Obama Considers Revamping Military Trials
Reports circulating in Washington suggest that President Barack Obama may try to revive the military commission system for prosecuting Guantánamo detainees, which Obama himself criticized during the administration of his predecessor, former president George W....
A Start on Guantánamo, but Not Enough
Speaking at a press conference to mark his first 100 days in office, Barack Obama made two bold claims about the policies he has already implemented to tackle the executive overreach of the Bush administration, with regard to detention and interrogation policies in...
Dictatorial Powers Unchallenged as US ‘Enemy Combatant’ Pleads Guilty
Calls for Torture Inquiry Aren’t Going Away
A coalition of 19 human rights, faith-based and justice organizations is calling on President Barack Obama to investigate torture they charge was sanctioned by the administration of former President George W. Bush. The group, led by the National Religious Campaign...
Torture ‘to Achieve a Political Objective’
Court Reins in ‘State Secrets’ Privilege
In what may become a landmark decision, a federal appeals court ruled Monday that the "state secrets privilege" – routinely used by the government to block lawsuits against its officials – can only be used to contest specific evidence, but not to...
US Bracing for New Prisoner Abuse Photos
Dozens of CIA ‘Ghost Prisoners’ Missing
At least three dozen detainees who were held in the CIA's secret prisons overseas appear to be missing – and efforts by human rights organizations to track their whereabouts have been unsuccessful. The story of these "ghost prisoners" was comprehensively...
Courts Overrule Govt in Abuse and Detention Cases
As the debate heats up over what to do about recent disclosures of widespread abuse of war-on-terror prisoners, the "third branch" of the U.S. government -- the judiciary -- continues to assert its independence from the other two branches -- the executive and the...
