article 3 ................................................................................................................ 69 3. TRANSFER TO PROLONGED ARBITRARY DETENTION: ARTICLE 5 .......................... 69 Legal Standards: Transfer to Arbitrary Detention ............................................... 69 Transfer to Prolonged Incommunicado Detention Violated Article 5 ................. 71 4. TRANSFER TO FLAGRANTLY UNFAIR TRIAL: ARTICLE 6 ....................................... 71 Legal Standards: Unfair Trial .............................................................................. 71 Transfer Despite Risk of Flagrant Denial of Fair Trial Violated Article 6 ......... 71 a) Right to an independent and impartial tribunal ............................................ 72 b) Tribunal established by law .......................................................................... 74 c) Fair trial guarantees ...................................................................................... 74 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 78 C. FAILURE TO CONDUCT AN EFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION .................. 80 Legal Standards: Effective Investigation .............................................................. 80 Romania’s Failure to Conduct an Effective Investigation Violates Articles 2, 3, 5, 8 and 13 ................................................................................................................ 83 The Investigation was Incapable of Identifying or Prosecuting the Perpetrators ........................................................................................................................... 84 The Investigation Was Neither Thorough Nor Effective .................................. 85 The Investigation Was Neither Independent Nor Impartial .............................. 86 There Was No Public Scrutiny of the Inquiry .................................................. 86 D. RIGHT TO TRUTH ............................................................................................. 87 Legal Standards: Right to Truth ........................................................................... 87 Right to Truth Under International Law .............................................................. 88 Romania Violated the Right to Truth .................................................................... 91 V. STATEMENT RELATIVE TO ARTICLE 35 OF THE CONVENTION ...... 92 VICTIM STATUS ......................................................................................................... 93 EXHAUSTION OF AVAILABLE REMEDIES ................................................................... 93 Legal Principles: Obligation to Exhaust .............................................................. 94 Mr. Al Nashiri Is Not Required To Exhaust Domestic Remedies Which Plainly Would be Ineffective. ............................................................................................ 95 SIX-MONTH RULE ..................................................................................................... 96 VI. STATEMENT OF THE OBJECT OF THE APPLICATION ........................ 97 POST-TRANSFER OBLIGATION TO INTERVENE ........................................................... 98 VII. STATEMENT CONCERNING OTHER INTERNATIONAL PROCEEDINGS ...................................................................................................... 100 VIII. REQUEST FOR PRIORITY PURSUANT TO RULE 41 OF THE RULES OF COURT............................................................................................................... 100 CATEGORY I CLAIM: PARTICULAR RISK TO LIFE OR HEALTH OF THE APPLICANTS . 100 Prohibition Of The Death Penalty In All Circumstances ................................... 101 3 Death Row Phenomenon .................................................................................... 101 Imposition of the Death Penalty after an Unfair Trial ....................................... 102 Informing Military Commission Proceedings Including Through Post-Transfer Obligations To Preclude the Death Penalty ....................................................... 103 CATEGORY III CLAIMS: APPLICATIONS RAISING ISSUES UNDER ARTICLES 2, 3 AND 5(1) OF THE CONVENTION. ...................................................................................... 105 IX. DECLARATION AND SIGNATURE ............................................................. 105 X. LIST OF EXHIBITS ..........................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Forensic Mental Health Evaluations in the Guantánamo Military Commissions System: an Analysis of All Detainee Cases from Inception to 2018 T ⁎ Neil Krishan Aggarwal
    International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 64 (2019) 34–39 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Law and Psychiatry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijlawpsy Forensic mental health evaluations in the Guantánamo military commissions system: An analysis of all detainee cases from inception to 2018 T ⁎ Neil Krishan Aggarwal Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, United States ABSTRACT Even though the Bush Administration opened the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in 2002 in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, little remains known about how forensic mental health evaluations relate to the process of detainees who are charged before military commissions. This article discusses the laws governing Guantánamo's military commissions system and mental health evaluations. Notably, the US government initially treated detaineesas“unlawful enemy combatants” who were not protected under the US Constitution and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, allowing for the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques.” In subsequent legal documents, however, the US government has excluded evidence obtained through torture, as defined by the US Constitution and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Using open-source document analysis, this article describes the reasons and outcomes of all forensic mental health evaluations from Guantánamo's opening to 2018. Only thirty of 779 detainees (~3.85%) have ever had charges referred against them to the military commissions, and only nine detainees (~1.16%) have ever received forensic mental health evaluations pertaining to their case.
    [Show full text]
  • Unclassified//For Public Release Unclassified//For Public Release
    UNCLASSIFIED//FOR PUBLIC RELEASE --SESR-Efll-N0F0RN-­ Final Dispositions as of January 22, 2010 Guantanamo Review Dispositions Country ISN Name Decision of Origin AF 4 Abdul Haq Wasiq Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001), as informed by principles of the laws of war. AF 6 Mullah Norullah Noori Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001), as informed by principles of the laws of war. AF 7 Mullah Mohammed Fazl Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001 ), as informed by principles of the laws of war. AF 560 Haji Wali Muhammed Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001 ), as informed by principles of the laws of war, subject to further review by the Principals prior to the detainee's transfer to a detention facility in the United States. AF 579 Khairullah Said Wali Khairkhwa Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001), as informed by principles of the laws of war. AF 753 Abdul Sahir Referred for prosecution. AF 762 Obaidullah Referred for prosecution. AF 782 Awai Gui Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001), as informed by principles of the laws of war. AF 832 Mohammad Nabi Omari Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001 ), as informed by principles of the laws of war. AF 850 Mohammed Hashim Transfer to a country outside the United States that will implement appropriate security measures. AF 899 Shawali Khan Transfer to • subject to appropriate security measures.
    [Show full text]
  • United States District Court Eastern District Of
    Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ ECF No. 239 filed 08/07/17 PageID.9393 Page 1 of 43 1 2 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 3 EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 4 5 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, et al., ) ) 6 ) No. CV-15-0286-JLQ Plaintiffs, ) 7 ) MEMORANDUM OPINION ) RE: MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY 8 vs. ) JUDGMENT ) 9 ) JAMES E. MITCHELL and JOHN ) 10 JESSEN, ) ) 11 Defendants. ) ___________________________________ ) 12 BEFORE THE COURT are Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 13 169), Plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (ECF No. 178), and Defendants’ 14 Motion to Exclude (ECF No. 198). Response and Reply briefs have been filed and 15 considered. The parties have submitted a voluminous record of over 4,000 pages of 16 evidentiary exhibits. The court heard oral argument on the Motions on July 28, 2017. 17 James Smith, Henry Schuelke, III, Brian Paszamant, and Christopher Tompkins appeared 18 for Defendants James Mitchell and John Jessen. Hina Shamsi, Steven Watt, Dror Ladin, 19 Lawrence Lustberg, and Jeffry Finer appeared for Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdullah Salim, 20 Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, and Obaid Ullah. The court issued its preliminary oral 21 ruling. This Opinion memorializes and supplements the court’s oral ruling. 22 I. Introduction and Factual Allegations from Complaint 23 The Complaint in this matter alleges Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdullah Salim (“Salim”), 24 Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud (“Soud”), and Gul Rahman (“Rahman”)1(collectively herein 25 Plaintiffs) were the victims of psychological and physical torture. Plaintiffs are all 26 27 1Obaid Ullah is the personal representative of the Estate of Gul Rahman. 28 ORDER - 1 Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ ECF No.
    [Show full text]
  • FOIA) Document Clearinghouse in the World
    This document is made available through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of: The Black Vault The Black Vault is the largest online Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document clearinghouse in the world. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military. Discover the Truth at: http://www.theblackvault.com Received Received Request ID Requester Name Organization Closed Date Final Disposition Request Description Mode Date 17-F-0001 Greenewald, John The Black Vault PAL 10/3/2016 11/4/2016 Granted/Denied in Part I respectfully request a copy of records, electronic or otherwise, of all contracts past and present, that the DOD / OSD / JS has had with the British PR firm Bell Pottinger. Bell Pottinger Private (legally BPP Communications Ltd.; informally Bell Pottinger) is a British multinational public relations and marketing company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. 17-F-0002 Palma, Bethania - PAL 10/3/2016 11/4/2016 Other Reasons - No Records Contracts with Bell Pottinger for information operations and psychological operations. (Date Range for Record Search: From 01/01/2007 To 12/31/2011) 17-F-0003 Greenewald, John The Black Vault Mail 10/3/2016 1/13/2017 Other Reasons - Not a proper FOIA I respectfully request a copy of the Intellipedia category index page for the following category: request for some other reason Nuclear Weapons Glossary 17-F-0004 Jackson, Brian - Mail 10/3/2016 - - I request a copy of any available documents related to Army Intelligence's participation in an FBI counterintelligence source operation beginning in about 1959, per David Wise book, "Cassidy's Run," under the following code names: ZYRKSEEZ SHOCKER I am also interested in obtaining Army Intelligence documents authorizing, as well as policy documents guiding, the use of an Army source in an FBI operation.
    [Show full text]
  • United States of America: Compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
    United States of America: Compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child from Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First April 2012 Summary Since its initial report and review in 2008, the United States has taken important steps to prevent the deployment of 17-year-old soldiers to areas of hostilities and has improved its oversight of, and response to, incidents of recruiter irregularities and misconduct. It has enacted new legislation intended to prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers, including the Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008 and the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008. In 2012, the Child Soldiers Accountability Act was used for the first time when a former military commander from Liberia was ordered deported by an immigration judge. In 2011, under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, the US acted to withhold US$2.7 million in foreign military financing from the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo until the Congolese armed forces took steps to end its recruitment and use of child soldiers. The United States continued to provide support internationally for rehabilitation and reintegration programs for former child soldiers. Despite positive steps, concerns regarding US implementation of its obligations under the Optional Protocol include: Recruiter misconduct: Although substantiated cases of recruitment misconduct make up a very small percentage of total recruitment cases, reports still indicate that recruiters may falsify 1 documents, fail to obtain parental consent for underage recruits, and engage in sexual misconduct with girls under age 18.
    [Show full text]
  • On Multiculturalism's Margins: Oral History and Afghan Former
    On Multiculturalism’s Margins: Oral History and Afghan Former Refugees in Early Twenty-first Century Winnipeg By Allison L. Penner A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of History Joint Master’s Program University of Manitoba / University of Winnipeg Winnipeg, Manitoba Copyright © 2019 by Allison L. Penner Abstract Oral historians have long claimed that oral history enables people to present their experiences in an authentic way, lauding the potential of oral history to ‘democratize history’ and assist interviewees, particularly those who are marginalized, to ‘find their voices’. However, stories not only look backward at the past but also locate the individual in the present. As first demonstrated by Edward Said in Orientalism, Western societies have a long history of Othering non-Western cultures and people. While significant scholarly attention has been paid to this Othering, the responses of orientalised individuals (particularly those living in the West) have received substantially less attention. This thesis focuses on the multi-sessional life story oral history interviews that I conducted with five Afghan-Canadians between 2012 and 2015, most of whom came to Canada as refugees. These interviews were conducted during the Harper era, when celebrated Canadian notions of multiculturalism, freedom, and equality existed alongside Orientalist discourses about immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and Afghans. News stories and government policies and legislation highlighted the dangers that these groups posed to the Canadian public, ‘Canadian’ values, and women. Drawing on the theoretical work of notable oral historians including Mary Chamberlain and Alessandro Portelli, I consider the ways in which the narrators talked about themselves and their lives in light of these discourses.
    [Show full text]
  • Regarding D-017, the Defense Motion for a Continuance Is Denied
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA D-022 RULING ON DEFENSE MOTION v. TO SUPPRESS OUT-OF-COURT STATEMENTS OF THE ACCUSED TO MOHAMMED JAWAD AFGHAN AUTHORITIES ________________________________________________________________ 1. On or about December 17, 2002, in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Accused allegedly threw a hand grenade into a vehicle in which two American service members and their Afghan interpreter were riding. All suffered serious injuries. The Accused, at the time under the age of 18 years,1 was subsequently apprehended by Afghan police and transported to an Afghan police station for interrogation. The Accused appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Present at the police station were several high-ranking Afghan government officials, including the Interior Minister, the Police and Security Commander, and the Criminal Investigations Director. Most, if not all, present were carrying firearms, which were visible to the Accused. During the interrogation, someone told the Accused, “You will be killed if you do not confess to the grenade attack,” and, “We will arrest your family and kill them if you do not confess,” or words to that effect.2 The speaker meant what he said; it was a credible threat. The 1 The government has implicitly conceded that, at the time of the charged offenses, the Accused was less than 18 years old. Specifically, the United States has stated: “At Guantanamo, the United States is detaining Omar Khadr and Mohammed Jawad, the only two individuals captured when they were under the age of 18, whom the United States Government has chosen to prosecute under the Military Commissions Act of 2006.” See United States Written Response to Questions Asked by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 13 May 2008, available at: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/105437.htm (last visited 16 September 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • NOMINEES for the 39Th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY
    NOMINEES FOR THE 39th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED Paula S. Apsell of PBS’ NOVA to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Award October 1st Award Presentation at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in NYC New York, N.Y. – July 26, 2018 (revised 10.16.18) – Nominations for the 39th Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards were announced today by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented on Monday, October 1st, 2018, at a ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Complex at Columbus Circle in New York City. The event will be attended by more than 1,000 television and news media industry executives, news and documentary producers and journalists. “New technologies are opening up endless new doors to knowledge, instantly delivering news and information across myriad platforms,” said Adam Sharp, interim President& CEO, NATAS. “With this trend comes the immense potential to inform and enlighten, but also to manipulate and distort. Today we honor the talented professionals who through their work and creativity defend the highest standards of broadcast journalism and documentary television, proudly providing the clarity and insight each of us needs to be an informed world citizen.” In addition to celebrating this year’s nominees in forty-nine categories, the National Academy is proud to be honoring Paula S. Apsell, Senior Executive Director of PBS’ NOVA, at the 39th News & Documentary Emmy Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years of science broadcasting excellence.
    [Show full text]
  • Trial Memorandum of President Donald J. Trump
    IN PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SENATE TRIAL MEMORANDUM OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP Jay Alan Sekulow Pat A. Cipollone Stuart Roth Counsel to the President Andrew Ekonomou Patrick F. Philbin Jordan Sekulow Michael M. Purpura Mark Goldfeder Devin A. DeBacker Benjamin Sisney Trent J. Benishek Eric J. Hamilton Counsel to President Donald J. Trump Office of White House Counsel January 20, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 1 STANDARDS............................................................................................................................... 13 A. The Senate Must Decide All Questions of Law and Fact. .................................... 13 B. An Impeachable Offense Requires a Violation of Established Law that Inflicts Sufficiently Egregious Harm on the Government that It Threatens to Subvert the Constitution. .................................................................. 13 1. Text and Drafting History of the Impeachment Clause ............................ 14 2. The President’s Unique Role in Our Constitutional Structure .................. 17 3. Practice Under the Impeachment Clause .................................................. 18 C. The Senate Cannot Convict Unless It Finds that the House Managers Have Proved an Impeachable Offense Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. .................. 20 D. The Senate May Not Consider Allegations Not Charged in the Articles of Impeachment. ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • In the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
    14-1688-cv IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT SYED FARHAJ HASSAN, THE COUNCIL OF IMAMS IN NEW JERSEY,MUSLIM STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF THE U.S. AND CANADA, INC., ALL BODY SHOP INSIDE & OUTSIDE, UNITY BEEF SAUSAGE COMPANY,MUSLIM FOUNDATION INC.,MOIZ MOHAMMED, JANE DOE, SOOFIA TAHIR, ZAIMAH ABDUR- RAHIM, AND ABDULHAKIM ABDULLAH, Appellants, —against— THE CITY OF NEW YORK, Appellee. On appeal from the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, No. 2:12-CV-3401 before the Honorable William J. Martini BRIEF AMICUS CURIAE OF THE REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND NORTH JERSEY MEDIA GROUP INC. IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANTS Bruce D. Brown Counsel of record for Amici Curiae Gregg P. Leslie Jamie T. Schuman The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209 Telephone: 703.807.2100 Jennifer A. Borg General Counsel North Jersey Media Group Inc. 1 Garret Mountain Plaza Woodland Park, NJ 07424 July 10, 2014 CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is an unincorporated association of reporters and editors with no parent corporation and no stock. North Jersey Media Group Inc. is a privately held company owned solely by Macromedia Incorporated, also a privately held company. TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT ............................................................. 2 ARGUMENT .................................................................................................. 4 I. The District Court’s holding that news reporting is an “independent action” breaking the chain of causation is legally erroneous and could eviscerate much civil rights litigation. ........................................... 4 A. Supreme Court precedent shows that when the government or a private entity acts in an illegal manner, it causes the injury required for Article III standing.
    [Show full text]
  • LESSONS from LATIN AMERICA on PRESS FREEDOM Key Findings from the Inter American Press Association's Visit to Washington, D.C
    LESSONS FROM LATIN AMERICA ON PRESS FREEDOM Key findings from the Inter American Press Association's visit to Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. • October 2018 Introduction By Sarah Matthews, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press staff attorney As journalists in the United States have experienced an onslaught of verbal attacks and hostility from politicians in recent years, journalists in Latin America have taken notice. These tactics are all too familiar to them and raise alarm bells coming from the home of the First Amendment. The U.S. has historically served as a beacon of free speech and free press rights for the rest of the hemisphere, if not the world. But at a conference last fall in Salt Lake City, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA)—a Miami-based nonprofit dedicated to press freedom and free expression in the Americas—resolved to send a delegation to Washington, D.C.,1 to express concerns with U.S. authorities about the state of press freedoms in this country. The delegation came to D.C. in early February 2018 and included prominent journalists from Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and the U.S.2 They met with members of Congress and their staff,3 current and former members of the executive branch,4 a federal appeals court judge, and several academics and journalists.5 The delegation sought to learn about the state of press freedom in the U.S. and to offer their perspectives, based on their experiences abroad with press censorship. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press hosted the delegation and helped facilitate these meetings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of Omar Khadr
    Sarah Mackenzie The Effect of the War on Terror on Canadian Multiculturalism: The Case of Omar Khadr Sarah Mackenzie POLI 421, Prof. Baumgartner UNC-Chapel Hill, Fall 2019 Abstract This paper explores the frames associated with Omar Khadr, one of the most controversial cases in recent Canadian history. It explores Canadian news coverage of Khadr while he was charged with terrorism as a child, held in Guantanamo Bay, as well has his eventual repatriation to Canada and settlement with the Canadian government. With specific attention given to Khadr’s representation in the journalism, courts, and through images, I find that his case highlights the limits of Canadian multicultural policy, and exposes its racialized history. Keywords: framing, content analysis, Canada, multiculturalism, islamophobia, Khadr. Final Draft, Dec. 4th 2019 1 Sarah Mackenzie Introduction Omar Khadr is one of the most controversial figures in contemporary Canadian politics. At the age of 15, Khadr, a Canadian citizen, was detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay after being accused of killing U.S. Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to five war crime charges including spying, attempted murder, provision of material support for terrorism, and conspiracy (Andy Knight & McCoy, 2012). He later appealed his conviction, claiming that he falsely plead guilty so that he could return to Canada. In 2015, Khadr was released on bail and is currently living with his lawyer’s family in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2017, Khadr sued the Canadian government for infringing his right to protection under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He ultimately won this lawsuit, compelling the Canadian government to issue a CA $10.5 million settlement and offer an official apology.
    [Show full text]