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On Nov. 10, 2004, President Bush nominated Alberto Gonzales to the position of the United States Attorney General. Mr. Gonzales has been serving as the White House legal counsel, and would replace John Ashcroft if the nomination is approved. This nomination has raised numerous concerns throughout the international human rights community. These concerns are based on the various legal memoranda authored by Mr. Gonzales during the ongoing war against terror, which advised Mr. Bush that as president and commander in chief of the armed forces, he was not bound by the Geneva Conventions or other humanitarian limitations on the conduct of war. In short, the documents placed Mr. Bush above the law. The memoranda also set forth highly distorted interpretations of the Convention Against Torture and similar treaties banning the use of torture. These interpretations de facto authorized the torture and abuse of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. We believe that this history makes Mr. Gonzales an extremely poor choice for attorney general of the United States. His distorted interpretations reflect disrespect for the law itself, and his willingness to support and even encourage torture in our view make him an inappropriate government leader. Action Please call or e-mail the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and voice your opinions about this nomination. Two key Senators would be Sen. Orrin Hatch, chairman of the committee, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democratic member. Other members are Republicans Charles Grassley of Iowa, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Larry Craig of Idaho and John Cornyn of Texas. Also, Democrats Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Joseph Biden of Delaware, Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin, Dianne Feinstein of California, Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, Charles Schumer of New York, Richard Durbin of Illinois and John Edwards of North Carolina. The congressional switchboard number is 202.224.3121; and e-mails may be sent through our online Legislative Action Center. Message -- We are calling to voice our grave concerns about the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for the position of attorney general of the United States. -- We believe that the White House memos authored by Mr. Gonzales show a willingness to distort and evade the law, poor qualities for any attorney general in this country. -- Torture has been abhorrent to our system of national values since the framers of the Constitution. It has also been rejected again and again by our judiciary, and in numerous treaties ratified by our government. -- Because Mr. Gonzales' memos certainly encouraged the use of torture with regards to detainees in the war against terror, we believe that he is poorly qualified indeed to serve as our attorney general. -- The use of torture and other abuses is not only unethical and illegal, it puts our own servicemen and women at risk. Such harsh measures do not protect us, but rather endanger us. Background After the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., President Bush declared a global war on terror. This led to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the detention of numerous suspects in both countries, as well as at Guantanamo Bay. As is now well known, these detainees were subjected to shocking abuses, including torture, unfit prison conditions, and the deprivation of all reasonable due process rights. After the outcry following the release of the photographs of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, investigations led to the disclosure of a number of memoranda authored by White House counsel as well as the Justice Department and certain Defense Department leaders. These documents specifically addressed questions about the rights of all detainees under the Geneva Conventions, the Convention Against Torture, and U.S. domestic laws prohibiting torture. Mr. Gonzales, in his memo, specifically referred to the Geneva Conventions as “quaint” and “obsolete,” and suggested that President Bush might not be bound by those and other humanitarian provisions. He also set forth a highly distorted interpretation of the applicable laws and treaties in order to de facto permit the abuses later seen at Abu Ghraib. Although Colin Powell and other military advisors strongly protested, the positions set forth by Gonzales and others in the end prevailed, with disastrous results. For information about UUSC's anti-torture campaign, visit STOP Campaign director: Torture never justified. Posted Dec. 8, 2004 |
