Being a superpower, the United States’ position on any matter has an impact on other nations; hence its position in important matters is very crucial. However, not all matters need to be attended by the US since there is the United Nation which is tasked with such obligations although all countries have to come up strongly especially in areas of human rights. The rights of everyone must be safeguarded and protected by all means and no violations should be advocated whatsoever. Basic rights such as freedom of speech and movement/mobility are important to safeguard and to ensure development in all areas.
The priorities in the protection of human rights should be very clear and outlined so that no human rights abuse is tolerated by anyone. The first thing is to put an end to extrajudicial killings and detentions which will be in a bid to end intrusion to the freedom and the right to truth and justice (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2003).
Genocide should be the next on the list of priorities to be tackled in areas where these injustices are present. The UN and U.S. should guard against dictatorial rulers and any other perpetrators of these injustices and bring them to book. They should also check on impunity in the whole world as this can tend to be a getaway by some local leaders. Torture of victims and protection of witnesses should also be on their list. Moreover, they should actively protect suspects from torture and ensure that the witnesses are properly protected against any attacks.
They should aim at scrapping the death penalty from the judicial process since no one has the right to take any man’s life. Freedom of speech should also be checked from being violated especially in areas where dictators exist. Moreover, the right to information should be guarded by looking into issues regarding press and media freedom.
In being actively involved in these fights, the US will prove that it has commitments to truth, justice, and human rights. The world will be watching to see if the US can keep to its standards or just continue watching injustices against innocent people all over the world.
How the “Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” might be applied to a contemporary conflict.
Torture, cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment, and punishment have been used by many rulers to intimidate other people or those who oppose them. The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment should be used in such situations to uphold human dignity and rights. Some of the contemporary conflicts which need to be checked would include terrorism, pollution and waste management, ethics, security, and workforce globalization (Ulbrick, 2005).
Many countries have ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment hence consented to uphold its values. When a conflict occurs it is always best to solve the cases amicably especially where many nations are involved. Torture has been used in the past to force suspects to reveal information that may lead to saving lives. In issues of security, there is always a need to bend such laws to suit the conditions so that people’s safety is guaranteed. When suspects are being interrogated, some torture should be applied especially to the suspects who are less willing to divulge information.
Terrorism has made the world inhabitable, stressful, and uncertain to live in while the suspects who perpetrate such acts remain at large. Though they may be protected by this convention, they should be out-rightly be subjected to some torture to reveal information that can lead to the end of terrorism (Donnelly, 2003, p.67). The application of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to conflicts will depend on the case involved but most of the conflicts will involve bending the rules to achieve some objectives.
References
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. (2003). US Dep’t of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2002: Syria, Web.
Donnelly, J. (2003). Universal human rights in theory and practice. Second Edition. New York, Cornell University Press. Web.
Ulbrick, J.T. (2005).Tortured Logic: The (Il) legality of United States Interrogation Practices in the War on Terror. Journal of International Human Rights, Vol.4, Issue, 1. Web.