 
God Bless America |
Watch Dog Agencies | |
 The scope of today's global human rights problems far exceeds the capacity of global institutions to address them.
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| American civil and
political rights, including the right to elect one's government, allow tany
citizen to have a voice in the direction of social and economic development.
These rights permit citizens to press their government to take on such issues as
increasing the minimum wage, protecting union activists from retaliation,
enforcing prohibitions on discrimination, regulating industries, or ensuring
that social values be kept in mind. In this way, the system promotes
transparency and accountability in government and institutions. These are
prerequisites to making them responsive to popular concerns. Respect by all for
these basic freedoms tends to encourage the government to take seriously
obligations to uphold economic, social, and cultural rights. A rights approach
helps the United States to develop international solutions to problems arising
from issues of global importance.
There are certain minimal requirements of democracy and limited government: an independent judiciary, free elections and basic protections for free speech, free association and due process. The war on terrorism is raising issues. For example, President Bush signed an executive order allowing foreigners suspected of international terrorism to be tried in special military tribunals. Suspects detained under the Executive Order may not even be told a reason for their arrest. Human Rights Watch called on President Bush to rescind that order. "The next time the United States criticizes a foreign dictator for trying a dissident - or even an American citizen - before a military court, this is going to be thrown back in America's face," Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch said. For more information about human rights in other countries, you can use the Human Rights Watch countries index. |
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Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International On-line: Human Rights WebsiteThe web site contains information about the organization, current and previous news releases, documents, case studies, campaigns (includes a page specifically for the Pinochet case) , annual reports and numerous links to related web sites. Also available in some languages other than English. |
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Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch (HRW)The HRW web site includes background information about the organization, a current events section, publications, annual reports, information about specific campaigns and links to additional resources. |
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U.S. State Department U.S.
State Department: Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Bureau |
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