American Civil Liberties Union

Yesterday, the Culture Project presented a second installment in their "Blueprint for Accountability" series. A blend of theater, film, and conversation, the series aims to engage the public in a conversation about how to achieve accountability for crimes of torture and abuse committed in America's name after 9/11.

Today, a group of musicians, including REM, Pearl Jam and The Roots filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to find out whether their music was played at the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.  The request for information stems from former Guantánamo detainees’ testimony and released government documents that document that music has been used as part of interrogations.

Next Tuesday, writers and artists including Eve Ensler, Don Delillo, Jonathan Ames, George Saunders, Ishmael Beah and Art Spiegelman will join the ACLU and PEN American Center to bring attention to acts of torture and abuse carried out by the U.S. since 9/11. Reckoning with Torture: Memos and Testimonies from the "War on Terror" will take place on Tuesday, October 13 at 7pm at Cooper Union's Great Hall in Manhattan.

Writers and artists will take the stage with lawyers, a former military interrogator and a former CIA agent to read from texts that have brought these abuses to light – memos, declassified communications, affidavits by officials who protested the treatment, legal opinions, and detainee testimonies. Interspersed between readings, we'll be showing never-before-seen video interviews with former Guantánamo detainees who put a human face on the Bush administration's torture program. The program will also feature a visual component – created specifically for the event – by noted American artist Jenny Holzer. Holzer's imagery incorporating U.S. government documents will be integrated throughout the evening's program.

Today, a federal court today dismissed our lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional government spying law known as the FISA Amendments Act (FAA). Congress passed the law last year, effectively legalizing the secret warrantless surveillance program approved by President Bush in late 2001. The FAA also gave the government new, sweeping spying powers, including the power to conduct dragnet surveillance of Americans' international emails and phone calls.