Briefing US Congressional Staff on Counterterrorism and Civil Liberties

Human Rights Watch planned and coordinated a congressional staff briefing on counterterrorism and civil liberties in the United States, focusing on expanded powers of detention and surveillance after 9-11. The June 2 briefing, which was co-sponsored by Senators Leahy, Kennedy, and Feingold, drew over 75 congressional staff from 31 Senate offices and 13 House offices. Wendy Patten, U.S. Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch, moderated and spoke about secret arrests and secret detentions. Other presenters included the ACLU, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Center for National Security Studies, the National Council of La Raza, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the OSI Policy Center.