Newsroom

Update

An Amnesty International delegation recently entered Gaza shortly before Israeli attacks ended to document the true scale of devastation wrought on civilians.  Amnesty researcher Donatella Rovera has been keeping a dairy of their findings.  Here is a excerpt from an entry she posted earlier this week to Livewire: Today, Tuesday, it seemed as though Gaza was beginning to draw a collective breath after the shock of the past three weeks of Israeli bombardments. The streets, previously deserted, filled up again and tens of thousands of people who had fled their homes for fear of Israeli attacks began returning to them.…

January 23, 2009

Update

In a case of interesting timing, today’s New York Times reports in "Freed by U.S., Saudi Becomes a Qaeda Chief"  that a former Guantanamo detainee is now a deputy leader of Al Qaeda in Yemen and opines that this has “underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.” A related Times online forum debates “The Risks of Releasing Detainees.”  To me, however, this case--and the Pentagon’s reports of recidivism--underscores the failure of the Bush administration’s attempt to identify and prosecute those responsible for 9/11. By…

January 23, 2009

Update

Those were the words shouted at me and several hundred other people as we were walking to the National Mall to attend Obama's inauguration. (More about our petition action there in Zeke's post). Those words were yelled by some protesters who were unhappy with the views espoused by Obama and concerned about the policies they expect he will implement. Now, I'd be lying if I said I didn't take some offense at being told I was going to hell simply because I was walking toward an event that made those people unhappy. But I was also glad to see the protesters.…

January 23, 2009

Update

When I came to work one day this week, I found two thick packages at my desk: They were filled with signed petitions on ending sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I was really impressed by how much activists continue to speak out about human rights violations in the Eastern DRC, even when the issue has once again disappeared from the headlines of major media outlets. The petition was initiated by Raise Hope for Congo and AIUSA signed on to it last fall. Among other things, it asks President Obama to urge Congress to pass the International Violence…

January 23, 2009

Update

Tens of thousands of arms captured from insurgent armed groups in Iraq have yet to be recorded by Iraqi or U.S. authorities making it easier for the weapons to be lost or stolen, according to a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General’s issued just before the Christmas holiday last year. Poor accountability of night vision devices (NVD) remains a problem. In the last few years, several reports have revealed the dangers of failing to properly secure and manage weapons in Iraq. For example, described in a November 2008 Amnesty report, some members of Iraqi insurgent groups have infiltrated the…

January 22, 2009

Update

The media on MLK Day showed us just how far we have to go. On NBC, The Today Show headlined with contrasting photos of President Obama and....50 Cent. No kidding. Throughout the next hour, they proceeded to offend their thinking viewers by asking who, of the two, has more influence. NBC insisted on pursuing this nonsense, flashing photos of Obama, walking through the Capitol, meeting with dignitaries, in his suit and tie and 50 Cent, wearing a thin white tank undershirt and rapping surrounded by a partying crowd. They continued their President vs. rapper theme as they welcomed journalist Gwen…

January 21, 2009

Update

The Counter Terror With Justice campaign and Amnesty International volunteers were on the National Mall yesterday, gathering 100 Days petition signatures before the inauguration and wearing orange and holding signs on the parade route. I took this picture of JD with my phone, sorry it's kinda pixely. It was great meeting so many people from around the country who want GTMO closed, torture ended and accountability for abuse. (Reminded me of the GTMO Cell Tour.) We've been hearing for a few days now that President Obama would act quickly to address some of these points, but I didn't think about how I'd…

January 21, 2009

Update

Below is a list of 14 reasons why I think it's important to thoroughly investigate interrogation and detention practices and policies since 9/11/01 and to initiate criminal prosecutions where evidence is developed that warrants prosecution. 1.  President Obama has said he wants to look forward rather than backward.  This implies a false dichotomy between the two.  Without examining the past, we cannot fully understand how to ensure that whether the US government follows the law is not left up to the whim of the current occupant of the White House.  A thorough investigation will provide information needed to determine whether…

January 20, 2009

Update

After weeks of Israeli and Egyptian restrictions, AI finally entered Gaza this past weekend to survey the damages caused by three weeks of Israeli strikes. But because of persistent denials by Israel to let human rights monitors enter, the AI mission was forced to enter through the border crossing of Rafah, a town that was extensively bombed in the recent air strikes. The team entered just hours before Israel's ceasefire and then traveled via road to Gaza city. In a blog entry posted about the experience, they observed: We saw many buildings reduced to rubble. Some had been directly targeted;…

January 19, 2009

Update

I do not know what is more interesting--the fact that U2 leader singer Bono mentioned the word "Palestine" in front of a crowd of a half a million--including President-elect-Barack Obama--or the fact that this very incident is being heralded a major unscripted, even newsworthy part of the concert. Rolling Stone magazine wrote in its blog about the incident: The only other seemingly unscripted moment came during U2’s rendition of “Pride (In the Name of Love),” during which Bono suggested Dr. King’s dream is also an Irish, European, African and Israeli dream, adding, with special emphasis, “It is also a Palestinian…

January 19, 2009

Update

News reports indicate that President-elect Barack Obama is planning to end harsh interrogations of detainees by directing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to adhere to the U.S. Army Field Manual for interviewing suspects.  If today’s reports are correct, Obama believes that returning the United States to the rule of law is paramount for his administration. It is vital that there be a single standard for all interrogations for all agents and forces of the U.S. government. But there are also worrying signs that the administration is thinking of leaving a loophole for special techniques for the CIA. The military is on…

January 17, 2009

Update

Some weekend reading ahead of the inauguration: Washington Post (January 16, 2009): "Inquiry Into Interrogations Unlikely. Hayden: Obama Does Not Wish to Investigate Waterboarding" Amnesty International (December 4, 2008): "Investigation. Prosecution, Remedy: Accountability for Human Rights Violations in the "war on terror."" All best, Zeke

January 17, 2009