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Human Rights Group Condemns US Government's Cont.Secret Detention of Immigrants |
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by Between The Lines' Scott Harris
Email: betweenthelines (nospam) snet.net (unverified!)
Address: © 2002 Between the Lines C/O WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, Connecticut USA. |
21 Mar 2002
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Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Josh Rubenstein, northeast regional director with Amnesty International USA, who questions the government's justification for withholding basic human and civil rights from these persons |
Human Rights Group Condemns U.S. Government's Continued Secret Detention of Immigrants
6 Months After Sept. 11 Attack, Hundreds of Detainees Remain
Interview by Between the Lines' Scott Harris
In the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some 1,200 immigrants were arrested or detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in a search for individuals connected to the deadly assaults on New York City and Washington, D.C. Although nearly all of those picked up were guilty of nothing more than minor visa violations, six months later, 300 non-citizens are believed to still be in federal custody, with an unknown number having been deported or released on bond.
A report recently released by Amnesty International accuses the government of depriving a significant number of these detainees of their basic human rights under U.S. and international law. Amnesty states that many of those detained have been arbitrarily imprisoned in secrecy, without access to an attorney or contact with family members. The human rights group has also expressed concern about the punitive conditions under which these individuals have been held -- including prolonged periods of solitary confinement and heavy shackling.
Amnesty has filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act demanding that the government release detailed information on those being held and has called for an investigation of the conditions these individuals have been subjected to.
Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Josh Rubenstein, northeast regional director with Amnesty International USA, who questions the government's justification for withholding basic human and civil rights from these persons(A RealAudio Version of this interview may be found at http://www.btlonline.org).
To obtain a copy of the report, call Amnesty International USA at (617) 623-0202 or visit their Web site at www.amnestyusa.org <http://www.amnestyusa.org>
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© 2002 Between the Lines C/O WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, Connecticut USA. |
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