"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." That is the text of Article 5 of the UDHR.
When I was originally thinking about this article, I thought I might write about Guantanamo Bay and how it ought to be closed. If you haven't heard, Guantanamo Bay is a detention facility for militant folks and is basically a huge violation of international human rights law. Happily, Barack Obama signed in a plan to close the facility in 120 days within the first few hours of his presidency. Another reason I am glad he's my president. Anyways, I digress.
As the video implies, Article 5 is not just about treatment of prisoners or enemies in war. It includes cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Domestic violence is in there. Child abuse. Even prejudices. Slavery. It's remarkable yet unsurprising how interconnected they are all. The line between human rights and the right to be human is a bit blurry if you ask me.
Good stuff. I'm glad to have these back on my mind. Odd that I am less depressed when thinking about depressing things?
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