The United States finds E.U. human rights standards to be an "irritant"

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:



US officials regard European human rights standards as an "irritant", secret cables show, and have strongly objected to the safeguards which could protect WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from extradition.

In a confidential cable from the US embassy in Strasbourg, US consul general Vincent Carver criticised the Council of Europe, the most authoritative human-rights body for European countries, for its stance against extraditions to America, as well as secret renditions and prisons used to hold terrorist suspects.

He blamed the council for creating anti-US sentiment and hampering the US war on terror. "The Council of Europe (COE) likes to portray itself as a bastion of democracy, a promoter of human rights, and the last best hope for defending the rule of law in Europe – and beyond," Carver said. "(But) it is an organisation with an inferiority complex and, simultaneously, an overambitious agenda.

"An investigation (by the Council of Europe) into renditions and 'secret prisons' in Europe connected to the US war on terrorism … created a great deal of controversy and anti-US sentiment in the Council of Europe," wrote Carver.

The European court of human rights, the final court of appeal for human rights claims from the UK, whose judgments include the decision to ban deportations to countries which practise torture, is also singled out by the cables. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/17/wikileaks-european-human-rights-standards

[maryf]

1. Humanitarian concerns should be primary

sad that they are seemingly not for us here. K&R

[midnight]

2. Hardly no what to say. I remember there was a time when we used

humane rights as an advantage...

[Catherina]

3. Sick. Just sick. Rec'd. n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

4. One more step in the demise of the US....

[lunatica]

5. It shows what a bully we've been

behind the curtain

[L0oniX]

6. "confidential cable" LMFAO

[madrchsod]

7. there were millions of people who died for those human rights

there`s old men still alive and still suffering from the effects of that war. old men still cry about what happened to them and their friends.our government dishonors the brave men and woman who gave all they could so europe and the world could live with universal human rights.