Press Release
Published on March 17, 2011
Washington, DC – On Friday, State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh is scheduled to deliver the U.S. response to more than 200 recommendations made by other governments as part of the United States’ first universal period review (UPR). Koh’s Geneva remarks will serve as a capstone to the review process, a Human Rights Council examination every U.N. member state undergoes every four years. Human Rights First has actively participated in the U.S. UPR and today issued recommendations on what should be included in the U.S. response. “U.S. engagement with civil society throughout the UPR process has been commendable. We urge the U.S. government to continue to work with nongovernmental organizations to make concrete policy changes to bring its practices into compliance with universal human rights norms, even as the UPR spotlight shifts to other countries,” said Human Rights First’s Tad Stahnke. “Doing so will encourage a high standard for other governments to meet.” With regard to issues related to immigration detention, Human Rights First is calling on Koh to:
As Koh addresses topics related to counterterrorism, Human Rights First is urging him to:
Human Rights First’s submission on the U.S. Universal Periodic Review to the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights can be accessed here, and a guide to key issues of concern for refugees in the context of the U.S. UPR can be found here.
