Aug 4th, 2008
Posted by Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 2:36pm	Human Rights, National Security

Steven Watt Discusses Gitmo on Firedoglake Today

Today Steven Watt, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU's Human Rights Program, will participate in Firedoglake's First Monday chat at 3 p.m. He'll be joining Vince Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, where they'll discuss torture, detention, and extraordinary rendition.

Steven's just returned from observing some procedural hearings at Guantanamo. But his specialty, however, is mounting legal challenges to the U.S. rendition program: Steven represented Khaled El-Masri in El-Masri v. Tenet, a lawsuit against former CIA director George Tenet. The lawsuit charged that Tenet and several U.S.-based aviation corporations violated U.S. and universal human rights laws when they abducted El-Masri, beat him, drugged him, and transported him to a secret CIA prison in Afghanistan. El-Masri, a German national, was never charged with any crime, and after five months of detention, was dumped on a hillside in Albania and left to find his way back to his family in Germany, without explanation or an apology. After his case was dismissed in federal court, and the Supreme Court’s refused to review that decision in October of last year, the ACLU filed a petition in April with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of El-Masri. The petition asks the IACHR to declare that the extraordinary rendition program violates the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man; to find the U.S. responsible for violating El-Masri’s rights under that Declaration; and to recommend that the U.S. publicly acknowledge and apologize for its role in violating El-Masri’s rights to be free from arbitrary detention and torture.

Steven is also the attorney behind Mohamed v. Jeppesen, the lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan, which the CIA contracted to provide flight services for its rendition program. (You can watch a video of Steven talking about the Jeppesen lawsuit on YouTube.) In February, a district court in San Jose bowed to the Bush administration's claim that litigation of this case would threaten state secrets. The ACLU is now appealing this case to the 9th Circuit.

Join us this afternoon at 3 p.m. (EDT) on Firedoglake for what promises to be a fascinating discussion!

Permalink |	Human Rights, National Security

1. RICHARD PEVERLEY Says:
   Aug 20th, 2008 at 4:11pm

   I HAVE NO COMMENT ,BUT WAS TOURTURED
   MENTALLY AND PHSICALLY BY THE UCLA/WESTWOOD HOSPITAL(VETERANS)OVER A BET!
   AND IT HAS BEEN COVERED UP!!!!!!!
   I AM A 100%DISABLE VETERAN WITH PTSD
   AND WAS "USED"
   DUE TO THEIR PROFESSIONAL STUPIDITY
   I WAS IN A DENTAL CHAIR IN A DRUG STUPOR FOR 3YRS AND HAVE LOST ALL !
   NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR WHAT HAPPEN AND IT WILL HAPPEN TO RETURNING VETERANS
   AS THE GOVERMENT IS THE VETERANS ADVESARY!I AM A PRISONER IN MY OWN ART.
   AS LOST MY NEW HOME AND WHY ???I HAVE NO IDEA ALSO LOST ALL THEETH AGAIN DUE TO A BET AND NO ONE GIVING A HOOT!
   THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ASAP!!!!
   WONDER WHY A VET GOES "POSTAL"WELL THIS IS WHY "I WANT MY LIFE BACK"!!!
   AND IF NO ONE WILL HELP? THEN I AM NOT TO BLAME FOR MY ACTIONS AGAINST THE SYSTEM! AND STUPIDITY,WE(VETERANS) HAVE ALREADY FOUGHT OUR WAR IN VIETNAM WE HAVE NO NEED TO BE A "VICTIM" OF AGAIN STUPIDITY I HAVE ONLY FACTS TO SUPPORT ME AND HAVE TRIED TO TALK TO SEN/CONGRESSMEN/I.G. ONLY TO BE TOLD I WAS "HOSED/VICTIM"SORRY CANT HELP YOU WELL
   I AM NOT A DRUGGIE OR A BASKETCASE
   BUT AN AMERICAN WHO SEEMS TO TAKE A BACK SEAT TO OTHER NATIONALS?
   IF I NEED TO TAKE MY LIFE FOR A "JUST"CAUSE THEN SO BE IT !AS I CANNOT LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT IS SO WRAPPED UP IN GAMES !IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO AN "AMERICAN"WAR VETEREN WHO HAS BEEN ABUSED AND TORTURED IN A DENTAL CHAIR WITH "PTSD"
   AND A MOUTH FULL(METAL) OF HALF COMPLETED IMPLANTS WHO CAN SHOW WHAT HAS HAPPEN AS PROOF!!!!!! I NEED HELP AS DO OTHER VETERANS WHO WILL FACE THE SAME THING UNKNOWINLY!RAMBLE IS WHAT I AM DOING HERE AS I HAVE NO PACIENCE
   TO DO THIS
   MY TEETH/HOME/CREDIT/MIND/HAVE ALL BEEN LOST AGAIN OVER A "BET"
   PLEASE HELP ME
   AS THE V.A.HOSPITAL SAYS I AM FURSTRUTAED SO HAVE A BOTTLE OF PROZAC AND GO AWAY
   RICHARD PEVERLEY
   661-3302833
   TAILROTOR48@MSN.COM

2. RICHARD PEVERLEY Says:
   Aug 20th, 2008 at 4:21pm

   AGAIN I HAVE HAD TO DETOX WITH THE HELP OF THE "PRIVATE"SECTOR !AS I WAS GIVEN "BAGS" OF DRUGS(WE CAN LABEL HIM AS A DRUGGIE)SYDROME? AND THEN NO CONSELING NO HELP AS I "WAS ON MY OWN"
   WELL I HAVE BEEN A FIGHTER ALL MY LIFE AND AS A SINGLE PARENT OF A DAUGHTER WHO HAD TO CALL 911 DUE TO FINDING HER DAD OVERDOSED ON DRUGS
   (SAD)AND IT HAS HAD A PROFOUND AFFECT ON HER !I BROKE "A" TOOTH WHY HAVE I NO THEETH?AS HAD ALL WHEN I SET DOWN IN THE DENTAL CHAIR!IN 1999 AND NOW 2008??????AM GUMMING IT?WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE????????????//

3. RICHARD PEVERLEY Says:
   Aug 20th, 2008 at 4:22pm

   WHAT HAPPEN TO MY RIGHTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   WHO WILL HELP ME

4. ida Alward Says:
   Aug 22nd, 2008 at 5:46pm

   I been harrass for 2years and ahalf due to my faith I am a hispanic and mix and my religiion is muslim and I no longer wear my Isalmic cloth so I can be left alone. This been happening to me in this puplic housing in queens by tenants.I submitted police reports and 311 calls an 911 plenty of time and I have reguested for mediation and nothing has been resolve, I have been ignored. The housing manager doesnot take my situtation serious and the police either. I live under constance harrassment and I put in for a transfer and all they did is put me on a wiating list. it been since I submited it 1year.I have been hospitalize due to this stress and hypertention that affecting my heart and I am under alot of medication. my doctors submitted a doctor letter to move me but still nothing. these people that,s been harrassing me broke my window recently. I also ned to mention that these also wrote muslim "B" on my door all housing did was paint over it. I have nothing receive the proper help from nycha.I feel they are ignoring due to my faith. where do I stay? Iam born here and raise and I am treated like I came here yesterday. When I dress muslim I get mistake for a arab and I got discrimanated for that and for apts and schools. August 22 2008

5. Jesus Warrior Says:
   Sep 11th, 2008 at 5:42pm

   It is sad that Jim Crow Democrats use racism and terror to support elitism in the United States against Americans. The same surveillance you claim is illegal for government agencies to do you are doing everyday in Texas. support your pedophiles, alcohlics, drunk drivers, drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes, pimps, and race baiters. Keep dening religious rights in the name of racism in the state of Texas, protecting Jim Harrington, US Rep.Shelia Jackson-Lee, Houston mayor White, Alan Graham Mobile Loaves and fishes, Rudy Rasmus St.John's Downtown Houston, Steve and Michelle Hope, David Hill 1000 Hills International Ministry Houston texas and others that spread our evilness of pedophilia, sodomy, kidnapping, rape, attempted murder, and violating RICO laws while destroying the United States Constitution.

6. Jesus Warrior Says:
   Sep 11th, 2008 at 5:57pm

   Toture by the ACLU,NAACP, LULAC, and it civil servants from TEXAS CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT and the STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE. Denial of court access attempt of bribery to Deny INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE to represent in civil rights matter. Racism, elitism, and terrorism should not be used because of the ACLU stances on DNA test which I have sought since 2004, Jim Harrington and the Texas Civil rights Project will not be able to help you nor any other group blocking access to federal court and United States Attorney Prosecutor Johnny K. Sutton. african american Christian Conservatives have civil rights also. In America I can be DRUG FREE: NOT AN ALCOHOLIC, NOR ADDICT OF ILLEGAL DRUGS, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, NOR OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS. DEVIANT FREE: NOT GAY, NOR A RAPIST, NOR A PEDOPHILE. DISEASE FREE: NOT HAVING A SEXUAL TRANSMITTED DISEASE. DEBT FREE NOT BEING IN ANYONES POCKET. ABSTAINER FOR CHRIST: NOT BEING A FORNICATOR, NOR SODOMITE, NOR HAVING ORAL SEX, NOR MASTURBATING OR HAVING ANY FORM OF SEXUAL PLEASURE. NEVER EVER TRANSPORTING NOR SELLING DRUGS OF ANY KIND. WILLING TO TAKE DNA TEST JUST AS TAXES STAE SENATOR GALLEGOS DID MAY 2007 TO DATE BACK TO MY BIRTH. SEE MORENO AND HIS HINCHMEN IN FEDERAL COURT I ENJOYED THE THREE DAY WALK TOWARD AUSTIN IN THE AUGUST SUN IN 2007.

Name

E-mail

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Homepage

• Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
• Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

What code is in the image? *

Enter the characters shown in the image. Ignore spaces and be careful about upper and lower case.