(2002) $20 / ISBN 0-934143-94-3 / 77 pp.
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In the 12 months after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government took a series of actions that eroded basic human rights protections in the United States, fundamental guarantees that have been central to the U.S. constitutional system for more than 200 years. Viewed separately, some of the changes may not have seemed extreme, especially when viewed as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But when you connect the dots, a different picture emerges. The composite picture outlined by this report shows that too often the U.S. government’s mode of operations in the year after September 11 has been at odds with core American and international human rights principles. Human Rights First’s “A Year of Loss” covers September 2001 to September 2002. Human Rights First has also completed “Imbalance of Powers: How Changes to U.S. Law and Security Since 9/11 Erode Human Rights and Civil Liberties.” This report is a six-month update to “A Year of Loss” and covers September 2002 to March 2003.