Issue Position: Human Rights

Issue Position

Armenia: Stark would like to see the United States recognize the Armenian genocide for what it was, a genocide. He cosponsored H. Res. 316, calling for the President to properly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, and H. Con. Res. 195, commemorating the victims of the genocide and urging the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge the culpability of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire.

China: Stark is a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 294, calling on the international community to condemn the Laogai system of forced labor prison camps in the People's Republic of China. These camps have been used as a tool for suppression maintained by the Chinese Government. He also cosigned a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao to protest the arrest and detention of family members of Uyghur human rights activist Rebiya Kadeer.

Columbia: The United States' War on Drugs has put many of Colombia's people at risk. Stark has joined his colleagues in encouraging Colobmia President Uribe Velez to request funds for economic development for anti-poverty programs rather than for military fumigation of cocoa fields. Concerned about human rights violations related to the ongoing conflict between the government and several militia groups, Stark also wrote to the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) to express strong support for full renewal of Bogota office's mandate.

Sudan: Stark believes it is high time that the Bush Administration back up its rhetoric of spreading freedom and opportunity to oppressed peoples by taking decisive action to stop the atrocities in Sudan. He supports a United Nations mission to Darfur and wrote to Chinese authorities to encourage them to pressure the Sudanese government to accept such a presence.

Stark cosponsored and voted in favor of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127) which recognized the crisis in Darfur as a genocide and acknowledged the need for American and international involvement. Stark also cosponsored the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act (H.R. 6140), Congresswoman Barbara Lee's legislation to prohibit government contracts with multinational businesses that maintain business relationships and investments with Sudan.

After learning of pending cuts in United Nations World Food Program rations for the people of Darfur, Stark joined with like-minded colleagues to author a letter to the U.S. Agency of International Development expressing his concern. Stark also joined other California Democrats in writing to the California Public Employees' Retirement System to encourage divestment from Sudan. CalPERS listened to Congressional concerns and subsequently divested from Sudan.

Uzbekistan: As a result of the massacre at Andijan, Stark opposes further financial payments to the Uzbekistani government for the use of Karshi-Khanabad airbase. He cosponsored H. Res. 475 to express his disapproval of these payments and to urges the President to direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use U.S. influence in the U.N. Security Council to refer the situation of Uzbek President Islam Karimov and the May 2005 to the International Criminal Court.

WHINSEC (School of the Americas): Stark does not believe the United States should train or equip foreign military personnel in torture, extortion and execution. He adamantly opposes federal funding for WHINSEC or its programs and is a cosponsor of the Latin America Military Training Review Act (H.R. 1217). The proposed legislation would close WHINSEC and establish a Congressional task force to study what kind of education and training would be appropriate for the Department of Defense to provide to military personnel in Latin American nations.

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