Opinion
Published on June 25, 2013
Op-ed by Lieutenant General Harry E. Soyster, USA (Ret.)
Twenty-five years ago, the United States signed a treaty intended to strengthen the country’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law. The president was Ronald Reagan, and the treaty was the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Today, as we mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Reagan’s comments as he sent that treaty to the Senate still ring true. He wrote, “It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.”
