This dated speech is quite pertinent, and furhter reinforces the
potency of a lawsuit against Yaya Jammeh's government.  Those
interested in securing justice for the victims of Yaya Jammeh's
repression and abuses should contact the respect families and get
down to some serious work.  Never mind the doubting Thomases...they
are in every group of losers and do-nothingists.

Good-nite, and sweet dreams

________________________________________


26 June 2003

Statement on International Day in Support of Torture Victims
President Bush says torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity
everywhere, and the United States is committed to building a world
where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.
In a statement issued on United Nations International Day in Support
of Victims of Torture June 26, the president called on all
governments to join in prohibiting, investigating and prosecuting all
acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual
punishment.
Following is the text of Bush's statement:
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2003
Statement By The President

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims
of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with
torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to
human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where
human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.
Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment,
ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since
1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe
physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or
control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by
rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush
the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some
of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens.
These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to
justice.
Notorious human rights abusers, including, among others, Burma, Cuba,
North Korea, Iran, and Zimbabwe, have long sought to shield their
abuses from the eyes of the world by staging elaborate deceptions and
denying access to international human rights monitors. Until
recently, Saddam Hussein used similar means to hide the crimes of his
regime. With Iraq's liberation, the world is only now learning the
enormity of the dictator's three decades of victimization of the
Iraqi people. Across the country, evidence of Baathist atrocities is
mounting, including scores of mass graves containing the remains of
thousands of men, women, and children and torture chambers hidden
inside palaces and ministries. The most compelling evidence of all
lies in the stories told by torture survivors, who are recounting a
vast array of sadistic acts perpetrated against the innocent. Their
testimony reminds us of their great courage in outlasting one of
history's most brutal regimes, and it reminds us that similar
cruelties are taking place behind the closed doors of other prison
states.
The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of
torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all
governments to join with the United States and the community of
law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting
all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and
unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against
torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part
of their diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and
others in supporting torture victims' treatment centers, contributing
to the UN Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts
of non-governmental organizations to end torture and assist its
victims.
No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in fear
of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock foreshadow
a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of torture
victims must end, and the United States calls on all governments to
assume this great mission.



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