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From the Executive Director
When Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned in August, Human Rights First welcomed the development as an opportunity for the administration to make a clean break from the detainee policies he had played such a central role in crafting, first as White House Counsel and then as Attorney General. Mr. Gonzales gave legal cover to a policy of official cruelty in the treatment of prisoners which led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and at CIA secret prisons around the world, damaging the reputation of the United States.
The Senate recently held confirmation hearings for retired Judge Michael Mukasey, the President's nominee to replace Mr. Gonzales. HRF Board Member John Hutson testified at those hearings, which we followed closely. Based on Judge Mukasey's testimony, we have serious concerns about his views on the vital issues of torture and the President's obligation to obey the law.
We respect the desire of the Senate to confirm an Attorney General who can begin to repair the damage that has been done to the Justice Department over the last several years. And we recognize that Judge Mukasey's intellect and experience are qualities essential to be an effective Attorney General. But we believe it is imperative that Judge Mukasey be willing to state clearly and without qualification that the President cannot authorize interrogation methods such as torture and other official cruelty that have been outlawed by Congress. A vote on the nomination is being withheld until Judge Mukasey has responded in writing to additional questions from Senators seeking to clarify his views on these issues. We eagerly await these responses.
Maureen Byrnes
Lifeline for Iraqi Refugees: HRF in Jordan and Lebanon
 "Yesterday was better than today, and tomorrow is going to be even worse." That's what HRF staff members Amelia Templeton and Habib Nassar heard when they recently traveled to Jordan and Lebanon to get a first-hand look at the Iraqi refugee crisis. Amelia's personal account of the trip can be found on
her blog.
"Life for these refugees is a fast downward spiral, and they are doing whatever they can to survive," said Amelia Templeton after meeting with families now living in the region.
An estimated 2.2 million Iraqis have fled violence and persecution and are now refugees in Jordan, Syria, and other areas. And while the U.S. promised in February to resettle 7,000 Iraqi refugees by September 30, so far only 1,608 have been admitted this year.
A growing number of voices have been calling on the United States government to do more to help Iraqi refugees.
- General Joseph P. Hoar published an op-ed in the New York Times calling for a new strategy to help those Iraqis who have worked with the United States military.
- In a front-page story in which Human Rights First's efforts were prominently featured, The Washington Post reported that Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, sent an urgent cable to the State Department criticizing "major bottlenecks" that are delaying
U.S. resettlement of Iraqi refugees.
- A September 19 New York Times editorial underscored the need for the United States to do more to help Iraqi refugees.
- A recent profile on Amelia Templeton in the The Washington Post increased visibility of the issue and highlighted the inspiration behind her work.
We are making progress: after tireless work by Human Rights First and our supporters, the Senate passed the "Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act" which will help to bring more refugees to safety. But much more needs to be done. Human Rights First will continue to ensure that protecting Iraqi refugees including those who have worked with the United States — is a priority.
Click here to support HRF's work on this pressing issue.
Elect to End Torture '08
 Human Rights First has officially launched our
Elect to End Torture '08 — a campaign focused on educating presidential candidates and the public about the need for national security policies that are consistent with the laws and values of our nation. The goal of the campaign is to ensure that the next
U.S. President and Commander-in-Chief puts an end to policies that leave the door open to torture and cruel treatment. Thousands of Americans have signed our online petition calling on the candidates to put an end to torture if elected.
We've also succeeded in making ending torture a key issue in the presidential debates. In a recent democratic presidential debate on MSNBC, all of the candidates who were asked said they would not authorize torture, and two of them explained their anti-torture position by referencing a meeting organized earlier this year by Human Rights First that brought them together with retired generals and admirals who oppose polices allowing for torture and official cruelty.
Click here to sign the petition to stand against torture and learn more about the campaign.
'Primetime Torture' Video Debut
 Human Rights First has found that U.S. soldiers have imitated the techniques they have seen on television — because they think such tactics work. As part of our "
Primetime Torture" project, we have produced a
15-minute video highlighting the differences between the way interrogation is portrayed on popular TV shows and the manner in which it ought to happen in the field in accordance with the U.S. Army Field Manual.
The film will be used by military educators at West Point, the U.S. Army War College, the Joint Military Intelligence College and in other military training facilities around the country.
"This is an extremely useful training tool," said one Lieutenant Colonel who runs an ROTC program. "It is exactly what we need."
At our Human Rights Award Dinner on October 15th, Sam Waterston of Law and Order
presented Andrew Wilder, the writer/producer of Criminal Minds, with Human Rights First's Award for Excellence in Television
, honoring the show's realistic portrayal of interrogation. Criminal Minds was chosen from among five nominees that offer their audiences a different view of what happens in the interrogation booth.
Iranian Women's Rights Advocate Receives HRF Human Rights Award
Also, at our annual dinner, Human Rights First honored Iranian women's rights activist
Fariba Davoodi Mohajer with our Human Rights Award. Ms. Mohajer has dedicated her life to challenging laws that discriminate against Iranian women, including the lack of legal recourse for victims of violence against women.
Staff Spotlight:
Kevin Lanigan, Director, Law and Security
 HRF welcomes Kevin Lanigan as the new director of our Law and Security Program. Kevin was a partner at the Washington,
D.C.-based law firm Hogan & Hartson, where he represented clients before Congress and federal agencies on a wide variety of issues, including civil rights, constitutional law and immigration. Most recently, Kevin served as a senior legal/rule of law advisor on a British government project to promote accountability, and the development of effective internal controls and management capacity in Iraq's Ministry of the Interior.
Kevin is a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he served as an international law officer and command judge advocate, earning two Bronze Star Medals. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and his
B.A. in political science from the University of Kansas.
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ABA VOTE: Congress Should Override Order on CIA Interrogations
At its annual conference this August, the American Bar Association passed a resolution urging Congress to override a recent Executive Order that gives the CIA latitude on use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" and fails to make clear which interrogation techniques that had been authorized for use in the CIA program are still permitted. HRF President Mike Posner was a diving force behind the ABA vote.
Nomination for Top CIA Lawyer Withdrawn
Last month HRF joined a coalition of human rights organizations in signing a letter urging members of the Senate's intelligence committee to reject the nomination of John Rizzo to the position of general counsel of the CIA.
In the letter we wrote, "When Mr. Rizzo failed to object to legal arguments that defended torture, he failed to protect his clients - the President, his CIA colleagues and the American people. He compounded this failure by effectively telling the Committee that he would do the same thing again...To confirm Mr. Rizzo would send an extraordinarily negative message."
On September 26, the White House withdrew Mr. Rizzo's nomination in the face of mounting opposition over his role in government policies on detention and interrogation. |
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HRF Program Director Detained in Russia
In early October, Russian government authorities disrupted an international human rights meeting that was planned to be held in the provincial city of Nizhny Novgorod to mark the first anniversary of the still unresolved murder of the investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Police kept organizers and participants under close surveillance and prevented a planned press conference from taking place on October 5. The next day, police raided the office of one of the organizations that was seeking to host the conference. Five foreign participants, including Neil Hicks, Director of HRF's Defenders program, were detained for four and a half hours and fined for allegedly failing to comply with the terms of their visas. "This was brazen obstruction of the legitimate activities of human rights activists," commented Hicks. "It demonstrates the severe erosion of basic rights to freedoms of expression and assembly that are taking place in Russia today."
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