Blog of Rights
Ateqah
Khaki
04/30/2012
Targeted Killings

White House Confirms Existence of Targeted Killing Program

By Ateqah Khaki at 2:59pm

Today, the New York Times ran an ACLU op-ed about the CIA's misuse of secrecy to withhold information from the public about the agency's targeted killing program, which has so far killed thousands of people, including several Americans.

The piece, penned by ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer and National Security Project Legal Fellow Nathan Wessler, explains that in ACLU lawsuits about the drone strike program the CIA has consistently taken the position that it can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the program or any records related to it, despite the fact that numerous other government officials have spoken about the program to the public and the press. The op-ed states,

Read More»
04/26/2012
CISPA

House of Representatives Passes Privacy-Busting CISPA

By Ateqah Khaki at 6:33pm

CISPA is a dangerously overbroad bill that would allow companies to share our private and sensitive information with the government without a warrant and without proper oversight.

Read More»
03/06/2012
Online Privacy

Meet the ACLU Digital Privacy Team at SXSW!

By Ateqah Khaki at 1:47pm

The ACLU's "dotRights" digital privacy team will be out in force at the 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Conference to make sure privacy is on the agenda!

From social networking to cloud computing, online shopping to location services, Americans are increasingly living, working and playing online. As technology is advancing at lightning speed, it can sometimes feel like privacy law is moving at a glacial pace. The ACLU believes you shouldn't have to choose between privacy and technology. That is why we started the Demand Your dotRights campaign, and why the campaign will be at SXSW, one of the country's largest and most influential gathering of technology and new media brands and innovators.

Read More»
02/27/2012
NYPD Muslim Surveillance

NYPD Used White House Funds to Spy on Muslims

By Ateqah Khaki at 5:19pm

The ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union are calling for a federal investigation into the reported use of White House funds by the NYPD for its religious and racial profiling activities.

Read More»
12/08/2011

One Small Step for the U.S., One Giant Step for LBGT Rights

By Ateqah Khaki at 8:56pm

Earlier today, we told you about a historic commitment by the United States to the cause of LGBT international human rights. We hope that this is just a first step toward a greater global recognition that LGBT rights are really core human rights, and we hope that the government will “walk the talk” when it comes to gay rights at home.

It is worth noting that in her remarks before the U.N in Geneva, Secretary Clinton acknowledged that the U.S. still has a long way to go when it comes to our own record on LGBT rights at home. She stated:

Read More»
10/26/2011

Salon's Glenn Greenwald and ACLU's Ben Wizner Discuss Post-9/11 Rule of Law

By Ateqah Khaki at 3:13pm

Tomorrow, the ACLU’s Ben Wizner will participate in an event with Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald in Washington D.C. to discuss the state of American justice and the rule of law in the decade since 9/11.

The event will also feature Jim Klimaski from the National Lawyer's Guild Military Law Task Force, and will take place on Thursday, October 27, at 8:00 p.m. in the Room 309 of the Marvin Center at George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C. The event is being organized by the university ACLU and National Lawyers Guild groups, and is free and open to the public (tickets are not required).

Read More»
06/16/2011

ACLU to Obama: Honor Those Who Said 'No' to Torture

By Ateqah Khaki at 12:49pm

Today, we sent a letter to the White House asking President Obama to formally honor the soldiers and public servants who opposed torture under the Bush administration.

Although senior Bush administration officials approved the torture of prisoners, there was dissent in every federal agency, and at every level. As observed in an ACLU/PEN American Center op-ed published by The New York Times recently, brave men and women throughout the military and the government challenged the Bush administration’s policies, called out abuses, and refused to participate in a torture program that they believed was illegal and immoral. But so far, our official history has honored only those who approved torture, not those who rejected it.

Read More»
04/04/2011

Obama: Giving Up on Change When it Comes to 9/11 Trials

By Ateqah Khaki at 5:34pm

On the same day that President Obama announced the launch of his 2012 reelection campaign, he abandoned one of his major promises from 2008.

Today, the Obama administration announced that it will prosecute the suspects accused of planning the 9/11 attacks in the Guantánamo military commissions system. This is a reversal from Attorney General Eric Holder's November 2009 announcement that the 9/11 defendants would be prosecuted in federal courts.

Read More»
03/21/2011
Freedom of Association

State Department Should Grant Visa to the "Bravest Woman in Afghanistan"

By Ateqah Khaki at 5:30pm

Late last week, the government denied a travel visa to Malalai Joya, an Afghan politician, writer, and human rights activist. Today, the ACLU sent a letter to Secretaries Clinton and Napolitano asking them to reconsider this decision.

Read More»
05/27/2010

Congress Must Rein in Anti-Terrorism Financing Laws

By Ateqah Khaki at 5:39pm

Yesterday, ACLU Policy Counsel and former FBI agent Mike German testified before a House Financial Services subcommittee about anti-terrorism financing laws and their impact on legitimate and lawful charities. Mike spoke about the need for greater transparency and due process in the Treasury Department’s enforcement of anti-terrorism financing laws against charities, and how these policies are blocking legitimate humanitarian aid to those in need.

Read More»
Statistics image