Wednesday
Jun252008
Myths about torture revealed
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 3:51PM
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a discussion on 'Torture, Justice and Democracy: Myths and Misconceptions.' Alice Verghese, a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow and program coordinator for Asia and the Pacific at the International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture, was invited to share her findings on torture particularly in Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
Verghese defined the paradigms of torture as pain and suffering, physical or mental, which is intentionally inflicted by public officials for purposes such as coercion or obtaining information. She attributed the difficulties in obtaining reliable reports on torture to the lack of consistent data collection methods, fragmented responses from those in the field and the secretive nature of torture itself.
Victor Madrigal-Borloz, a human rights specialist at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said that international justice systems are not international criminal bodies and that strengthening democracy at the local level was vital. Madrigal-Boloz also said that making the public aware of torture was 'an element of healing' to victims of torture. Dr. Allen Keller, associate professor of medicine at New York University, pointed out that the psychological impact of torture should not be underestimated and that it had much longer lasting effects compared to physical torture.
Verghese defined the paradigms of torture as pain and suffering, physical or mental, which is intentionally inflicted by public officials for purposes such as coercion or obtaining information. She attributed the difficulties in obtaining reliable reports on torture to the lack of consistent data collection methods, fragmented responses from those in the field and the secretive nature of torture itself.
Victor Madrigal-Borloz, a human rights specialist at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said that international justice systems are not international criminal bodies and that strengthening democracy at the local level was vital. Madrigal-Boloz also said that making the public aware of torture was 'an element of healing' to victims of torture. Dr. Allen Keller, associate professor of medicine at New York University, pointed out that the psychological impact of torture should not be underestimated and that it had much longer lasting effects compared to physical torture.
Bush promotes the "transformative power of freedom" for 21st century
"The challenge for future presidents and future congresses will be to ensure that America's generosity remains tied to the promotion of transparency and accountability and prosperity," said Bush.
The mission of USAID is to end tyranny and corruption by building "democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture," according to the document, "Democracy and Governance: Advancing Freedom Around the World." USAID helped gather the 2008 census in Sudan, write a constitution in Afghanistan, and draft legislation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The President said the United States needs to use "foreign assistance to promote democracy and good government." The future also depends on free trade agreements, Bush said, and the United States has agreements with 11 countries. Bush suggested purchasing 25 percent of U.S. food aid from developing nations to improve their local economies
Bush compared current enemies of the U.S. to Germany and Japan during World War II. He said those countries were once against the U.S., but now they are strong democracies and strong allies. In countries like Sudan, Iran, and Syria, the U.S. "spoke out against tyrannical regimes."
Since Bush took office in 2001, the administration has doubled the federal budget for human rights programs, increased funds for the National Endowment for Democracy by 150 percent, and changed the nature of foreign assistance by creating the Millennium Challenge Account.