網頁

星期二, 9月 13, 2016

CAPAC Chair Chu Questions Attorney General Lynch on Investigations Into Chinese American Scientists

CAPAC Chair Chu Questions Attorney General Lynch on Investigations Into Chinese American Scientists

Washington, D.C. – During a Congressional Progressive Caucus meeting today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), questioned Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigations into Chinese American scientists who were wrongly accused of alleged espionage, as well as the Department’s implementation of its new implicit bias training. Rep. Chu released the following statement:

“I am grateful that Attorney General Lynch has once again come to Capitol Hill and I always appreciate the opportunity to speak with her on issues important to my constituents and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. It’s especially important that we get clarification into DOJ practices in the wake of high-profile arrests of Chinese American scientists like Professor Xiaoxing Xi. Even though the charges were dropped in these cases, the damage to reputations and careers has already been done, and many AAPI scientists and engineers live in fear that they could be targeted next.

“I have asked Attorney General Lynch in private and in Congressional hearings for greater clarity into what went wrong in these cases and why there appears to be an ongoing pattern and practice of Asian Americans being singled out by federal law enforcement and prosecutors. We in CAPAC have also called for an independent investigation into these cases. But so far, we have not received any answers. Our community deserves more than silence. At the very least, those whose lives were turned upside down by these DOJ investigations, only to have the charges dropped, deserve an apology.

“It is clear that changes need to be made. And I was encouraged by Attorney General Lynch’s commitment to implementing new Department-wide implicit bias training and her willingness to take input from the AAPI community. I am hopeful that this implicit bias training will help to ensure that an individual’s race, national origin, or language ability does not lead to wrongful profiling. Nobody should have to fear that they could be arrested at gunpoint in front of their family, as Professor Xi was, simply for e-mailing while Asian.”

Background:

On June 27, 2016, the Department of Justice announced new Department-wide implicit bias training for all of its law enforcement agents and prosecutors. The training will be administered to more than 23,000 agents employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),  Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), as well as the approximately 5,800 attorneys working in the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. 

On May 13, 2016, CAPAC sent a letter to the DOJ Office of Inspector General demanding an independent investigation into whether race, ethnicity, or national origin played a part in recent cases in which Chinese Americans were suspected of espionage. The letter comes after similar requests were made in letters sent last May and November, as well as during a CAPAC meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in November 2015. 


美國會議員趙美心辦公室發文表示,在國會進步黨團9月13日的會議中,身為國會亞太裔黨團主席的趙美心,質問美國總檢察長羅瑞塔林奇(Loretta Lynch),有關美國司法部調華裔美國科學家被不當指控為間諜,以及該部門實施新的隱性偏見培訓。

趙美心發表了以下聲明。

“ 我很感謝總檢察長羅瑞塔林奇再次來到國會山莊。我也總是感謝有這機會和她談那些對我的選民,以及亞美太平洋島民社區來很重要的事。在發生了諸如高調逮捕華裔美籍科學家郗小星等事件後,我們能在司法部做法上得到澄清,更是特別重要。儘管這些案件的控罪撤銷了,他們的名譽及事業卻已經受損害,許多亞太裔科學家及工程師也因此生活在他們可能是下一個目標的恐懼中。
我曾經私下,也在國會公聽會中要求總檢察長蘿瑞塔林奇澄清,這些案子哪裡出錯了,為什麼亞裔美人不斷被聯邦執法人員及檢察官挑出來的做法似乎已成模式。
我們亞太裔社區也要求獨立調這些個案。但是迄今,我們沒得到任何回答。我們的社區應該得到不只是沈默以對。那些生活被司法部調弄得天翻地覆,只是控罪被撤銷了的人,至少應該得到一聲道歉。
很顯然地,必須有些改變。總檢察官蘿瑞塔林奇承諾要設立新的,全部門性隱性偏見培訓,願意接受來自亞太社區意見,很讓我感到鼓舞。我希望這個隱性偏見培訓能有助於確保一名個人的種族,原有國籍,或語言能力,不會導致錯誤的刻板印象。沒有人應該要為他們可能在家人面前被槍指著的逮捕而恐懼,就像郗小星教授那樣,只不過是因為在亞洲時,發送了電郵。

背景:
2016年6月27日時,美國司法部宣佈,給全部門執法人員及檢察官 的一項新隱性偏見培訓。聯邦調局(FBI),藥物執行局(DEA),菸酒武器爆炸物局(ATF),以及法警(USMS)等機構聘用的23,000多名員工,以及在遍佈全美94個美國總檢辦公室工作的5800名律師,都將接受培訓。
2016年5月13日時,亞太裔黨團發信給司法部稽長要求獨立調,種族,族裔貨原國籍 等,在最近那些華裔美人被懷疑為間諜的案件中,是不是因素之一。在趙美心發出這封信之前,已有類似的要求信件,在去年5月、11月,以及亞太裔黨團去年11越和總檢察長蘿瑞塔林奇會晤時,都發出過。


沒有留言: