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“INTEREST GROUPS RALLY TO SUPPORT H. CON. RES. 330” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2457-E2458 on Nov. 25, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTEREST GROUPS RALLY TO SUPPORT H. CON. RES. 330
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HON. TOM LANTOS
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, my friend and distinguished colleague from Connecticut, Rep. Christopher Shays, and I recently introduced H. Con. Res. 330. On the occasion of the introduction of our bill, we were joined by several important representatives from the NGO community, who eloquently expressed the wide support our legislation has already received. I would like to include their outstanding statements at this point in the Congressional Record, with my deepest gratitude for their support and advice.
Statement by Michael Heflin, Director, Amnesty International USA
Outfront Program
On behalf of Amnesty International I would like to commend Congressmen Tom Lantos and Christopher Shays for their strong leadership on this issue as well as the more than forty other members of Congress who have agreed to be original co-sponsors of this historic resolution. Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have documented the widespread abuse of the fundamental human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people throughout the world. These abuses include the imprisonment, torture and in some cases killing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people by their own governments. Some 70 countries still criminalize homosexuality. Sentences for conviction under these statutes vary, but often include lengthy jail sentences and in some cases include torture or even imposition of the death penalty as a legally sanctioned punishment. As we sit here this morning, there are many who sit in jail cells and face the prospect of torture simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In Egypt, for example, over the past two years, Amnesty International and other human rights groups have documented the arrest of over 100 men simply on the basis of their alleged sexual orientation. Ironically, Egypt is one the few countries in the Middle East that does not explicitly outlaw homosexuality but has charged the men under a vaguely worded law prohibiting ``habitual debauchery.'' Many of these men report having been brutally tortured while imprisoned. We also believe this number is only the tip of the iceberg and there are probably many cases that we have not yet documented. Of those arrested, some have now been freed but the arrests continue. At this moment, Amnesty considers at least 15 men in Egyptian prisons to be
``prisoners of conscience'' in jail solely on the basis of their alleged sexual orientation. Egypt is not alone and similar arrests have also been made in many other countries in recent years including Malaysia, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia, just to name a few. Even when not criminalized, discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people by both governmental authorities and civilians remains widespread throughout much of the world. Too often states fail to hold the perpetrators of such violence accountable, creating a climate of impunity--in violation of international human rights standards that require states to protect the human rights of all of their citizens. In recent years, Amnesty International has documented patterns of violence including murder and physical assault, particularly targeted against transgender people and gay men in a number of countries, including for example, Honduras, Guatemala, and Ecuador. In many of these cases the police were complicit or did nothing to investigate these crimes or hold those responsible accountable. Lesbians often face a double layer of discrimination and abuse resulting from both their gender and their sexual orientation. These violations are often particularly difficult to document because they most often occur in the community and the family, but include forced marriage and sometimes even rape employed as a method to cure lesbians of their deviant sexuality. The United States has not been a leader either at home or abroad in advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights. While this resolution recognizes the need to continue to make progress in this country toward the full recognition of the basic human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, it also spells out the U.S. government's obligation to combat human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world. Despite the U.S. government's overall lack of leadership on these issues, some progress is being made. Over the last few years the State Department has begun to document some of these abuses in its annual reports. We hope that this resolution will encourage the State Department to continue to make improvements in its documentation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights abuses around the world. We also believe much more can and must be done by the U.S. government if it is to play a leadership role in protecting global lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights. Through this resolution, we are calling for the U.S. government to develop a comprehensive strategy for combating these abuses. This strategy must include the U.S. government's taking a positive and proactive position in favor of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights when these issues are discussed and debated in international forums. It is only through adoption of the recommendations of this resolution, including development of such a comprehensive strategy, that the U.S. government can begin to fulfill its obligations under international human rights standards to advance the human rights of all people.
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Statement by Christopher Labonte, Deputy Director for Legislation,
Human Rights Campaign
Good Morning. It has often been said that with great power comes great responsibility. As one of the most fortunate and powerful countries on the planet, the United States has a tremendous responsibility to speak out and protect those who may not be able to protect themselves. It's sad to say that there are currently 80 countries within our global village that have enforceable laws against GLBT people, many resulting in inhumane punishment including imprisonment, torture and even execution. In many of those countries--Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania and Iran--GLBT people face possible execution simply because of who they are, and who they love. Today, the Human Rights Campaign is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends Representative Tom Lantos and Representative Christopher Shays, who have introduced a resolution condemning all violations of internationally recognized human rights norms based on the real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual. The resolution also recognizes that the protection of sexual orientation and gender identity is not a special category of human rights, but is fully embedded in the overall human rights norms set forth in international law. Finally, the resolution calls on the Department of State to improve its own documentation of human rights abuses on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, to give these violations the same consideration as other human rights abuses and to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat such abuses abroad. This nation was founded on the principle that all people were created equal and had the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When we speak out as a nation against the torture, violence and cruelty that plague so many of the world's GLBT people, we are fulfilling the truest vision of our nation. At the Human Rights Campaign, we look forward to a day when resolutions like this will not be necessary--when the world's GLBT people will be free to live their lives openly and honestly, as any other citizen of the world does. In the meantime, we hope that Congress will act to adopt this important resolution to take a stand against the violent mistreatment that GLBT people face within our global community. Thank you very much.
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