[The ACLU and Human Rights First have jointly filed suit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Mar. 1. The suit zeroes on Rumsfeld's Dec. 2, 2002, order authorizing new interrogation techniques for detainees in the "war on terror" and seeks benefits for eight victims, four from Iraq and four from Afghanistan, all of whom are ready to come to the U.S. to testify, Reuters reported Tuesday.[1] -- AP quoted the ACLU's Lucas Guttentag, lead counsel in the suit, who said that Rumsfeld "gives lip service to being responsible, but has not been held accountable . . . and the victims have not been compensated."[2] -- AP's Pauline Jelinek added that the suit "was filed in federal court in Chicago because Rumsfeld's home state is Illinois. It seeks an undetermined amount of compensation and asks for a finding that Rumsfeld violated the Constitution and Geneva Conventions on prisoner treatment." -- The ACLU sent to members a two-minute film
http://www.aclu.org/newface?orgid=EA030105A&MX=1952&H=1 and asked them to write to the attorney general
http://www.aclu.org/Prisons/Prisons.cfm?orgid=EA030105A&ID=17564&c=26&MX=1952&H=1 to ask that an independent counsel be appointed.[3] -- Eight months ago the *Seattle Post-Intelligencer* reported that post-9/11 events had "doubled the rolls of the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington over the past two years," from 10,000 to nearly 20,000.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/177034_aclu09.html -- In its May 13, 2004, statement, UFPPC went further than the ACLU and called for investigation of the role of the president, the vice president, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general in this and related matters. -- The Western Washington antiwar group called for "investigations [that] may show that the administration has deliberately violated the law, the Constitution, and international covenants and conventions to which the United States is a signatory. . . . If investigations conclude that there is substantial evidence of [the authorization of torture of prisoners], then we believe that impeachment proceedings against the President, Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General of the United States are in order, as provided for by Article II, Section IV of the Constitution of the United States: "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/568/ UFPPC delegations have met twice with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA 9) to discuss these demands, first on Jun. 4
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/718/ and again on Aug. 25.
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/1190/ --Mark]

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/2345/

SUIT ALLEGES RUMSFELD APPROVED TORTURE

by Alan Elsner

Reuters

March 1, 2005

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7775667


Informant: jensenmk

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