By Sarah Carrillo
Staff Writer
“The truth can hurt but it can also help set people free. Tyrants hate the truth.”
This was the message at Convocation yesterday, delivered by Dr. William Schultz, executive director of Amnesty International since 1994 and former president of the Unitarian Church.
Amnesty International is an organization that strives to promote human rights and bring to light violators of human rights. The non-profit organization strives to free political and religious prisoners who are being held for nothing other than their beliefs.
Schultz discussed some of the challenges the workers of Amnesty International face and illustrated a few of the injustices taking place in the world.
One of the challenges, he said, is the lack of cultural knowledge many Americans have. The concept of injustices happening on the other side of the world having a direct effect on us is difficult for many Americans to grasp.
Shultz explained that one “seemingly far-fetched issue” that comes close to home is human rights violations in Russian prisons.
Although this does not seem to have anything to do with Americans, it directly affects them. A new strain of tuberculosis has developed that cannot be treated with medicine. Through travel and trading, this disease is now in America as well.
Schultz highlighted the events of Sept. 11.
Amnesty International has found that countries that are unstable and do not have outlets for people to express their ideas and needs are breeding grounds for violence and terrorism. Schultz further explained that in countries like Afghanistan, many young people are unemployed and have no voice in their government, and so they turn to groups like the Taliban.
One of Amnesty International’s projects is to ensure that Afghan-istan is rebuilt with a stable government that will promote peace instead of terrorism. Amnesty International is also working to improve women’s rights in Afghanistan and is participating in America’s war against terrorism.
So far, Schultz has mixed feelings about America’s actions.
“The U.S. took care to avoid civilians as targets in Afghanistan and that is admirable,” Schultz said. “But the FBI recently saying that they may have to torture prisoners to get information from them is against (Amnesty International’s) beliefs.”
As Schultz explained in the afternoon question and answer session, prisoners of war should be treated according to the Geneva Conventions, which state that prisoners should not be tortured.
Schultz believes that America should hold to these laws because we were one of the main groups to help conceive them. Also, if America does not hold to the standards of the Geneva Conventions, then we cannot expect other countries to follow the Conventions should they happen to capture American soldiers.
Schultz believes America needs to keep the respect it has earned by following the international laws of war.
He said that approximately 40,000 prisoners have been freed as a result of Amnesty International’s actions. Schultz’s speech goes along with Amnesty International’s theme of peace, hope and justice.
“One of our main goals is to make sure that death does not come prematurely and that everyone gets a chance to live,” Schultz said.
January 24, 2002