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November 21, 2006 at 06:28:43
22,000 Show Up to Protest U.S. Torture School by Mary Shaw Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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This year, the vigil took place over the weekend of November 17-19, and the size of the crowd was estimated at 22,000!
Good for them! Each year the number of protesters increases. Hopefully someday their voices will be heard.
Changing its name doesn't change the fact that the school (now known as the "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation", or WHINSEC) is still using our tax dollars to train Latin American death squads in the fine art of torture. At a recent Amnesty International conference, I actually got to meet a Salvadoran victim of torture by the U.S.-trained death squads of the 1980s. Believe me, this is not how our tax dollars should be spent.
Amnesty International estimates that the WHINSEC-SOA has trained hundreds of Latin American officers who were later implicated in human rights violations.
In 1996, the U.S. Department of Defense disclosed evidence that the school had used manuals from 1982 to 1991 that advocated torture, blackmail, beatings, and executions. While some curriculum changes have since been implemented at this training institute, no one has ever been held accountable for the unlawful training manuals or for the behavior of SOA graduates.
We're waiting.
In a 2002 report, Amnesty International called for an independent commission of inquiry to investigate past activities of SOA and its graduates, and for the school to be suspended pending publication of its findings.
We're still waiting.
Meantime, in order to ensure that reforms at the school are not just cosmetic, Amnesty's same report called for continued monitoring of the school, including review of its courses and training manuals by the Secretary of Defense. It also asked Congress to require the Department of Defense to assess and report annually on the school's progress in integrating human rights and rule of law education into military training.
We're still waiting.
WHINSEC-SOA is only one small part of a vast and complex network of U.S. programs for training foreign military and police forces that is often shrouded in secrecy. Currently, approximately 275 known U.S. military schools and installations in the U.S. provide such training.
But by closing the WHINSEC-SOA, we can take an important step towards becoming a nation for which human rights is not just a sound bite.
For more info about the vigil, check out the SOA Watch website at www.soaw.org.
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http://www.maryshawonline.com
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YES
You have probably heard this before but I dont care.. Casablanca said it all: WELCOME BACK TO THE FIGHT. THIS TIME I KNOW OUR SIDE WILL WIN. H by Hamish (45 articles, 0 quicklinks, 68 diaries, 210 comments) on Tuesday, Nov 21, 2006 at 7:08:00 AM  (0+)
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Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
It is such a shame that Ms. Shaw is so uncertain of her position that she resorts to blatant falsehoods, even about her own organization! President Clinton signed the law that closed the Army's School of the Americas six years ago. WHINSEC operates under a different law and different supervision. That supervision includes members of Congress, two senior military members, a State Department official, and six civilians (three of whom are clergymen). Not one example of anyone using what he learned at SOA to commit a crime has ever been found, by Amnesty International or anyone else! That makes accusations of teaching torture a libel of the people who worked there. Ms. Shaw misleads on the 'manuals' issue, most importantly that not one example of their bad effect exists. The 2002 AI report she refers to quotes one item from one manual and says it could be misunderstood by other militaries--hardly a strong indictment. The report also said the institute had a new charter and a new emphasis on human rights; it claimed that our Human Rights program could be used as a model for those 275 other US-government educational facilities. Ms. Shaw finally hints at secrecy, when anyone can come to WHINSEC any work day, sit in on any class, talk with any student or faculty member, and review our instructional materials. It's time somebody tells the truth, instead of repeating uninformed and baseless accusations. Lee A. Rials, Public Affairs Officer, WHINSEC by Lee Rials (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 5, 2006 at 12:03:25 PM (0+)
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Reply: And SOA/WHISC is merely the tip of the iceberg
Actually, SOA/WHISC is not the only culprit. Amnesty International notes that there are 275 known military schools and installations in the U.S. that teach foreign soldiers and police. SOA/WHISC just happens to be the most notorious. We are still very concerned with ongoing human rights violations in Latin America and elsewhere by graduates of these schools. Readers are encouraged to review Amnesty International's documentation on the issue (and all the schools) and judge for themselves. Here is a link to some comprehensive info: http://www.amnestyusa.org/arms_trade/ustraining/index.html IMPORTANT: Be sure to read the section on The US Military: Who, Where and What Are They Teaching Amnesty does not make this stuff up. by Mary Shaw (212 articles, 13 quicklinks, 428 diaries, 45 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 5, 2006 at 1:58:19 PM (0+)
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Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
It is such a shame that Ms. Shaw is so uncertain of her position that she resorts to blatant falsehoods, even about her own organization! President Clinton signed the law that closed the Army's School of the Americas six years ago. WHINSEC operates under a different law and different supervision. That supervision includes members of Congress, two senior military members, a State Department official, and six civilians (three of whom are clergymen). Not one example of anyone using what he learned at SOA to commit a crime has ever been found, by Amnesty International or anyone else! That makes accusations of teaching torture a libel of the people who worked there. Ms. Shaw misleads on the 'manuals' issue, most importantly that not one example of their bad effect exists. The 2002 AI report she refers to quotes one item from one manual and says it could be misunderstood by other militaries--hardly a strong indictment. The report also said the institute had a new charter and a new emphasis on human rights; it claimed that our Human Rights program could be used as a model for those 275 other US-government educational facilities. Ms. Shaw finally hints at secrecy, when anyone can come to WHINSEC any work day, sit in on any class, talk with any student or faculty member, and review our instructional materials. It's time somebody tells the truth, instead of repeating uninformed and baseless accusations. Lee A. Rials, Public Affairs Officer, WHINSEC by Lee Rials (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments) on Tuesday, Dec 5, 2006 at 12:03:36 PM (0+)
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Reply: Heard you the first time
My response has not changed. See above. by Mary Shaw (212 articles, 13 quicklinks, 428 diaries, 45 comments) on Thursday, Dec 7, 2006 at 7:02:55 AM (0+)
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