New Studies on Detentions in Afghanistan
As the Obama Administration continues to weigh its options in Afghanistan, concerns remain surrounding whether there is a fair review of detentions at the Bagram detention facility. These concerns continue to affect local Afghan perception of the U.S. mission there. Human Rights First published Undue Process, a report that discusses U.S. detention policies and is based on research in Afghanistan in April 2009 and firsthand interviews with former detainees held by the U.S. military at the Bagram detention facility. It was submitted to the Detention Task Force, CENTCOM, and Department of Defense in May 2009. A follow-up policy paper, Fixing Bagram, analyzes the reforms made by the Obama Administration in September 2009 and makes further recommendations. |
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Beyond Guantanamo: A Bipartisan Declaration coordinated by Human Rights First and the Constitution Project
The largest bipartisan group of prominent Americans to propose a plan for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, coordinated by the Constitution Project and Human Rights First , has backed a single scheme for the disposition of cases of current and future detainees. Former members of Congress, diplomats, federal judges and prosecutors, high-level military and government officials, as well as national security experts (list attached) today backed a plan for the handling of detainees when the detention facility is closed. |
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Continued Military Commission Hearings at Guantanamo
David Danzig, HRF's Deputy Program Director and Primetime Torture Project Director, is in Guantanamo this week to monitor a pretrial hearing in the case of Omar Ahmed Khadr. |
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Military Commission Hearings Still Continue at Guantanamo
Gabor Rona, HRF's International Legal Director and Interim Director of the Law and Security Program, is in Guantanamo this week to monitor pretrial hearings in the cases of Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi and the September 11 defendants. |
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Human Rights First Gives Statement to Twelfth Session of the Human Rights Council
Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. View HRF statement to counter terrorism panel delivered at the Human Rights Council |
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Bagram Reforms an Improvement, but More Needed
The new procedures for the over 600 detainees being held in Bagram, Afghanistan should be seen as a first step toward additional reforms. Human Rights First has conducted two missions to Afghanistan to study detention conditions and fair trial violations. Read more on Detentions in Afghanistan Commentary Hidden justice: do Obama's detention reforms in Afghanistan go far enough? Key information missing in McChrystal's recipe to reform detentions |
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Two Retired Generals Denounce Former VP Cheney
The Chairs of a group of military leaders who have spoken out against torture repudiate Former Vice President Cheney's scare tactics in a scathing op-ed in the Miami Herald. Read about Human Rights First's work with the group of military leaders |
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Updated In Pursuit of Justice: Prosecuting Terrorism report released for 2009
Fear-mongering has dominated the public debate about what should be done with Guantanamo prisoners. Human Rights First has mounted a campaign to inject facts into the debate, spreading the message that our federal courts can handle these cases. Join our campaign! |
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Military Commission Hearings Continue at Guantanamo
David Danzig, HRF's Deputy Program Director, is in Guantanamo this week to monitor pretrial hearings in the cases of Mohammed Kamin, Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, Omar Khadr and the September 11 defendants. Read David's observations on the Guantanamo blog. |
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HRF at Forefront of Debate on Guantanamo
As former Guantanamo detainee Ahmed Ghailani arrived in New York to appear in a New York federal court, HRF CEO Elisa Massimino testified before a Congressional Committee on why preventive detention is a bad idea and the Department of Justice cited our comprehensive research in an official press release. |
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Human Rights First Hosts Panel Debate on National Security Court Proposals
On March 20, Human Rights First and the Constitution Project jointly hosted a panel discussion on national security court proposals and "Bringing Detainees to Justice and Justice To Detainees" at Georgetown Law School. Panelists included HRF International Legal Director Gabor Rona, former terrorism prosecutor David Laufman, national security expert Deborah Pearlstein, former Defense Department official for Detainee Affairs Matthew Waxman, and moderator Stephen Vladeck. |
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HRF Policy Paper Makes "The Case Against A Special Terrorism Court"
Human Rights First has released a timely policy paper rejecting recent proposals to create systems of indefinite detention without criminal charge and special courts to try terrorism detainees, and describing the danger of such proposals to both U.S. counterinsurgency strategy and the American justice system. "The Case Against A Special Terrorism Court" recommends that terrorism detainees be tried in the time-tested federal court system, which the HRF report, In Pursuit of Justice, revealed to have successfully prosecuted over 100 terrorism cases since September 11. The policy paper's release follows the Obama Administration's recent decision to uphold the policy of indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay using its own rationale, which HRF analyzed in a recent Jurist posting. |
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Secret ICRC Report States CIA Practices Amounted to Torture
Excerpts from a secret ICRC document were made public on March 15 by Mark Danner in the New York Review of Books, revealing interrogation techniques amounting to torture. Human Rights First advocates the establishment of an independent nonpartisan commission to investigate interrogation and detention policies under the Bush administration. Join our Facebook group and support our cause Read HRF's blueprint How to End Torture and Cruel Treatment Read HRF's materials to the Senate Judiciary Committee: |
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Obama Administration's "New" Definition for Holding Guantanamo Detainees Lacks Change
The Obama administration's recent District Court filing regarding Guantanamo detainees withdraws the definition of "enemy combatant" employed by the Bush administration, but replaces it with a new standard lacking significant change. Read Attorney General Holder's Declaration |
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Bagram prison: The Next Guantanamo?
Detainees at the Bagram prison in Afghanistan have fewer legal protections and processes than those of current Guantánamo detainees. The Obama administration recently upheld the position of the Bush administration that the 600 plus detainees, who have been held without charges or access to lawyers for several years, are not entitled to challenge their detention in U.S. courts. HRF published a groundbreaking report in April 2008 exposing the unfair Afghan trial proceedings for those detainees transferred from Guantánamo and Bagram to the U.S. built Afghan National Defense Facility in Pul-i-Charkhi prison in Afghanistan. Senior Associate Sahr MuhammedAlly recently provided recommendations to prevent Bagram from becoming the next Guantánamo in a Jurist posting. Read Jurist article: "Obama must not allow Bagram prison to remain an Afghan version of Guantanamo" Read HRF report: Arbitrary Justice: Trials of Bagram and Guantánamo Detainees in Afghanistan |
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HRF Submits Congressional Testimony Calling for Nonpartisan Inquiry into Post 9/11 Abuses
HRF submitted a statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for the establishment of an independent commission to examine post-9/11 abuses, including abusive detention and interrogation practices, and their consequences for national security. The Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on "Getting to the Truth through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry" to consider the proposal. HRF called for the establishment of a nonpartisan commission in the blueprint How to End Torture and Cruel Treatment. |
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HRF Calls for Presidential Commission on Detention, Treatment and Transfer of Detainees
HRF joined a former FBI director, an Army general who investigated detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib, a former Under Secretary of State, the President of the International Center for Transitional Justice, the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, and other leading NGOs to urge President Obama to appoint a non-partisan commission to investigate the policies, practices, and consequences of post-9/11 detainee treatment, detention and transfer and to make recommendations to renew the U.S. commitment to human rights and international law. |
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Obama Administration Must Define 'Enemy Combatant' Consistent With Traditional Laws of War
"For some rule-of-law fans the toasting is over and it's already the morning after. The new administration's recent decision to continue the Bush line that torture victims' claims should be dismissed in order to preserve unspecified "state secrets" was a shocker. But that's small change compared to what's on the horizon." Read Jurist article by HRF International Legal Director, Gabor Rona. |
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HRF Supports Bill Protecting State Secrets While Maintaining Transparency and Balance of Powers
HRF delivered a letter to both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees strongly encouraging them to pass the State Secret Protection Act of 2009, introduced in the House with bipartisan support. The legislation would allow an independent judicial review of government claims to ensure that the state secrets privilege is used to protect sensitive national security information and not to block disclosure of government misconduct. Read the Letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees |
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White House Agrees to Support McCain Amendment: Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment to Be Banned
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President Barack Obama ordered military prosecutors in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals to ask for a 120-day halt in all pending cases.
"By suspending the military commissions, the Obama Administration begins the task of denying to those who would harm Americans the best recruiting tool the Bush Administration ever gave them -- Guantanamo," says Gabor Rona, International Legal Director of Human Rights First. "President Obama's action sends a message that even one more day of proceedings in violation of American and international law should not occur on his watch. With that message, he takes an important first step toward closing Guantanamo and rehabilitating the reputation of the United States as a standard-bearer for justice, human rights and the rule of law." |
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Military Commission Hearings Resume as President Obama Takes Office
Gabor Rona, HRF's International Legal Director, is in Guantanamo to observe pretrial hearings for Omar Khadr and the September 11 defendants. Read Gabor's observations on the Guantanamo blog. Read HRF's joint letter to President Obama urging him to suspend the military commissions and take swift action in the case of Omar Khadr. Read HRF's joint amicus brief opposing a court order greatly expanding the definition of ''classified information" in the case of the alleged 9/11 conspirators. |
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Leading NGOs Urge Military Judge to Allow Public to Hear Details of 9/11 Case
HRF joined other Guantanamo observers in filing a friend-of-the-court brief opposing a court order greatly expanding the definition of ''classified information" in the military commissions case of alleged 9/11 conspirators. |
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September 11 Defendants May Plead Guilty
HRF Advocacy Counsel Devon Chaffee is in Guantanamo to observe pretrial hearings for the five September 11 defendants. Read Devon's observations on the Guantanamo blog. |
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Second Trial Begins at Guantanamo, but the Defense Remains Silent
Sharon Kelly, HRF's Elect to End Torture '08 Campaign Manager, is in Guantanamo to monitor the trial of Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul, Osama bin Laden's alleged personal and media director. Read more about al Bahlul's case here.
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Human Rights First Unveils Plan to End Torture and Official Cruelty
Both parties' presidential candidates have rejected the use of torture and agree that America's reputation has been damaged by the Bush Administration's policies authorizing abuse of prisoners. Human Rights First offers a step-by-step plan for the next president to end torture and official cruelty and to invest in effective and humane intelligence gathering. |
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HRF Applauds Decision to Release 17 Chinese Uighurs Held at Guantanamo Bay
Read the Press Release |
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Judge Denies Request to Recuse Himself from 9/11 Case
HRF consultant Anthony Barkow is in Guantánamo to monitor pretrial hearings for five defendants charged with crimes related to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Read Anthony’s observations on the Guantánamo blog. |
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HRF Tells Senate That U.S. Interrogation and Detention Policy Must Be 'Firmly Rooted' in the Rule of Law
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Human Rights First Unveils Plan for Closing Guantánamo
With both parties’ presumptive presidential nominees in agreement about the need to close Guantanamo, Human Rights First offers a step-by-step plan that minimizes risk and ensures federal court prosecutions. Read the Blueprint Read the Press Release |
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Guantanamo Pre-trial Hearings Continue For Juvenile Detainees as First Trial Concludes
HRF consultant Nicole Barrett was in Guantanamo recently to monitor pre-trial hearings in the cases of al Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul and two detainees, Omar Khadr and Mohammed Jawad, who were each brought to Guantanamo as juveniles and each allege they were tortured. The hearings follow the conclusion of the first military commission trial to proceed in six years. Read her observations on the Guantanamo blog.
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Flawed Legal Process at First Guantanamo Trial Ensures Conviction
The first military commission trial at Guantanamo concluded with a conviction. HRF monitored the proceedings and documented the fundamental flaws in the legal process leading to a pre-determined outcome.
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Pre-trial hearings for September 11 Defendants reveal fundamental deficiencies
International Legal Director Gabor Rona recently returned from Guantánamo to monitor individual pre-trial hearings of the five September 11 defendants. Read Gabor’s description of the extent to which detainees are prevented from participating in the legal process on the Huffington Post |
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Guantanamo pre-trial hearing continues in the case of first scheduled trial
HRF consultant Frank Kendall is in Guantánamo to observe the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan. Hamdan is the first detainee in six years whose case is scheduled to start trial, but a federal court is determining whether the trial can proceed before he is able to legally challenge his detention. Read Frank’s observations on the Guantánamo blog. |
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Guantanamo Detainees After Boumediene: Now What?
On July 15, Human Rights First International Legal Director Gabor Rona testified before the U.S. Helsinki Commission in a hearing that addressed law and policy issues related to detention of suspected terrorists – particularly Guantanamo detainees  following the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Boumediene. Read HRF report examining the prosecution of terrorism cases in federal courts. |
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Guantánamo Hearings Continue After Supreme Court Decision Upholds Habeas Corpus Rights for Detainees
Senior Associate Deborah Colson was in Guantánamo recently to monitor pre-trial hearings in the cases of two detainees, Omar Khadr and Mohammed Jawad, who were each brought to Guantánamo as juveniles and have alleged they were tortured. Read about her observations on the Huffington Post. The hearings are the first to be held after the Supreme Court ruled that detainees have the right to challenge their detention in federal courts. Read the press statement on the Supreme Court decision here. |
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Arraignment of September 11 Defendants
Senior Associate Sahr MuhammedAlly is in Guantánamo to monitor the arraignment of the five September 11 defendants and the pre-trial hearing of Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi on June 5. Read her observations on the Guantánamo blog and on JURIST.
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Supreme Court Upholds Due Process for Guantanamo Prisoners
Terrorist Cases should be Tried in Federal Courts |
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Army Report Faults Inadequate Policy Guidance for Abuses By Special Forces in Iraq
Army Report (PDF)
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Pre-Trial Hearings Continue in Detainee Cases at Guantánamo
Senior Associate Sahr MuhammedAlly was in |
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Human Rights First Supports Senate Bill on Ending Secret Prisons
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Boycotts Continue in Detainee Cases at Guantánamo
Sharon Kelly, Elect to End Torture ’08 Campaign Manager, recently monitored the cases of Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi and Mohammed Kamin. Proceedings were postponed in the case of Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi. Read Sharon’s observations on the Huffington Post. |
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Detainee Boycotts Trial at Guantánamo, Former Prosecutor Testifies In His Defense
Senior Associate Deborah Colson was in Guantánamo to observe the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan.
Read Deborah’s posts from Guantánamo:
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HRF and other Advocates Urge Release of Report on Removal to Torture
Read letter to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, and DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner urging for the release of a new report on how U.S. officials came to remove Canadian citizen Maher Arar to Syria where he was detained for 10 months and subjected to torture.
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Report: U.S. Contributes to Afghan Fair Trial Violations
Press Release
 > In Dari> In Pashto
Full Report PDF (PDF -734KB)| HTML> In Dari
By Sahr MuhammedAlly Published in Jurist  Watch video |
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Release of 2003 Torture Memo Critical First Step in Accountability
Accountability for past violations is crucial to deterring future violations |
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Guantánamo: It All Seems So Normal
Frank Kendall  Human Rights First volunteer consultant  was in Cuba to monitor the cases of Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi, Omar Ahmed Khadr, Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul.
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New Report: Tortured Justice
Using Coerced Evidence to Prosecute Terrorist Suspects
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Broad Opposition to President Bush's Veto of Ban on Torture
Read More: The Overwhelming Opposition to the President's Torture Ban Veto
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Congress Votes to Enforce Ban on Torture
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Fact Check: Attorney General Mukasey and Waterboarding
Read Human Rights First's response to Attorney General Mukasey's Jan. 30 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee
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New Report: Private Security Contractors at War
Human Rights First Report Details Risk to Mission from "Culture of Impunity"
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Retired Admirals and Generals Speak Out on Interrogation and Torture
Read news coverage of Florida event
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Padilla Sentenced to 17 Years for Terrorist Conspiracies
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Criminal Investigation of CIA Tape Destruction Not Enough
Read Statement
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HRF Tells House Judiciary Committee: Cruel Interrogations Are Illegal
Read Testimony by HRF Washington Director Elisa Massimino
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Military Commission Finds Combatant Status Tribunals Not Competent for POW Status Determination
The Military Commission ruling in the Salim Hamdan case makes clear: the Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) invented by the government neither satisfies nor addresses the Geneva Conventions’ requirement to determine whether a person is entitled under the Conventions to prisoner of war (PoW) protections.
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Supreme Court Hearing in Boumediene v. Bush
Six Years without Judicial Review: CSRTs Not an Adequate Substitute for Habeas Review
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Military Commission Hearings of Salim Ahmed Hamdan
Read Senior Associate Sahr MuhammedAlly’s blog from Guantanamo on the Hamdan hearings
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Retired Generals, Admirals Meet With Presidential Candidates on Torture, Prisoner Treatment Policies
15 Retired Flag and General Officers Meet with Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Huckabee, Obama, Richardson |
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Concerns about Impartiality and Access to Evidence Arise at Military Commission Hearing
Read Associate Attorney Devon Chaffee's blog from Guantanamo
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Testing the Limits of Executive Power to Detain Al-Saleh Kahlah al-Marri
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Gonzales Resignation an Opportunity to End Policy of Official Cruelty
Read HRF Statement
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Guantanamo Detainees Ask U.S. Supreme Court to Restore Habeas Right to Challenge Detention
HRF Co-Counsel to Diverse Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations in Support of Detainees
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American Bar Association Opposes President's Interrogation Program for CIA
National lawyers' group adopts resolution urging Congress to override President's executive order authorizing CIA use of "enhanced interrogations" methods
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Retired USMC Major General Asks the Candidates About Detainee Policies
Watch a video submitted to the YouTube/CNN debates by Major General Fred Haynes, USMC (Ret.), asking for the candidates' views on the issues of closing |
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Executive Order on CIA Interrogation Methods Leaves Door Open to Torture
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Time to Close Guantanamo
What the U.S. Must Do to Get Its House in Order
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Justice Scalia Comments on Jack Bauer and the TV show '24'
HRF Encourages Justice Scalia to Reconsider
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HRF Tells Helsinki Commission: International Law Applies to Guantanamo Detainees
What the U.S. must do to get its house in order
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U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Administration's Claimed Ability to Declare Civilian an "Enemy Combatant" for Indefinite Military Detention
Ruling a "Powerful Vindication" of Courts' Role
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Military Commission Dismissals Show Guantanamo System's Fundamental Flaws
Read Associate Attorney Priti Patel's blog on the dismissals at Guantanamo
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Latest Guantanamo Death Another Sign of Policy Failure
Read HRF Statement
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HRF Commends Letter Against Torture by Iraq Commander Petraeus
His Message to Troops "Important and Meaningful" to Civilians Too
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HRF Replies to Former CIA Director George Tenet
HRF President Mike Posner says "enhanced" interrogation techniques violate the law, do more harm than good
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Human Rights First Provides Congress With Proposal for Treatment and Trial of Guantanamo Detainees
Read March 29 Testimony
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Limits on Guantanamo Lawyers Would be a Step Back into Legal Abyss
N.Y. Times: Court Asked to Limit Lawyers at Guantanamo (external link)
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Guantanamo Hunger Strikes: 'Symptoms of a Failed System'
HRF Statement
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First Conviction of Guantanamo Detainee Under New Rules Not Full, Fair or Transparent
HRF Statement on Plea Agreement of David Hicks
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Ruling in Rumsfeld Torture Case 'Leaves a Gap' in Accountability
Human Rights First and ACLU express disappointment at dismissal
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New House Bill would Ban U.S. Renditions to Torture
HRF Letter in Support (PDF-93KB)
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Yet Again U.S. Special Forces Escape Criminal Punishment for Torture and Death of Afghan Detainees
HRF Statement
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Military Commission Rules for Detainee Trials Fall Short of Fair Standards
HRF calls for congressional hearings
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HRF Welcomes the Apology of Charles D. Stimson for His Remarks Against Lawyers Representing Detainees Held at Guantanamo Bay
Statement
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"Enemy Combatant" Held in U.S. Challenges Indefinite Government Detention
More About the Case
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First Court Hearing in Landmark Case Against Rumsfeld
Press Release
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Only "Enemy Combatant" Held in U.S. Seeks His Day in Court
Read more about the case
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Human Rights First Welcomes Resignation of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld
Read Statement
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Military Commissions Act Faces Court Challenge
More on Guantanamo Detention Cases
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President Signs Military Commissions Act; Human Rights First Urges Congressional Vigilance
Questions and Answers About the Military Commissions Act
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New Concerns About Due Process and Rule of Law Surface in Last-Minute Changes to Military Commissions Act
Congress Should Reject Ill-Considered Legislation
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Retired Admirals and Generals - Including Five Former Joint Chiefs - Urge Congress to Preserve Geneva Conventions
Letter from 49 Retired Military Leaders / Letter from Gen. Charles C. Krulak / Letter from Gen. H. Hugh Shelton / Press Release
9/11 Families Oppose Administration Efforts to Undermine Geneva Conventions (PDF -11KB) / Signatory Info (PDF -12KB) / Press Release (PDF -13KB)
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Human Rights First Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of September 11
HRF Statement
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CIA Contractor Guilty Of Abusing DetaineeClear Guidance Needed to Prevent More Abuse in U.S. Custody |
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In Sweeping Victory for Rule of Law, Supreme Court Rejects Guantanamo Military Commissions
Press Release
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Human Rights First Calls Guantanamo Detention Center Policy an Invitation to Disaster
Press Release
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Pentagon's Role in Question in Abu Ghraib Dog Handler Trial
Dog Handler Convicted of Abu Ghraib Abuse
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UN Anti-Torture Experts Urge United States to Stop Illegal Conduct
Media Alert
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Groundbreaking Research Shows Over 600 U.S. Personnel Implicated in Widespread Abuse
Briefing paper on comprehensive accounting of torture and abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo
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Supreme Court Declines, For Now, to Review Enemy Combatant Case
HRF's Statement on the Decision
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Command Role Still in Question After Dog Handler Guilty Verdict
Press Release
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Military Trials Resume Amidst Growing Concerns Over Guantanamo
Military Commissions Overview
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House Whistleblower Hearings Shed New Light on Command Response to Reports of Torture and Abuse
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Human Rights First Disappointed in Latest Failure of Congressional Oversight on U.S. Torture Practices
Read Human Rights First's Latest Statement
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Deteriorating Health of Guantanamo Hunger Strikers Raises Growing Cause for Concern
Read Human Rights First’s Latest Statement
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Domestic Spying Hearings Challenge Sweeping Claims of Executive Power
Read HRF's Deborah Pearlstein on Why Unlimited Executive Power is Bad for National Security
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Retired Military Leaders Say Implement McCain Torture Ban
Media Alert
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Human Rights First Disappointed with Lack of Accountability in Case of Detainee Death in U.S. Custody
Media Alert
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President Bush Signs Amendment Banning Abusive Interrogation Techniques
HRF Applauds Passage of McCain Ban on Abuse
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Human Rights First Urges Supreme Court to Review U.S. Citizen’s Indefinite Detention
Amicus Brief filed by Human Rights First in Support of Padilla
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New Senate Amendment Treats Symptom -- Not Cause -- of Legal Problems for Guantanamo Detainees
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Human Rights First Welcomes Supreme Court Review of Military Commissions
Media Alert
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HRF Welcomes DOJ Nominee Withdrawal
HRF had expressed concerns to the Senate (PDF - 65KB)
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Guantanamo Bay Hunger Strikes Deeply Troubling
Media Alert
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Lawyers Challenging Military Commissions Seek Supreme Court Judgment(PDF-870KB)
HRF Calls Investigation on FBI Allegations of Abuse at Guantanamo Another WhitewashHuman Rights First Calls on Congress to Create an Independent Commission- Read Pearlstein's testimony (PDF-15KB)
- Watch the hearing on C-SPAN (external link)
Torture: A Pattern of Abuse
- Senior Leaders Responsible
for Torture: Where Are
They Now? - Fact Sheet
- Read "Just Shut it Down" by Tom Friedman (New York Times registration required)
In Their Own Words: Detainees Tell of Degradation of Religious Beliefs at Guantanamo
Senior
Officials Not Held Accountable for Torture
- Where Are They
Now?
Watch
'One Year After Abu Ghraib'
- One Year After Abu Ghraib: Human Rights First Assessment
(Updated: 05/09/05)
Former State Department Legal Adviser Says Torture and Abuse was Predictable; Blames Decision to Deny Geneva ProtectionsHuman Rights First, Military Leaders and ACLU Sue Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Over U.S. Torture Policiesthe case (PDF 140KB)
Human Rights First Calls for Full Examination of CIA Interrogation PracticesNew Legal Brief Urges Supreme Court to Uphold
U.S. International Legal Obligations, Advance Respect for Rule of LawOn January 24, Human Rights First and fifteen other leading human rights organizations and bar associations submitted a ‘friends of the court’ brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Medellin v. Dretke, arguing that the United States has a binding obligation to comply its international legal obligations.
(PDF-260KB)
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Indefinite Detention of Foreign NationalsHuman Rights First's "Friend of the Court" Brief (PDF -137KB)
Rights Without a Country by Deborah Pearlstein
(Updated 01/25/05)
More»