tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883Sun, 31 May 2009 18:42:18 +0000A human rights view on the debate over torture and the rule of lawhttp://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/index.aspnoreply@blogger.com (JaVon)Blogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-530759315607706104Wed, 27 May 2009 22:01:00 +00002009-05-27T18:06:42.424-04:00Check out the Director of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, Allen Keller, writing at Huffington Post about just how wrong the former Vice President's facts were in his torture-defending speech last Thursday. Key point:Torture is neither reliable in eliciting accurate information nor in promoting national security. It is a violation of domestic and international law. Our use of http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/05/former-vice-president-cheney-wrong.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8121272804599005584Wed, 13 May 2009 19:33:00 +00002009-05-13T15:38:19.074-04:00Check out HRF's David Danzig writing at The Huffington Post about today's Senate hearing on torture and how professional interrogators agree that torture and abuse do not produce actionable intelligence.http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/05/waterboarding-does-not-work.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-1067775101818571299Mon, 04 May 2009 18:44:00 +00002009-05-04T14:45:42.788-04:00In her first appearance in Washington since leaving government, Condoleezza Rice faced some tough questions on the Bush Administration’s interrogation policies from an unusual source: a fourth grade class.After a few innocuous questions, fourth grader Misha Lerner asked Condi about torture policies developed when he was still a baby: What did Rice think about the things President Obama's http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/05/are-you-more-truth-seeking-than-4th.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8803556515355091583Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:15:00 +00002009-03-16T10:17:34.420-04:00Mark Danner has excerpts from the report in yesterday's New York Times.http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/03/icrc-reports-on-us-torture.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Sharon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-4300949816982476397Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:29:00 +00002009-03-12T10:30:03.291-04:00In a letter to the editor in response to a news story in the Washington Post, our colleague Gabor Rona argues emphatically against reconstituting military commissions in any form. It is not okay to flout constitutional standards to convict people who might be found not guilty in fair trials where secret evidence and coerced confessions are excluded. Instead, as we have documented in our report Inhttp://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/03/federal-courts-are-best-venue-for.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8126727379113037800Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:40:00 +00002009-03-11T10:41:27.095-04:00An op-ed in today’s New York Times offers some advice from two seasoned interrogators to the panel established by President Obama’s executive order to investigate America’s interrogation methods. Matthew Alexander worked as an interrogator in the military, and wrote a book last year, “How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/03/experienced-interrogators-speak-out.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-1936554704015711567Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:13:00 +00002009-03-05T10:24:37.400-05:00Yesterday Admiral Lee Gunn, a member of HRF's coalition of military leaders, testified at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on a commission of inquiry. Here is his testimony:Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be a part of this esteemed panel and to have an opportunity to talk about this important issue.In addition to the other things you mentioned that I'm involved in, http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/03/admiral-gunn-on-truth-inquiry-we-have.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-2048939689078185661Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:27:00 +00002009-03-04T11:29:57.450-05:00A New York Times editorial today discusses two important developments this week: the admission that the CIA destroyed 92 videotapes of interrogation, and the release by the Justice Department of a number of OLC memos that former President Bush used to justify “mangling the Constitution after Sept. 11, 2001.” These are important steps towards making good on the promise of greater transparency, buthttp://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/03/hearing-on-getting-to-truth-through.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-1084841938223785857Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:06:00 +00002009-03-02T14:06:21.142-05:00Big news this morning as documents reveal that the CIA has destroyed 92 videotapes of interrogations, which is many more than had previously been acknowledged. The destruction of tapes could complicate future attempts to prosecute detainees whose interrogations were on the tapes, and it raises important questions about the legality of the interrogations in the first place.The revelation comes as http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/03/cia-destroyed-92-interrogation-tapes.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-3977446599131760640Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:10:00 +00002009-02-27T16:20:59.870-05:00Human Rights First has been at the forefront of a national debate over the fitness of federal courts to handle terrorism cases. In May 2008, we released a report, In Pursuit of Justice, written by two former federal prosecutors, examining more than 120 international terrorism cases prosecuted in the federal criminal justice system. The report found that existing laws, in the vast majority of http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/hrf-lauds-decision-to-indict-al-marri.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-3495538996416931579Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:46:00 +00002009-02-26T16:49:04.733-05:00On MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show” last night House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supported calls for a "Truth Commission," but emphasized that there should be no immunity in exchange for testimony. Here is the relevant portion of the interview:MADDOW: This is something that liberals have really been pushing. And you have stated your support for John Conyers convening an investigation into potential http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/nancy-pelosi-find-truth-about-torture.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8024353431820143840Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:09:00 +00002009-02-26T14:11:58.172-05:00According to sources close to the case, the Obama Administration appears close to resolving the case of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, the last “illegal enemy combatant” imprisoned inside the United States. A federal grand jury is meeting today in Peoria, Illinois, and may indict al-Marri on terrorism charges, including providing material support for terrorism.Jane Mayer writes in a New Yorker blog:http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/possible-al-marri-indictment-may-signal.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-3038810020214016922Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:08:00 +00002009-02-26T14:08:57.105-05:00Yesterday, National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair told the House Intelligence Committee that the detention center at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has to be closed because of the damage it has done to America's reputation and to its ability to achieve foreign policy goals. "Countries won't deal with us. Our popularity's down. We don't have blue chips to trade," said http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/guantanamo-harms-us-national-security.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-2399102203925621220Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:33:00 +00002009-02-25T17:35:22.478-05:00Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced today that the Committee will hold a hearing exploring ideas on how to establish a commission to investigate past national security policies. The hearing is entitled "Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry." The hearing will be held next Wednesday, March 4, at 10:00 a.m. A number of different models havehttp://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/hearing-on-truth-commission-must.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-7565508895103037315Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:58:00 +00002009-02-25T12:02:12.207-05:00President Obama addressed Congress last night, February 24, 2009:To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/president-obama-united-states-of.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-4153104673373272122Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:30:00 +00002009-02-24T12:31:18.888-05:00A report issued by the Pentagon yesterday concluded that the conditions of confinement at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility comply with the humane-treatment requirements of the Geneva Conventions. The report was completed at President Obama's request by Vice Admiral Patrick M. Walsh, the vice chief of naval operations.Admiral Walsh acknowledged yesterday in a press conference that his team http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/pentagon-report-underscores-need-for.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-1603303389303555348Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:01:00 +00002009-02-23T17:06:39.968-05:00Our friend retired Major General Tony Taguba in an interview with Salon.com called for a nonpartisan fact-finding commission to provide some degree of accountability for misguided and illegal U.S. detention and interrogation policies. General Taguba would like to see a broad mandate for the commission, including a study of administration claims that abuse gleans good intelligence, which he http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/general-taguba-supports-truth.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-5856704633265253260Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +00002009-02-23T12:17:38.455-05:00An article in the New York Times this weekend explored several models for a potential investigation into the Bush Administration’s counter-terrorism policies, including torture and secret prisons. In a poll this month, 62% of Americans favor investigation of some kind. The possible models for such an investigation include: 1) Criminal Investigation, such as Iran-Contra; 2) Congressional http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/four-ways-to-investigate-torture.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8332052942201465397Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:51:00 +00002009-02-20T11:51:58.469-05:00Our colleague Deborah Colson has a blog up at The Hill expressing deep disappointment at the ruling this week by the D.C. Circuit reversing Judge Ricardo Urbina’s October 2008 decision ordering the U.S. government to release the 17 Uighers imprisoned at Guantanamo into the United States. The Uighers have been held without charge in Guantanamo for nearly seven years despite the government’s http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/chinese-uighurs-should-be-released-from.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8545245894666198055Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:10:00 +00002009-02-20T11:14:12.891-05:00Yesterday Vice President Joe Biden spoke forcefully and eloquently about the harmful impact that Bush Administration interrogation and detention policies have had on U.S. national security as he visited the CIA to swear in Leon Panetta as its director. Vice President Biden praised President Obama for signing executive orders to close Guantanamo and CIA secret prisons and end torture, which “http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/vice-president-biden-calls-bush.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-2112634444349580862Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:52:00 +00002009-02-19T18:56:39.675-05:00Jane Mayer has a terrific article in the New Yorker this week on Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, the last “enemy combatant” being detained in America. She touches upon important questions, such as the meaning of the term “enemy combatant”, the possibility of creating a new system of indefinite detention for terrorism suspects, and the ability of the U.S. federal courts to try terrorism cases. Human http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/al-marri-last-enemy-combatant-in.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-5170071253405752627Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +00002009-02-19T10:34:35.070-05:00An editorial in yesterday’s New York Times highlights a key opportunity for President Obama to demonstrate his commitment to human rights and the rule of law. Today, when President Obama meets with Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the President should take time to discuss the case of Maher Arar.Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, was passing through the United States in 2002 on his way http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/looking-back-to-move-forward-case-of.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-8667745236522826426Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:38:00 +00002009-02-19T13:05:02.678-05:00Residents of Loudon County, in the D.C. metro area, were treated to a special profile (printed in the Loudon extra section of the Washington Post) of Brigadier General John H. Johns, a member of Human Rights First's coalition of retired military leaders, who was with President Obama as he signed the executive orders last month. General Johns, a resident of Leisure World, praised the President forhttp://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/general-johns-president-obama-is.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-9071221701781479369Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:38:00 +00002009-02-18T14:41:17.176-05:00Our colleague David Danzig has a post at Huffington Post celebrating Senator Jay Rockefeller for asking tough questions of Admiral Denny Blair, the nation’s top intelligence chief.http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/you-have-to-follow-americas-ideals.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6839393041675195883.post-3576193138330641553Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:01:00 +00002009-02-12T12:15:05.829-05:00A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll released today finds that a majority of Americans are in favor of investigating whether Bush Administration interrogation and detention policies broke the law.Close to two-thirds of those surveyed said there should be investigations into allegations that the Bush team used torture to interrogate terrorism suspects and its program of wiretapping U.S. citizens without http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/torture/2009/02/poll-majority-of-americans-want.aspnoreply@blogger.com (Carly)0