Stand up for our rights
We would like to thank and congratulate Jeff Inglis for his vivid and thoughtful account of his night in the replica of a cell from Guantánamo that was placed in Portland’s Monument Square for three days earlier in June (see "A Night in Guantánamo," June 13). Our two organizations, Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union, have been working hard to document how detainees have been treated at Guantánamo. The US Supreme Court has now reaffirmed, in the case of Boumediene v. Bush, the age-old, fundamental right of habeas corpus. In America, those detained should receive a fair and neutral hearing, learn the specific reason for their detention, and be able to challenge it in a court of law. Jeff Inglis’s reporting reminds us why all Americans need to stand up for our fundamental values and the rule of law, not only in times of peace and prosperity but also in times of war and crisis.
Shenna Bellows
Executive Director
Maine Civil Liberties Union
Portland
Joshua Rubenstein
Northeast Regional Director
Amnesty International USA
Somerville, Massachusetts
Getting Michaud's record straight
Jeff Inglis states in his article about the Amnesty International replica of a Guantanámo Bay prison cell (see "A Night in Guantánamo," June 13), “Democratic representative Mike Michaud voted for the Military Commissions Act of 2006.” It is true that he voted “yes” on the House version, believing at that time that the bill prevented torture and provided for a fair legal process, but after hearing from more legal experts and his constituents, he realized the bill did the exact opposite and he voted “no” on the final version.
We applaud Congressman Michaud for the courage and integrity to change his position when apprised of the facts and for supporting Amnesty International’s efforts to strengthen human rights.
Mary Ellen Crowley
Co-Coordinator
Amnesty International Midcoast, group 371
Waldoboro
Related:
Africans suffer while the world stands by, Corrections changes, Human-rights campaigner to tour Maine, More 
- Africans suffer while the world stands by
Raised on a steady diet of “Never Again,” members of Brown University’s Darfur Action Network found it infuriating to watch the international community stand idly by as murder and rape in Darfur continued unabated.
- Corrections changes
Like a movie hero, the NAACP’s new, young national president, Benjamin Jealous, swept into the 900-inmate Maine State Prison in Warren on Monday, quelling protests among the prisoners and, at least temporarily, rescuing the organization’s prison chapter from being snuffed out by state corrections officials.
- Human-rights campaigner to tour Maine
On the heels of news that Maine's unemployment rate is on the rise (2600 jobs were lost here in February), the state will host one of the nation's most powerful speakers on economic human rights this week.
- Amnesty International liberates City Hall
Old-school Jamaica Plain and Cambridge hippies had better step up their game.
- Secret, unaccountable, and co-opted
The state prison in Warren has been hammered in recent months by an inmate murder and other violence, a prisoner hunger strike, legislative investigations exposing mismanagement and poor guard morale, and a request by human-rights groups for a federal probe of prisoner mistreatment.
- Less than equal
This story has a bias. It’s in favor of human rights for all people.
- State should protect inmates’ rights
As Lance Tapley points out, denying prisoners access to human-rights protections is a mistake (see "Less Than Equal," October 2).
- Promoting human rights at home
“We have a holier-than-thou” attitude in the United States about human-rights violations abroad, said Bart Carhart, a student organizer of the new Amnesty International chapter at the University of Southern Maine.
- Federal investigation requested
Stirred into action by the murder of a wheelchair-bound prisoner, human-rights activists have asked the federal Department of Justice to investigate the treatment of Maine State Prison inmates.
- Under attack
Recent decisions by President Barack Obama and Maine Governor John Baldacci have dampened progressive hopes that the Republican-inspired war on civil liberties might be winding down.
- Human rights watch
Last week, on the heels of anti-torture panels and protests in Portland, Washington DC, and elsewhere, the Justice Department told the nation that it would have to wait a few more days before information about American torture policies and practices is made public.
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, Politics, Political Policy, Social Issues, American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Policy, Michael Michaud, Mary Ellen, U.S. Supreme Court, Amnesty International, Amnesty International USA, Less
