William Fisher

Maher Arar, whose “rendition” to Syria is widely viewed as an egregious example of mistaken identity, has again been denied the right to appear in court, and Congressional efforts to rein in the George W. Bush administration’s widespread use of national security as a defense appear to be foundering. Late last month, a federal court … Continue reading “‘State Secrets’ Privilege Derails Rendition Suit”

Key elements of the Bush administration’s anti-terrorist detention policies appear to be unraveling, according to human rights and legal advocates. In the past two weeks alone, a military judge has disqualified a Pentagon legal official from participating in the Guantanamo war crimes trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden, because … Continue reading “Guantanamo Trials Hit Setbacks”

As U.S. television networks continue their silence about their use of retired military officers to "sell" progress in Iraq, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are calling on the Defense Department inspector general to investigate the Pentagon-sponsored public relations effort. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, and 40 others members of Congress want the … Continue reading “Lawmakers Seek Probe of ‘Media Generals’”

As human rights groups demanded the release of a report on a long-running investigation of the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the unlawful interrogations of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, new torture claims were leveled at two U.S. military contractors by a former Abu Ghraib "ghost" detainee who was … Continue reading “Abuse Claims Mount Against Pentagon, Contractors”

After a four-year legal battle, a US federal judge has dismissed all charges against an avant-garde artist who public officials condemned as a bio-terrorist in a case critics are calling "a persecution, not a prosecution." The artist is Dr. Steven Kurtz, a professor of Visual Studies at the University of Buffalo, and a founding member … Continue reading “Fabricated ‘Bioterrorism’ Case Collapses”

The US Congress moved a step closer Thursday to reining in the legal practice that the government has used to block lawsuits by whistleblowers and victims of "extraordinary rendition," as well as actions that would embarrass the George W. Bush administration. By an 11-8 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the State Secrets Protection Act, … Continue reading “Courts May Get More Latitude on ‘State Secrets’”

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has refused to release more than 7,000 documents related to its programs of secret detentions, renditions, and torture, and is asking a federal judge to dismiss a Freedom of Information lawsuit demanding disclosure. The refusal came last week in the CIA’s response to a lawsuit brought by three human rights … Continue reading “Groups Wrangle with CIA over ‘Ghost Prisoners’”

The U.S. government’s anti-terrorist financing programs are based on the "guilt by association" tactics of the McCarthy era and have had a widespread negative impact on U.S. charities, critics say. That is the view of Kay Guinane, director of the Nonprofit Speech Rights Program for OMB (Office of Management and Budget) Watch, an independent not-for-profit … Continue reading “Trials of Muslim Charities Likened to a Witch-Hunt”

Washington is providing military aid to six of the countries cited in the US State Department’s latest series of human rights reports for recruiting and using child soldiers. They are Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda. A new study by the Washington-based Center for Defense Information (CDI) charges that, … Continue reading “Serious Abuses No Bar to US Military Aid”

Jordan, often described in the mainstream press as the most moderate country in the Arab Middle East, was the first to receive prisoners "as a true proxy jailer for the CIA" and has received more victims of "extraordinary rendition" than any other country in the world, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch … Continue reading “Jordan Acted as Hub for US Renditions, Report Says”