The Pentagon's refusal to allow human rights groups to monitor upcoming military trials of prisoners held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was sharply criticized today by three leading human rights advocacy organizations. Amnesty International, Human...
Israel’s West Bank Wall Assailed by Key Civil Society Groups
On the eve of the World Court's opening hearing on Israel's construction of a barrier wall along the West Bank, two of the world's oldest and most influential non-governmental organizations are calling for the dismantling of those sections that cross the pre-1967...
Chalabi, Garner Provide New Clues to War
For those still puzzling over the whys and wherefores of Washington's invasion of Iraq 11 months ago, major new, but curiously unnoticed, clues were offered this week by two central players in the events leading up to the war. Both clues tend to confirm growing...
Rising Stakes In Haiti as Ex-Dictator’s Thugs Take Over Opposition
The emergence of former paramilitary and military leaders accused of atrocities committed during Haiti's last period of military rule at the head of spreading rebellion against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has added urgency to international efforts to deal with...
Afghan Elections Could Deepen Ethnic Divide
With only four months to go before scheduled elections in Afghanistan, a growing number of observers are concerned that balloting might aggravate rising ethnic tensions between the northern and southern parts of the country. Some experts are calling for the elections...
US Ally Uzbekistan Sends Elderly Mother to Prison, Hard Labor
After torturing her son to death, allegedly by boiling him in water, the government of Washington's closest Central Asian ally, Uzbekistan, has sentenced his 62-year-old mother to six years of hard labor in prison, according to human rights groups, who are calling on...
Dear Mr. Prosecutor
Editor's Note: Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, is heading a Justice Department probe into the administration leak exposing the identity of Valerie Plame as a CIA undercover operative. The information, which was revealed to syndicated columnist Robert...
War Hawks Undermined by Zarqawi Letter
A letter purportedly written to senior al-Qaeda leaders by a key associate, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, appears to undermine a major thesis of hard-core neo-conservatives who led the U.S. drive to war in Iraq. The letter, which is essentially an appeal for help in...
Feds Back Off Case Targeting Antiwar Activists
Civil liberties groups Tuesday hailed the withdrawal of subpoenas issued last week to four peace activists by federal prosecutors in Des Moines, Iowa as a significant victory, but insisted that the government must explain why they were issued in the first place. The...
Cyber-Campaign Demands Congress Censure Bush
Grassroots cyber-movement MoveOn.org, which claims more than two million U.S. members, has launched a major campaign demanding Congress formally censure President George W. Bush for lying to it about the threat posed by ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Joined by...


