The Human Rights Issue of Guantanamo Bay Essay Example For Students

The Human Rights Issue of Guantanamo Bay Essay Human rights are those rights that all persons inherently possess. These rights are protected by various legal principals such as the rule of law and ensure the dignity of all people. Various organisations such as the United Nations attempt to ensure that all nations adhere to human rights laws. However, human rights are being violated by countries all around the world, even by countries such as the United States who have the national strategy America must stand firmly for the non negotiable demands of human dignity . The United States have been breaching international covenants and conventions on human rights with their terrorist detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. The United States, however, acts according to the laws it defines for itself . It is entitled to do so as it is a sovereign state. We will write a custom essay on The Human Rights Issue of Guantanamo Bay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Guantanamo Bay is an American Navel base used to permanently incapacitate approximately 660 detainees from 40 nations, including children. Because the base is located on Cuban territory the prisoners are not protected by the American constitution or judiciary it is the obligation of the Judicial Branch to ensure the preservation of our constitutional values . These prisoners are held at the detention center in legal limbo, with no access to lawyers or families . The prisoners are kept isolated for 24 hours a day, little outdoor exercise time and no interaction with other prisoners. The inmates are interrogated for hours at a time and it is commonly speculated subject to torture. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the only non government organisation allowed access to the prisoners. The ICRC is worried about the psychological impact that the prison is inflicting on inmates. A photograph released by the Pentagon shows inmates kneeling before soldiers, hands and ankl es cuffed with masks completely covering their faces. The photograph has become an icon of unacceptable US exceptionalism . Sayed Abbasin, once an inmate of the Guantanamo bay detention center described the experience it was the act of an animal to treat a human being like that . The United States government authorised military commissions to hand down the death penalty for detainees of Guantanamo Bay. Against the verdicts the prisoners have no right to appeal, which is a requirement of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The defendant has no say in any legal matters, even to who defends him in court. The commissions are also allowing a lower standard of proof as to allow for evidence obtained through coercion to be admissible. These commissions themselves violate the principles of natural justice and the separation of the judiciary, allof which contradict the rule of law. The United States government cannot create unfair commissions administered by the executive, with the power to hand down death sentences to suit their current requirements. Lord Steyn, a leading judge from the United Kingdom has stated that these commissions would be a stain on United States Justice . The situation at Guantanamo Bay directly violates various international treaties and covenants including the Geneva Convention and the ICCPR. On January 11 2002 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld outlined the stance the United States would be taking in regards to the terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay. The United States have labeled the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay unlawful combatants and that therefore the Geneva Convention does not protect these individuals. Jamie Fellner director of Human Rights Watch states that as America is party to the Geneva Convention they are required to treat all combatants equally and humanely. The Geneva Convention is also violated simply through the authorisation of these military commissions under the convention all captured fighters regardless if they are members of an adversary states armed forces or are part of an identifiable militia group are to be tried under the same laws and courts as the detaining countrys armed forces. Therefore these mil itary commissions not only violate the Geneva Convention but also the rule of law in the fact that they were architected with the purpose of dealing with inmates at Guantanamo Bay, and have never applied to American soldiers. .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee , .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .postImageUrl , .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee , .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:hover , .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:visited , .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:active { border:0!important; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:active , .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6f53d8218cff9b23fcccac7a47f8a2ee:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: American Music EssayHuman rights violations are allowed to occur because the international community is incapable of punishing or enforcing violations.

Phillis Wheatley - Slave Poet of Colonial America

Phillis Wheatley - Slave Poet of Colonial America Dates: about 1753 or 1754 - December 5, 1784Also known as: sometimes misspelled as Phyllis Wheatley An Unusual Background Phillis Wheatley was born in Africa (probably Senegal) about 1753 or 1754. When she was about eight years old, she was kidnapped and brought to Boston. There, in 1761, John Wheatley bought her for his wife, Susanna, as a personal servant. As was the custom of the time, she was given the Wheatley familys surname. The Wheatley family taught Phillis English and Christianity, and, impressed by her quick learning, they also taught her some Latin, ancient history, mythology and classical literature. Writing Once Phillis Wheatley demonstrated her abilities, the Wheatleys, clearly a family of culture and education, allowed Phillis time to do study and write. Her situation allowed her time to learn and, as early as 1765, to write poetry. Phillis Wheatley had fewer restrictions than most slaves experienced but she was still a slave. Her situation was unusual. She was not quite part of the white Wheatley family, nor did she quite share the place and experiences of other slaves. Published Poems In 1767, the Newport Mercury published Phillis Wheatleys first poem, a tale of two men who nearly drowned at sea, and of their steady faith in God. Her elegy for the evangelist George Whitefield, brought more attention to Phillis Wheatley. This attention included visits by a number of Bostons notables, including political figures and poets. She published more poems each year 1771-1773, and a collection of her poems was published in London in 1773. The introduction to this volume of poetry by Phillis Wheatley is unusual: as a preface is an attestation by seventeen men of Boston that she had, indeed, written the poems herself: WE whose Names are underwritten, do assure the World, that the POEMS specified in the following Page, were (as we verily believe) written by Phillis, a young Negro Girl, who was but a few Years since, brought an uncultivated Barbarian from Africa, and has ever since been, and now is, under the Disadvantage of serving as a Slave in a Family in this Town. She has been examined by some of the best Judges, and is thought qualified to write them. The collection of poems by Phillis Wheatley followed a trip that she took to England. She was sent to England for her health when the Wheatleys son, Nathaniel Wheatley, was traveling to England on business. She caused quite a sensation in Europe. She had to return unexpectedly to America when they received word that Mrs. Wheatley was ill. Sources disagree on whether Phillis Wheatley was freed before, during or just after this trip, or whether she was freed later. Mrs. Wheatley died the next spring. The American Revolution The American Revolution intervened in Phillis Wheatleys career, and the effect was not completely positive. The people of Boston and of America and England bought books on other topics rather than the volume of Phillis Wheatley poems. It also caused other disruptions in her life. First her master moved the household to Providence, Rhode Island, then back to Boston. When her master died in March of 1778, she was effectively if not legally freed. Mary Wheatley, the daughter of the family, died that same year. A month after the death of John Wheatley, Phillis Wheatley married John Peters, a free black man of Boston. Marriage and Children History is not clear about John Peters story. He was either a neer-do-well who tried many professions for which he was not qualified, or a bright man who had few options to succeed given his color and lack of formal education. The Revolutionary War continued its disruption, and John and Phillis moved briefly to Wilmington, Massachusetts. Having children, trying to support the family, losing two children to death, and dealing with the wars effects and a shaky marriage, Phillis Wheatley was able to publish few poems during this period. She and a publisher solicited subscriptions for an additional volume of her poetry which would include 39 of her poems, but with her changed circumstances and the wars effect on Boston, the project failed. A few poems were published as pamphlets. George Washington In 1776, Phillis Wheatley had written a poem to George Washington, lauding his appointment as commander of the Continental Army. That was while her master and mistress were still alive, and while she was still quite the sensation. But after her marriage, she addressed several other poems to George Washington. She sent them to him, but he never responded again. Later Life Eventually John deserted Phillis, and to support herself and surviving child she had to work as a scullery maid in a boardinghouse. In poverty and among strangers, on December 5, 1784, she died, and her third child died hours after she did. Her last known poem was written for George Washington. Her second volume of poetry was lost. More About Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley: Analysis of Her Poems Suggested Reading on This Site African American History and Women Timeline 1700-1799African American Writers Recommended Books Phillis Wheatley - Bibliography Vincent Carretta, editor. Complete Writings - Penguin Classics. Reprint 2001.John C. Shields, editor. The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley. Reprint 1989.Merle A. Richmond. Bid the Vassal Soar: Interpretive Essays on the Poetry of Phillis Wheatley. 1974.Mary McAleer Balkun. Phillis Wheatleys construction of otherness and the rhetoric of performed ideology. African American Review, Spring 2002 v. 36 i. 1 p. 121. Childrens Books Ages 8-12:Kathryn Lasky. A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet. January 2003.Susan R. Gregson. Phillis Wheatley. January 2002.Maryann N. Weidt. Revolutionary Poet: A Story about Phillis Wheatley. October 1997.Young Adult:Ann Rinaldi. Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley. 1996.