William Fisher

William Fisher writes for Inter Press Service.

Yemen Funneled US Aid to Insurgency War

Yemen is diverting U.S. military counterterrorism assistance to an abusive military campaign unrelated to terrorist threats, a prominent human rights group has learned from WikiLeaks. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks this month stated that Yemen in 2009 repeatedly diverted U.S.-supported Yemeni counterterrorism forces and possibly U.S.-supplied military vehicles … Continue reading “Yemen Funneled US Aid to Insurgency War”

Govt Accused of Fuzzy Math in Gitmo Report

A prominent public interest law firm that has defended numerous Guantánamo Bay detainees charged Thursday that a recent government report on a high rate of recidivism among former inmates is loaded with "vague and unsubstantiated claims and misinformation." The Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement that the report to Congress by the Director … Continue reading “Govt Accused of Fuzzy Math in Gitmo Report”

Of WikiLeaks, Whistleblowers and Whipping Boys

As pro- and anti-WikiLeaks forces draw their battle lines, and WikiLeaks’ impresario Julian Assange marks time in storied, overcrowded and very Victorian Wandsworth Prison in southwest London, a group of his supporters are taking a different tack. No, they’re not hacking MasterCard or Sarah Palin. Instead they’re speaking out in no uncertain terms. Their message: … Continue reading “Of WikiLeaks, Whistleblowers and Whipping Boys”

Government Forced to Release Docs on Spying Program

Last week’s release of 900 pages of U.S. government documents dealing with the implementation of the nation’s primary surveillance law suggests that the government has been systematically violating the privacy rights of U.S. citizens. How many citizens is unclear, since the documents were extensively redacted. The previously secret internal documents were obtained through a court … Continue reading “Government Forced to Release Docs on Spying Program”

WikiLeaks Bolsters Claim of Deadly US Attack in Yemen

A diplomatic cable published by whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks corroborates images released earlier by Amnesty International (AI) showing that the U.S. military carried out a missile strike in south Yemen in December 2009 that killed dozens of local residents, including women and children, the rights group says. In the secret cable, written in January 2010, Yemen’s … Continue reading “WikiLeaks Bolsters Claim of Deadly US Attack in Yemen”

New York Terror Verdict Hailed as Vindicating Civil Trials

The conviction of the first Guantánamo Bay detainee brought to New York for trial is triggering a wide range of reactions from politicians and legal experts. That trial ended dramatically at the federal courthouse in Manhattan this week, with Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, convicted of one count of conspiracy for his role in the 1998 … Continue reading “New York Terror Verdict Hailed as Vindicating Civil Trials”

Britain to Settle Rendition, Torture Case for Millions

The British government will reportedly pay millions in compensation to seven British nationals who were unlawfully “rendered” to U.S.-run prisons and tortured with the cooperation of British intelligence. The British press is reporting that ministers and the security services appear to have decided that exposure of thousands of documents in open court was a risk … Continue reading “Britain to Settle Rendition, Torture Case for Millions”

Mubarak’s Critics See Hypocrisy in US Support

The Egyptian government’s crackdown on political opponents continues unabated in advance of parliamentary elections Nov. 28, even as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week hailed the “partnership” between the two countries as “a cornerstone of stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.” In the latest example of a widespread campaign of media … Continue reading “Mubarak’s Critics See Hypocrisy in US Support”

Outrage Mounts over Bush’s Waterboarding ‘Confession’

After a three-year investigation, President Barack Obama’s mantra – "look forward and not backwards" – appears to have trumped the rule of law as a special prosecutor declined to pursue criminal charges against the Central Intelligence Agency operatives involved in the destruction of video recordings of interrogations of "war on terror" suspects. The human rights … Continue reading “Outrage Mounts over Bush’s Waterboarding ‘Confession’”

Muslim Americans Foil Terror Threats

A new report on violent extremists in the United States finds that terrorism plots by non-Muslims greatly outnumber those attempted by Muslims, and that Muslim-American communities helped foil close to a third of al-Qaeda-related terror plots threatening the country since Sept. 11, 2001. The report comes from the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a not-for-profit … Continue reading “Muslim Americans Foil Terror Threats”