Commission on Unalienable Rights — What you need to know

Comments to the draft report of the State Department’s controversial Commission on Unalienable Rights (CUR) are due on July 31.  According to the Commission:  “The Commission welcomes all submissions.  Please route them to commission@state.gov and/or Designated Federal Officer Duncan Walker, who may be reached at walkerdh3@state.gov.”

Still honing your thoughts on the report?  On July 30,  Harvard’s Carr Center on Human Rights Policy will host an expert discussion on the CUR draft. More information about how to participate is here. 

Meanwhile, several human rights organizations are pursing a challenge to the Commission’s procedures  — including bias and lack of transparency — in a federal lawsuit pending in the Southern District of New York.  Issues include failure to timely post meeting minutes, lack of remote access to the CUR’s final meeting held in Philadelphia, and inadequate time for comments. Given CUR’s track record, it’s an open question whether the Commission will even consider and respond to comments at all, particularly given evidence that Pompeo has already illicitly directed the State Department to begin conforming its activities to the contents of the draft report. In fact, no further meetings of the CUR are scheduled post-comment period.

The CUR’s report asserts that there’s a hierarchy of human rights in the U.S., with civil and political rights at the top, yet the Commission’s failure to follow basic rules of government transparency suggests that the CUR is prepared to disregard even those rights when it’s convenient. Still, it’s important for concerned groups and individuals to create a record, so don’t forget to submit comments.