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Laura Raymond wrote a new diary post: U.S. Veterans and Iraqis Unite to Demand the Right to Heal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qndyMdPrT-g A new project, the Right to Heal Initiative , is demanding concrete action from the U.S. government to address the widespread toxicity, trauma and other serious health impacts- both mental and physical- caused by the Iraq War. On March 19, ten years to the day of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraqi civilians, U.S. veterans and [...]
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Laura Raymond wrote a new diary post: Solidarity After the Storm: Poor Peoples Movements from South Africa and Haiti Share Lessons More Urgent Now than Ever
by Laura Raymond and Jeena Shah, Center for Constitutional Rights While the extent of Hurricane Sandy’s damage in the U.S. and the Caribbean is still being assessed, what’s already clear is that across the map the recovery process will be long and require massive financial and human investments by both governments and non-governmental groups alike. Lessons [...] -
Laura Raymond commented on the diary post Do Private Military Contractors Have Impunity to Torture? by Laura Raymond.
Thanks for the comments. In terms of the laws of war question, you are hitting the nail on the head that there is a huge gap in accountability to international human rights law, and even more so if these cases are dismissed. As the military officers’ brief linked to here lays out, contractors aren’t subject [...]
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Laura Raymond wrote a new diary post: Do Private Military Contractors Have Impunity to Torture?
Unbelievably, in 2011 this question has not yet been settled in the courts of the United States. Human rights attorneys are headed back to court in the coming month to argue that, yes, victims of war crimes and torture by contractors should have a path to justice. Attorneys from my organization, the Center for Constitutional [...] -
Laura Raymond commented on the diary post Citing Total Impunity in Honduras, Human Rights Attorneys Push Forward Case Against Coup Regime Leader in U.S. by Laura Raymond.
Also, there have been allegations made about violations stemming from the coup in Honduras to the International Criminal Court: http://www.icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/structure%20of%20the%20court/office%20of%20the%20prosecutor/comm%20and%20ref/honduras/honduras?lan=en-GB
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Laura Raymond commented on the diary post Citing Total Impunity in Honduras, Human Rights Attorneys Push Forward Case Against Coup Regime Leader in U.S. by Laura Raymond.
Obama’s initial public response was to condemn the coup and call for the reinstatement of Zelaya. Also, as the blog states, the Administration did revoke many visas of those involved in the coup. That said, there are still many questions about what the U.S. government knew, when they knew it and any communications had, which [...]
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Laura Raymond wrote a new diary post: Citing Total Impunity in Honduras, Human Rights Attorneys Push Forward Case Against Coup Regime Leader in U.S.
If there was one watershed moment after the military coup in Honduras, it was this. Just one week after the coup ousted and forced President Manuel Zelaya into exile at gunpoint, he attempted to return to his country by plane. A crowd of thousands peacefully gathered at Tegucigalpa’s airport on July 5, 2009 to welcome him [...] -
Laura Raymond wrote a new diary post: Citing Total Impunity in Honduras, Human Rights Attorneys Push Forward Case Against Coup Regime Leader in U.S.
If there was one watershed moment after the military coup in Honduras, it was this. Just one week after the coup ousted and forced President Manuel Zelaya into exile at gunpoint, he attempted to return to his country by plane. A crowd of thousands peacefully gathered at Tegucigalpa’s airport on July 5, 2009 to welcome him [...] -
Laura Raymond commented on the blog post The Obama Administration: on the Wrong Side of Torture . . . Again
The question of “what can we do?” is definitely the million dollar question and unfortunately I don’t think there’s a magic bullet. Obviously I think legal challenges are important. And there has been some movement in the UN with the Working Group on Mercenaries and in Congress with the Commission on Wartime Contracting raising some important questions regarding accountability. As far as Congress goes the most important efforts, in my opinion, have come from Rep. Schakowsky and Sen. Sanders offices with the Stop Outsourcing Security Act, introduced in both the House and Senate on two occasions. It will likely be introduced again and when it is it’s important that there’s support, discussion, office visits and phone calls to members of Congress, etc. to show that constituencies want a limit on contracting.
On a more basic level though I think, as I usually do, that the key lies in more education and organizing around this issue, including within the anti-war movement. It’s perhaps too general of an answer but I honestly think that is the way real change on this would come.
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Laura Raymond commented on the blog post The Obama Administration: on the Wrong Side of Torture . . . Again
I think part of the problem is that the Obama Administration and Congress do not hear much from people in the US about contractors. Our demands along the lines of “Bring the troops home!” need to be followed with “And get the contractors out of there too!” Contractors need to be a part of the conversation.
While all combat forces are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of this year, there is very little conversation regarding the private contractors there, which have a greater presence at this point. Surely they will stay long after this deadline, which is one of the reasons why this question of accountability is so crucial right now. The same goes for Afghanistan where US contractors also outnumber US forces (see the May 2011 Congressional Research Service report for exact stats for both countries).
