The U.S. government’s restrictions and violations of civil and political rights are quite serious. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice on December 8, 2009, by the end of 2008, 7.3 million people in the United States were imprisoned in prisons, jails, or on probation or parole, an increase of 0.5% from 2007. (Note 27) Among them, 2.3 million people are serving prison sentences, that is, 1 in every 198 Americans is serving a prison sentence. From 2000 to 2008, the U.S. prison population increased by an average of 1.8% per year. (Note 28) Due to the pressure of overcrowded prisons in California and the increasingly poor financial situation, the California government plans to send tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to prisons in Mexico. (Note 29)
Prisoners’ basic rights are not protected. Rape of prisoners by prison guards is widespread. The U.S. Department of Justice says sexual assaults by prison staff have doubled in the past eight years at 93 federal prisons. Of the 90 prison staff accused of sexually abusing prisoners, 40 per cent were also convicted of other offences. (Note 30) According to a report by The New York Times on June 24, 2009, a survey of more than 63,000 state and federal prison inmates showed that 4.5% of prisoners had been abused at least once in the past 12 months. There were 60,000 rapes against prisoners. (Note 31) A report from the U.S. Department of Justice shows that at the end of 2008, there were 20,231 male prisoners and 1,913 female prisoners in federal and state prisons in the United States living with HIV, accounting for 1.5% and 1.9% of male and female prisoners respectively. . (Note 32) From 2007 to 2008, the number of HIV carriers among prison inmates increased by 246 in California, 169 in Missouri, and 166 in Florida. In 2007, more than 130 inmates died of AIDS in federal and state prisons. (Note 33) A report by Human Rights Watch in March 2009 pointed out that the number of people living with HIV in prisons in New York State is much larger than that in most other states. These people cannot receive corresponding treatment, and they are even detained separately and refused to provide any treatment. (Note 34)
On the one hand, the United States is trying its best to sell "freedom of speech," "freedom of the press," and "freedom of the Internet" in the world, but on the other hand, it is completely in line with its own interests and needs and uses all means to monitor , restricting citizens’ freedoms and rights. According to reports, the US National Security Agency installed special eavesdropping equipment in the country as early as 2001 to monitor phone calls, faxes and emails, and collect domestic communication information. The program initially targeted Arab-Americans but gradually expanded to include other ordinary citizens. More than 25 monitoring devices have been installed in San Jose, San Diego, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and other places in Missouri in the United States. Recently, the U.S. National Security Agency is spending $1.5 billion to build a million-square-foot database at Camp Williams, Utah, and another massive database in San Antonio as an important part of its newly established Cyber ??Command. A man named Nocchio was charged with 19 counts of insider trading and sentenced to six years in prison for refusing to join the scheme. (Note 35)
After the "9·11" incident, under the banner of counter-terrorism, the U.S. government authorized the intelligence system to invade citizens' email communications, and used technical means to comprehensively monitor and forcibly delete information on the network that threatened the U.S. state. information of interest. According to the US Patriot Act, police agencies have the right to search phone calls, email communications, medical, financial and other types of records; it strengthens the power of police and immigration management units to detain and deport foreigners suspected of being related to terrorism. The bill extends the definition of terrorism and expands the jurisdiction of police agencies. On July 9, 2008, the U.S. Senate passed a new version of the wiretapping bill, which gives legal immunity to telecommunications companies involved in wiretapping projects. It also allows the U.S. government to intercept communications outside the United States without court approval on the grounds of anti-terrorism. eavesdropping on international communications. (Note 36) According to statistics, between 2002 and 2006, the FBI stole thousands of communication records of American citizens through emails, notes, phone calls and other channels. In September 2009, the United States established a regulatory agency responsible for Internet security, which heightened American citizens' concerns that the government would interfere with and regulate private systems on the grounds of maintaining Internet security.
In an interview with the New York Times in April 2009, a U.S. government official admitted that the NSA's interception and monitoring of U.S. citizens' emails and phone calls in recent months had exceeded the limits set by the U.S. Congress in 2008. In addition, they also secretly monitored the phone calls of politicians in other countries, officials of international organizations, and well-known journalists. (Note 37) The U.S. military is also involved in surveillance. According to CNN, the U.S. military's cyber risk assessment agency, headquartered in Virginia, is responsible for monitoring official and unofficial personal blogs, official documents, private contact information, weapons photos, military camp entrances and other "potential threats to national security." ” website.
The so-called "freedom of the press" in the United States is actually completely subordinate to the interests of the United States and is a "freedom" controlled by the US government. According to reports, the U.S. government and the Pentagon have intentionally deployed a group of retired military officers to serve as commentators in major radio and television media in the United States. As "military experts", they will give "positive evaluations" and analysis of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in an attempt to Guide public opinion, beautify war, and make the public agree with its "anti-terrorism" concept to gain support. (Note 38) At the end of 2009, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to impose sanctions on several Arab satellite TV channels in the Middle East for spreading anti-American content and inciting violence. (Note 39) In September 2009, when the G20 leaders’ meeting was held in Pittsburgh, the United States, anti-capitalist protesters used Twitter and mobile phone text messages to organize mass rallies and clashed with the police on several occasions. Elliot Madison, 41, was subsequently charged with helping protesters evade arrest through the Internet, and police raided his home. (Note 40) Vic Walzak, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said that if the same thing happened in other countries, it would be called a human rights violation, but in the United States, it is called necessary crime prevention. measure.
(Note 20) "The Oregonian", October 23, 2009,
(Note 22) "The Washington Post", July 19, 2009.
(Note 23) "Chicago Tribune", September 2009,
(Note 24) "Chicago Tribune", September 19, 2009.
(Note 25) "Washington Post", November 18, 2009.
(Note 30) "Washington Post", September 11, 2009.
(Note 31) "New York Times", June 24, 2009.
(Note 36) "New York Times", July 10, 2008.
(Note 37) "New York Times", April 15, 2009.
(Note 38) "New York Times", April 20, 2009.