W
O R L D R I G H T S
Human Rights Advocacy Worldwide
June 23, 2004
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III
Chairman
House Government Reform Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20005
Mr. Chairman, and distinguished members of the Committee:
I have the honor to enter into this hearing record on the matter of the "Examination of Proposals to Give DC Residents Direct Representation” the legal decision issued on December 29, 2003 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Case No. 11.204, Statehood Solidarity Committee v. the United States.
This case, adjudicated over a period of almost eleven years, finds the government of the United States of America in violation of internationally recognized human rights standards by denying the residents of the District of Columbia representation in their own national legislature through duly elected representatives on general terms of equality.
Any remedy that fails to convey a grant of equal congressional representation to the residents of the District of Columbia—that is, two U.S. Senators and at least one representative in the U.S. House of Representatives—will fail to remedy the violations of international law, and serve only to perpetuate them.
Sincerely,
Timothy Cooper
Executive Director
4101 Davenport St., NW Washington, DC 20016
Tel: 202.361.0989 Fax: 202.244-9479. Email: Worldright@aol.com
www.world-rights.org