June 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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June 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Bush drops Louima torture case; UN stages anti-torture day 22 June 2001
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the George W. Bush administration has apparently dropped a civil rights case against the New York city police department—at 40,000 officers it is the country’s largest—for the sodomy torture of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima in August of 1997. Louima, anally brutalized with a broken broomstick while handcuffed and held down in a police interrogation room, was hospitalized for two months and since the attack must wear a colostomy bag. New York police officer Justin Volpe plead guilty in May 1999 as the primary perpetrator of the torture. The civil rights case held promise of bringing reforms to the NYPD, including the appointment of an outside monitor. During the Clinton administration, federal prosecuters were looking into possible patterns of civil rights abuses at the NYPD. There has been no action since last fall’s federal election. Now officials close to the case and speaking anonymously say that the Bush administration won’t revive it, one admitting “It’s self-evident that it’s dead.” Meanwhile, the New York city based United Nations will hold their first annual UN Day in Support of Victims of Torture next Tuesday. Amnesty International estimates that agents of the state commit torture in 150 countries at present, with the practice widespread in more than 70. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says of the 26 June event “This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable. It is long overdue that a day be dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of torture around the world.” | Associated Press story | | UN event info | | Abner Louima page on Salon | | top of page | |
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