Source: Washington Post (DC) Contact: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Pubdate: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 Author: Kalpana Srinivasan - AP U.S FAUTLED ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES Amnesty International Report Cites Violations by Prisons, Police The United States measures other countries against a lofty ideal when it comes to human rights, but it frequently violates these standards within its own borders, Amnesty International contends in a new report to be released today. From prisoners forced to wear shock-emitting stun belts to police who beat suspects without cause, the 153-page document provides the group's first comprehensive look at human rights violations in the United States. Amnesty International accuses the United States of maintaining a double standard: criticizing other countries for their abuses while not abiding by international treaties and principles of human rights itself. The United States, for example, has failed to sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which seeks to promote human rights for children. "When the U.S. house is not in order, it makes it far harder for the U.S. to take the kind of leadership role in international human rights that many of us in Amnesty would like to see it take," said William Schultz, executive director of the American chapter of the London-based organization. Amnesty, a longtime vocal opponent of capital punishment, admonished the United States for its continued use of the death penalty. The country should move to abolish the system, which is "racist, arbitrary and unfair," the group said. U.S. authorities have executed more than 350 prisoners since 1990, and another 3,300 prisoners await execution on death row, the report noted, and some states execute juveniles and persons with mental retardation. International standards dictate that law enforcement officers should use force only as a last resort and in proportion to the threat they encounter. But the report accuses police of frequently disregarding these standards, beating and abusing suspects unnecessarily. The 1997 case of Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant allegedly tortured by New York City police, propelled the problem into the public spotlight. But the report also points to abuses in other cities such as Philadelphia, where police allegedly conducted unjustified traffic stops and searches, particularly on minorities, and Pittsburgh, where drug squad officers allegedly planted evidence on suspects and falsified reports. Prison facilities are another site of frequent human rights violations, the report alleges. It says inmates fall victim to excessive force by guards, sexual abuse by fellow inmates and cruel use of restraints, such as leg-irons and restraint chairs. Some prisoners are forced to wear remote control stun belts, which emit a shock when activated by guards. The stun belts, used by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, 100 county agencies and at least 16 state correctional facilities, cause severe pain and incapacitation, says the report. Copyright 1998 The Associated Press - --- Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson