• US: Make Guantanamo’s 10th Anniversary Its Last
    Press release
    Jan 11, 2012
    US President Barack Obama’s signing of a bill permitting indefinite detention without trial mere days before the 10th anniversary of the first prisoners arriving at Guantanamo highlights the need for immediate, decisive action to close the detention facility.
  • US: Refusal to Veto Detainee Bill A Historic Tragedy for Rights
    Press release
    Dec 14, 2011
    US President Barack Obama’s apparent decision to not veto a defense spending bill that codifies indefinite detention without trial into US law and expands the military’s role in holding terrorism suspects does enormous damage to the rule of law both in the US and abroad.
  • US: President Should Veto Detainee Bill
    Press release
    Dec 1, 2011
    US President Barack Obama should hold firm on his promise to veto a bill passed by the Senate on December 1, 2011, which contains provisions on the detention of terrorism suspects that would undermine US counterterrorism efforts. The administration had previously outlined objections to the detainee provisions in the bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2012, and threatened a veto if the problems were not addressed.
  • US: Rights Groups Urge Rejection of Indefinite Detention Legislation
    Press release
    Oct 24, 2011
    The US Congress should reject provisions in a defense spending bill that would permit long-term indefinite detention without trial of terrorism suspects.
  • Canada: Don’t Let Bush Get Away With Torture
    Press release
    Oct 12, 2011
    The Canadian government should investigate possible criminal charges against former US President George W. Bush for his role in authorizing the torture of detainees. Bush is scheduled to visit to Surrey, British Columbia on October 20, 2011.
  • Secret Intelligence Documents Discovered in Libya
    Commentary
    Sep 9, 2011
    Human Rights Watch discovered in Tripoli tens of thousands of archived documents containing evidence of crimes – such as the US and UK governments’ complicity in torture – committed during Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.
  • US: Federal Prosecution of Terrorism Suspect Furthers Justice
    Press release
    Jul 7, 2011
    The Obama administration’s decision to prosecute a Somali terrorism suspect apprehended abroad in federal court demonstrates the importance of US civilian courts in countering terrorism. However, Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame should not have been held by the US military for more than two months without basic due process rights.
  • US: Reject Defense Bill’s Drastic Detention Measures
    Press release
    Jun 24, 2011
    Provisions in the US Senate Armed Services Committee’s defense spending bill threaten to eliminate the essential role of civilian law enforcement in countering terrorism.
  • Letter to US Senators Levin and McCain regarding the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act
    Letter
    Jun 12, 2011
    We write to express our concern over several provisions of the version of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House of Representatives and urge you to take these concerns into account when considering the bill this week. Should the House-approved provisions become part of the NDAA, they will hinder US counterterrorism efforts and erode the ability of the United States to promote the rule of law in other places such as the Middle East.
  • US: House Passes Drastic Detention Measures in Defense Bill
    Press release
    May 26, 2011
    The US House of Representatives passed a defense spending bill on May 26, 2011, that includes counterproductive measures to force more military trials at Guantanamo and permanently expand the president’s power to militarily target and detain without trial people with no connection to 9/11.