Index

DATE=5/10/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=U-S / TORTURE (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-262189 BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN DATELINE=GENEVA CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: The top U-S human rights official says the United States is committed to eliminating torture from the American criminal justice system. Allegations of U-S torture were contained in a recent report issued by the human rights group Amnesty International. As Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva, the United States has challenged some of the allegations but acknowledged that problems do exist. TEXT: U-S Assistant Secretary of State Harold Koh says the U-S record on torture is not perfect. But, he says torture is a criminal offence in every U-S state and people suspected of misconduct are brought to trial. Mr. Koh says it is easy to criticize the United States because it is an open society and its human rights record is an open book. He says the same cannot be said for many other countries around the world. ///KOH ACT/// There are 194 countries in the world. We believe that the U-S human rights record, and particularly its record on torture ranks near the very top. We think that, obviously, there are problems which we need to address and which we are addressing. Our report exhaustively details the efforts we are taking to address those problems. ///END ACT/// Mr. Koh rejects a report by the human rights group Amnesty International. The report condemns the U-S for, what it calls institutionalized forms of torture, especially within the justice system. It says what it calls the increasingly punitive approach toward offenders in the United States is leading to practices that facilitate torture and other inhuman practices. Amnesty International notes the rising U-S prison population is contributing to what it says is widespread ill treatment of men, women and children in custody. Amnesty mentions a number of cases of alleged U-S police brutality. Mr. Koh says the U-S government welcomes criticism from human rights organizations and the media. But, he says the Amnesty Report is riddled with mistakes. ///2ND KOH ACT/// To take some of the very high profile cases that were mentioned, virtually all of them were subject to some sort of federal civil rights prosecution. Some of the most high profile cases are ones in which convictions have been obtained. We are human beings, imperfect human beings working within a system of universal human rights and we are trying to do our very best. ///END ACT/// Mr. Koh says the U-S government absolutely rejects the notion that it takes a half-hearted approach toward torture. He says his government is committed to wiping out torture wherever it exists. The U-S delegation will appear before the U-N committee Thursday to answer questions about human rights issues. (SIGNED) NEB/LS/GE/KBK 10-May-2000 11:57 AM EDT (10-May-2000 1557 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .