 6 Nov 2002 @ 20:54
To: The United Nations High Commission on Human Rights
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
REGARDING THE UNITED STATES 2000 GENERAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
OPEN LETTER TO:
1. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations
2. Chief of Activities and Programmes Branch, Human Rights, United Nations
3. Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone Number (41-22) 917-9000
Fax Number (41-22) 917-9016
Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
New York, NY USA
To the Office of the Secretary General, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights:
We, the undersigned, understand that it is the policy of the United Nations to investigate national elections in any country where there is evidence of vote-tampering, corruption, partisan impropriety, political coup, or religious/ethnic discrimination. [Relevant mandates as established by U.N. charter are footnoted below]
We would like to request that the United Nations please initiate an investigation of the 2000 Presidential election in the United States of America.
As a qualifying point, we ask you to note the following news coverage, issued by BBC Television's "Newsnight" program, on 16 February 2001, thereby disseminating election speculation to the international community:
What really happened in Florida? 16/2/01
Additionally, we submit the following points of conflict regarding the election in question:
1. The state official certifying election results in a pivotal state (Florida) also served as that state's campaign chair for the candidate to whom the election was awarded.
2. As presented to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, a significant number of minority voters in a pivotal state (Florida) were removed from the rolls of registered voters shortly before the election. Evidence of their name removal exists in the lengthy document compiled by DBT, a private firm contracted to identify felons ineligible to vote. Said target list was found to be 95% inaccurate but was never remedied prior to the election. [see BBC Report]
3. The father of the individual to whom the election was awarded previously held a position (among others) as Director of the nation's "Secret Police" (CIA), an organization charged with covert political activities, both foreign and domestic.
4. A significant number of votes in a pivotal state (Florida) were never counted.
5. The brother of the individual to whom the election was awarded holds the chief executive office of a pivotal state (Florida) in which the election was contested.
6. A portion of the nation's highest judicial body (U.S. Supreme Court) employed arbitrary and conflicting rulings to remedy legal proceedings engaged upon the discovery of point four above. To wit: on November 22, the court rejected notions of the 14th Amendment ("Equal Protection" clause) of the nation's constitution as bearing any relevance to legal proceedings. Same court cited Amendment 14 on December 12 as basis for termination of losing candidate's legal recourse. [see analysis by Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi]
7. Despite significant ongoing speculation, both national and international, as to the election's propriety, corporate media (both print and television) have remained largely silent on the issue. Furthermore, said media have faced criticism for erroneous procedures in reporting unsubstantiated vote determinations prior to factually ascertaining poll results.
We, the undersigned, urge you to investigate the above issues and report your findings to the international community.
Thank you.
FOOTNOTES: MANDATES FOR INVESTIGATION
1. For Activities and Programmes Branch, Chief, who is accountable to the High Commissioner for Human Rights...core functions...of the Activities and Programmes Branch are as follows:
(d) Providing substantive and administrative support to human rights fact-finding and investigatory mechanisms, such as special rapporteurs, representatives and experts and working groups mandated by the Commission on Human Rights and/or the Economic and Social Council to deal with specific country situations or phenomena of human rights violations worldwide… (Source: ST/SGB/1997/10, 15 September 1997, SECRETARY-GENERAL'S BULLETIN, ORGANIZATION OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS)
1. For High Commissioner for Human Rights:
"The mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is to protect and promote all human rights for all." [as per Mission Statement, Geneva, 2000] The mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights derives from Articles 1, 13 and 55 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and Assembly resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993, by which the Assembly established the post of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned More >
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