Head of Amnesty International Speaks Out
Irene Khan, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, in an interview with Spain’s El Pa??s while commenting on the destressing state of human rights internationally highlighted to example of Spain and President Zapatero. She said that, unlike President Bush and the U.S, President Zapatero of Spain was not guilty of using the politics of fear to promote his antiterrorist efforts. Below is the opening paragraph from El Pa??s, and a translation:
Irene Khan, nacida en Bangla Desh, tiene 48 a?±os, y es secretaria general de la organizaci??n Amnist??a Internacional desde 2001. Licenciada en Derecho por las universidades de Manchester y de Harvard, esta experta en Derecho Internacional P??blico y Derechos Humanos, de cuerpo menudo, voz suave y verbo elocuente, reconoce que el panorama de los derechos humanos en 2004 no podr??a ser m?°s desolador, pero reconoce excepciones. “Zapatero no us?? la pol??tica del miedo para su orientaci??n antiterrorista como hizo Bush en EE UU despu?©s del 11-S”, se?±al?? en una entrevista con EL PAIS. “La Administraci??n norteamericana y las grandes potencias dan el ejemplo: bajo el pretexto de defender la democracia y la libertad est?°n recortando los derechos humanos en una escala nunca vista”, explica. Es lo que Irene Khan llama la nueva agenda. “El lenguaje de la libertad y la justicia sirven para aplicar pol??ticas de miedo e inseguridad”, se?±ala. ¬øEjemplos? “La tortura ya no es m?°s tortura. Ahora se la llama posturas estresantes, manipulaci??n sensorial o manipulaci??n ambiental. O f??jese usted en los detenidos fantasma. ¬øAcaso no les llam?°bamos en la d?©cada latinoamericana de los a?±os setenta desaparecidos?, pregunta de manera ret??rica, evocando el famoso libro de George Orwell 1984.
Translation:
Irene Khan, 48 years old, and born in Bangladesh, has been Secretary General of the Amnesty International organization since 2001. With law degrees from Manchester University (England) and Harvard, she is an expert in International Public and Human Rights, a slight woman with a soft voice and eloquent speech. In reviewing the panorama of human rights in 2004 she says the situation couldn’t be more distressing, but she notes some exceptions.”Zapatero didn’t use the politics of fear as his antiterrorist orientation (ed., after the March 11, 2004 bombings in Madrid) as Bush did after September 11th,” she indicated in an interview with EL PAIS. “The northamerican administration and the great powers are setting the example: beneath a pretext of defending democracy and liberty, they are reducing human rights on a scale never before seen,” she explained.[] “The language of liberty and justice serve as a means to apply the politics of fear and insecurity,” she says. Examples? “Torture is no longer called torture. Now it’s called stressful postures, sensory manipulation or environmental manipulation. Or take a look at the term ‘ghost detainees.’ Would they perhaps have been called ‘the disappeared’ in the 1970s in Latin America?” she asked rhetorically, evoking the famous George Orwell book 1984.