In a ruling that could have widespread implications for government contractors overseas, a federal court has concluded that four former Abu Ghraib detainees, who were tortured and later released without charge, can sue the U.S. military contractor who was involved in...
Spain May Try American Officials in Terror War Abuses
Human rights organizations and legal scholars are applauding the efforts of Spanish lawyers in seeking the indictment of six former officials of the administration of President George W. Bush in connection with the torture of detainees at the U.S. military's...
Medics and Interrogations Don’t Mix
Human rights advocates are expressing alarm about recent disclosures that medical professionals assisted the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in harsh interrogations at secret prisons overseas and at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. It has also been brought to...
ACLU: Let Spy Laws Fade Into the Sunset
One of the nation's leading legal rights groups is calling on the U.S. Congress to make major changes in the USA PATRIOT Act to reverse parts of the hurriedly passed law that have been found unconstitutional or have been abused to collect information on innocent...
Obama Faces Spate of ‘Terror War’ Lawsuits
Human rights lawyers are proving to be a major headache for the new administration of President Barack Obama, stepping up court challenges on issues of prisoner abuse to test the reality of the president's pledge to create a "an unprecedented level of...
Red Cross Report Bolsters Case for Bush Inquiry
A leaked Red Cross report, detailing chilling accounts of prisoner torture in "black sites" run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, has underlined the need for an independent commission of inquiry into possible war crimes committed by senior officials...
Obama Follows Bush on Detainees
Human rights activists and constitutional law experts were virtually unanimous in their condemnation of the positions taken on prisoner detention and treatment in federal court last week by President Barack Obama's Department of Justice, which one group described as...
Senate Committee Weighs ‘Truth Commission’
In a preview of the heated divisions likely be triggered by the formation of a "truth commission" to investigate detainee interrogation, warrantless wiretapping and other alleged violations during the administration of President George W. Bush, witnesses...
Al-Marri Lawyers Seek Supreme Court Review
Lawyers for imprisoned "enemy combatant" Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri are vowing to press the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case even though al-Marri was suddenly transferred to the civilian justice system after more than five years in solitary confinement...
Lawsuits Challenge Charity Blacklisting
In two court cases that could test the limits of the Barack Obama administration's executive authority as well as its commitment to transparency, human rights lawyers are challenging the government's right to use information obtained through warrantless wiretapping as...


