Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism

[marmar]

from The American Prospect:


Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism

In his new new book, the ACLU's Anthony Romero argues that the Bush administration's post-9/11 dismantling of our civil liberties has implications far beyond the "War on Terror."

Chris Van Buren | August 28, 2007 | web only



In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror by Anthony Romero and Dina Temple-Raston (William Morrow, 252 pages, $24.95)


Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen suspected of links to terrorism, was abducted by Macedonian officials while on vacation there in late 2003 and turned over to a group of CIA agents. El-Masri had fallen victim to the shadowy practice of rendition, whereby a foreign national can be taken by the CIA to a third party country.

As Dan Benjamin has pointed out in Slate, renditions before 9/11 were not morally problematic because the rendered suspects were frequently taken from countries without functioning legal systems and transported to more stable countries for trial. The problem these days is that several suspects have been rendered to countries with less-functional legal systems and a penchant for "harsh" interrogations. El-Masri, for example, claims he was transported from Macedonia by men in black masks to a secret U.S.-run prison -- a facility known as the "Salt Pit" -- in Kabul, Afghanistan. He further alleges the government beat and tortured him in the course of his interrogation. For five months, he had no access to communication with his family, a lawyer, or knowledge of any charge against him.

The worst part? It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. But the CIA, rather than make amends after months of wrongful imprisonment, simply dumped him on a hillside in Albania without explanation.

This story is one of several post-9/11 civil liberty narratives in Anthony Romero's new book, In Defense of Our America, The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror. It is important to note, however, that the book is not just about the dark world of foreign threats and terrorist foes. It is a battle which also affects the most ordinary Americans, from the indigent in New Orleans to the writers and journalists who may have been illegally wiretapped by the National Security Agency.

Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, stitches together all these stories and details to draw a comprehensive and human picture of the ACLU's recent legal battles. For example, he paints a sympathetic portrait of John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban, not as a commentary on the self-described Islamic fighter's guilt or innocence, but rather because then-Attorney General, John Ashcroft was so openly presumptuous of Lindh's guilt. Romero poignantly links this contemporary attitude towards terrorism -- where concerns of security trump established legal liberties and due process -- to the Palmer Raids in the 1920s when immigrants were indiscriminately rounded up and deported as the "enemy within." .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=civil_liberties_in_an_age_of_terrorism