UN raps US civil rights record on secret programmes
March 28, 2014 - A United Nations panel has found that the United States has fallen
short of meeting its obligations under an international civil rights treaty, pointing
to a lack of adequate oversight and transparency in its programmes of electronic surveillance,
targeted drone killings and secret detentions. The U.N. Human Rights Committee said
on Thursday there has been improvement in some areas since the last such review in
2006. However, major concerns remain with prolonged solitary confinement of prisoners,
sentencing of life without parole for juvenile offenders, racial disparities in the
use of the death penalty and laws hindering felons from voting. The panel's report
also urged improved U.S. compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights by providing ``full voting rights'' to residents of Washington, D.C. (Source:
AP)