News and Views
on Human Rights
No. 3: August 2005

In This Issue:
•   Actor Martin Sheen to portray Rumsfeld in trial on torture charges
•   Tiny village takes on multinational giant to defend its human right to water
•   Available now: Truth, Torture and the American Way, by UUSC's Jennifer Harbury
•   Justice delayed for victims of human rights abuses in Burma
•   UUSC Hotwire offers insights on search for justice in Guatemala
Actor Martin Sheen to portray Rumsfeld in trial on torture charges
Martin Sheen, the acclaimed actor who plays the fictional President Josiah Bartlet on the popular TV show The West Wing, will play the role of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the September 25 formal mock trial in Washington, D.C. The event, part of UUSC's STOP (Stop Torture Permanently) Campaign, will focus on the issues of U.S.-sponsored torture of the detainees in Guantanamo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Read more about the formal mock trial and the rest of the upcoming Call for Justice Weekend.

Available now Truth, Torture and the American Way, by UUSC's Jennifer Harbury
Jennifer Harbury, a prominent human rights lawyer and director of UUSC's STOP (Stop Torture Permanently) Campaign, has completed a new book, Truth, Torture, and the American Way: The History and Consequences of U.S. Involvement in Torture. The book vividly details how U.S.-sponsored torture violates our country's values and endangers our citizens. It is available now. UUSC members are eligible for an additional 10 percent discount off the online price at Beacon Press.

Find out more, or order this timely and provocative new book.

UUSC Hotwire offers insights on search for justice in Guatemala
On a recent visit to Guatemala, UUSC members and staff learned firsthand about the struggles of indigenous Mayans to reclaim their lives and dignity as they continue to recover from the 36-year-long civil war and its aftermath.

Read UUSC Hotwire for reflections of delegation members after their meetings with massacre survivors.

Tiny village takes on multinational giant to defend its human right to water
Villagers from Plachimada in southern India won a victory against the multinational giant Coca-Cola when the Kerala State Pollution Control Board ordered a bottling plant shut down. The board ruled that in addition to depleting the village's scarce water supply, the plant was discharging toxic wastewater into the remaining groundwater.

Read "India: Everything Gets Worse With Coca-Cola" to learn more about how activists in this remote village are fighting for their right to water.

Justice delayed for victims of human rights abuses in Burma
UUSC's colleague organization EarthRights International reports that a dispute over representatives' fees is delaying the allocation of multinational energy corporation Unocal's settlement to the victims of human rights abuses during the construction of the corporation's natural gas pipeline in Burma.

Learn more about what is keeping the multi-million-dollar settlement from reaching the victims.

Your privacy is protected. UUSC does not lend or share its mailing lists, including e-mail addresses. Rest assured that when you provide this information, it stays with us. In cases where colleague organizations or groups ask us to provide them with direct access to you, we will ask you first and/or allow you the opportunity to link to this information if you so desire.