By Guy Page

Lt. Gov. John Rodgers is calling on Democratic opponent Molly Gray to explain her role in establishing an international organization overseeing private military and security contractors, following renewed allegations that the organization lacked independence and failed to provide adequate protection for victims of human rights abuses.

VDC has contacted the Gray campaign for comment and will publish any response received in full. Rodgers, the incumbent, is trailing Gray in two major polls released last month. 

In an October 12 statement, Rodgers cited a 2021 article by Vermont attorney James Marc Leas, republished this month, examining Gray’s involvement in helping establish the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA) in 2014 while working with the U.S. government in Iraq.

The association was created to promote compliance with international human rights standards among private security contractors operating in conflict zones. However, critics have questioned whether the organization has sufficient independence from the companies it oversees or adequate powers to hold them accountable.

A 2016 report by the British human rights organization War on Want, titled Mercenaries Unleashed: The Brave New World of Private Military and Security Companies, criticized the association’s structure and effectiveness.

According to Rodgers’ statement, the report found that ICoCA relied heavily on companies’ own grievance procedures, lacked authority to award compensation to victims of human rights violations, and did not prevent governments from awarding contracts to companies accused of abuses.

“These are serious questions that deserve serious answers,” Rodgers said. “My opponent has made human rights a central part of her public service record, and she has pointed to this work as an accomplishment.”

Rodgers continued: “But when human rights organizations raise concerns that an oversight system protects the industry more than the victims, Vermonters deserve to know exactly what role she played, what she knew, and what she did about it.”

The lieutenant governor also linked the controversy to recent questions about migrant worker housing conditions at Four Corners Farm in Newbury, where Gray grew up and which remains operated by members of her family.

“This is an unfortunate pattern of silence from my opponent, especially following the revelations of her family farm,” Rodgers said.

Leas’ article also references reporting by the Center for Constitutional Rights concerning allegations of torture and other human rights abuses involving private military contractors in Iraq, including abuses at Abu Ghraib prison.

Leas argues that the international oversight association helped provide legitimacy to an industry with a history of human rights violations without establishing strong independent enforcement mechanisms.

The allegations concern the structure and effectiveness of the oversight organization, rather than any claim that Gray personally participated in abuses by military contractors.

According to Rodgers’ statement, Leas reported that Gray did not respond to questions about her involvement when the article was first published in December 2021.

“If an organization was created to protect human rights, it ought to have the authority to hold violators accountable,” Rodgers said. “If it didn’t, the people who helped establish it, like my opponent, should be willing to explain why.”

Rodgers is asking Gray to publicly describe her specific responsibilities in establishing ICoCA, whether she knew about concerns regarding industry influence over its governance, and how she responds to criticism that the organization lacked meaningful enforcement powers.

The controversy comes during the final weeks of the campaign for Vermont lieutenant governor, in which Rodgers, a Republican, is seeking reelection against Gray, a Democrat who previously held the office.