The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 2: Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies

Hundreds of migrants who arrived by train at Hegyeshalom on the Hungarian and Austrian border walk the four kilometers into Austria on September 22, 2015 in Hegyeshalom, Hungary (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images).

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Join us for...

The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 2:

Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies

A non-CLE program proudly presented by

the ABA Section of International Law

Sponsored by 

the Section of International Law International Human Rights Committee

Co-Sponsored by

the Section of International Law Africa Committee, Europe Committee, International Criminal Law Committee, International Refugee Law Committee, International Pro Bono Committee, Middle East Committee, NGO & Not-for-Profit Organizations Committee, UN & International Organizations Committee, U.S. Lawyers Abroad Committee,

ABA ROL MENA

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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST 

★ Teleconference Only Event ★

FREE PROGRAM - REGISTER NOW!

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Unprecedented: The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 2 - Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies teleconference goes beyond the intimate Syrian refugee accounts shared during the first teleconference to explore this unprecedented humanitarian crisis from a larger, global context. The teleconference will begin with brief overview of the current refugee crisis, including the common causes of displacement and global trends. Next, the crisis will be examined from the perspective of those working on or near the front lines -e.g., aid workers, human rights lawyers and advocates, ABA entities, policymakers, and states impacted by the massive influx of refugees. These shared perspectives serve a dual purpose: to highlight the numerous obstacles and legal challenges faced by both refugees and the international community. Finally, the teleconference will highlight some of the successful efforts underway to resolve the underlying conflicts, protect and provide safe passage for refugees fleeing war-torn countries, and ensure the rule of law and basic human rights are observed.

There will be a brief Q&A session at the end of the program. Attendees may submit questions using one of the options below:

• Email at inthumrights@gmail.com
• Twitter via direct message (@ABAIHRC) 
• Twitter hashtag: #ABAGlobalRefugeeCrisis
• Please indicate which speaker your question is for.

Speakers:

• Joseph Jacob, Middle East Committee Vice Chair
• Gigi Nikpour, International Human Rights Committee Senior Advisor 
• Niki Dasarathy, ABA ROLI MENA Senior Advisor 
• Wassem Amin, Middle East Committee Co-Chair

Moderator: 

• Stephanie Williams, Section of International Law Human Rights Committee Co-Chair

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Global Refugee Crisis: Part 2 (Audio)

Global Refugee Crisis: Part 1 (Audio)

The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 1: A True Account of a Syrian Refugee’s Journey to Safety (Free Teleconference)

A non-CLE program proudly presented by the ABA Section of International Law

Sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee 

Co-Sponsored by the Section of International Law Middle East Committee, International Refugee Law Committee, and UN & Int'l Organizations Committee 

Friday, December 4, 2015 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST 

★ Teleconference Only Event  ★

AUDIO RECORDING OF PART 1

The situation is Syria has reached critical mass. An estimated 240,000 Syrian, including 12,000 children, have been killed since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011. Over 1 million have been wounded or permanently disabled. Approximately 12 million Syrians have fled their homes, taking refuge in neighboring countries or within Syria itself. 

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 4 million have fled to Syria's immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Another 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria. More than 400,000 Syrians have risked their lives this year to travel to Europe, but under 150,000 Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union. Germany has pledged 35,000 places (75% of total EU) for Syrian refugees through its humanitarian programme. 

Excluding Germany and Sweden, which received 47% of the EU asylum application, the remaining 26 EU countries have pledged around 8,700 (approx 0.2%) resettlement places for Syrian refugees. Gulf countries (i.e, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain) and high income countries (i.e., Russia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea) have offered zero resettlement places to Syrian refugees. 

UNPRECEDENTED - The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 1: A True Account of a Syrian Refugee’s Journey to Safety is the first teleconference in a 2-part series aimed at addressing the unprecedented refugee crisis in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Part 1 provides an intimate look at the unfolding tragedy, as told by two Syrian-born men. 

Joseph F. Jacob (“Joseph 1”) is a Syrian-born American lawyer in New York. He will begin the discussion with a brief historical account of the events that led up to the current war and unprecedented refugee crisis. This will be followed a more personal account of how Mr. Jacob’s helped his eight member family escaped war-torn Syria and what steps he took to secure their safe arrival in America. 

Joseph Khoury (“Joseph 2”) is a 50 year old Syrian who lived with his family, his wife, a college age boy and a middle school age girl in Aleppo, Syria until 2014. He will detail his harrowing escape from Syria and arrival to Greece, where he was detained for several weeks before being allowed to complete his journey and reunite with his family in Germany. 

There will be a brief Q&A session after both gentlemen speak. Attendees may submit questions using one of the options below. 

• Email at inthumrights@gmail.com 
• Twitter via direct message (@ABAIHRC) 
• Twitter hashtag: #ABASyriansSpeak 

Please indicate if your question is for Joseph 1, Joseph 2, or both speakers.

Speakers: 

• Joseph Jacob, Section of International Law Middle East Committee Vice Chair 
• Joseph Khoury, Syrian refugee/ Invited Guest 

Moderator: 

• Stephanie Williams, Section of International Law Human Rights Committee Co-Chair

Free Teleconference: Combating Violence Against Women - What's Working?

Presented and co-sponsored by the ABA Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee (IHRC); International Models Project on Women's Rights (IMPOWR); Asia /Pacific Committee; India Committee; NGO & Not-For-Profit Organizations Committee

Thursday, May 29

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT

This is a FREE Non-CLE Teleconference 

Recent horrific and highly publicized attacks against women, international advocacy to combat sex trafficking, and efforts to pass I-VAWA and other legislation have heightened awareness about the global epidemic of violence against women. Less well-know are the various innovative and practical strategies and approaches around the globe that have significantly increased prosecutions and convictions of offenders, empowered women to vindicate their right to be free from violence, and otherwise improved the safety and security of women.

This teleconference will highlight best practices throughout the world to combat violence against women, including: mobile courts to enhance access to justice for victims in rural areas; coordinated response centers for victims of sexual violence; and, specialized units training of judges, police officers, prosecutors and local leaders/elders to educate them about gender violence and to ensure effective and timely investigations, prosecutions and convictions. Speakers will include representatives from advocacy groups operating in various regions of the world and judges/law enforcement personnel involved in developing/implementing these approaches.


MODERATOR:
Elizabeth Brundige, Executive Director, Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School

SPEAKERS:
Gabriela Pastorino, Esq., Policy Advisor, Office of Women, Supreme Court of Argentina

Maimbo Ziela, Esq., Deputy Chief State Advocate - Gender Based Crimes, National Prosecutions Authority, Zambia

Smirti Minocha, Senior Program Officer, Human Rights Law Network, New Delhi, India

Please RSVP to Jonathan Lewis at jonathan.lewis@americanbar.org


WANT TO ASK OUR PANEL A QUESTION DURING THE TELECONFERENCE?

★ Email us at inthumrights@gmail.com or

★ Tweet us using #ABAIHRC

★ Follow us on Twitter @ABAIHRC

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UPDATE (Jun 2): An audio recording of the above teleconference now available.

The Woman Behind The Whistleblower: Human Trafficking and a Culture of Corruption

A non-CLE Teleconference Panel Discussion proudly presented by

ABA Section of International Law Women's Interest Network

By Teleconference Only 

Monday, March 17, 2014 

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT 

REGISTER NOW!

FEATURED SPEAKER: 

★ Kathryn Bolkovac, formerly employed with DynCorp as UN International Police Force Monitor 

MODERATORS: 

★ Olufunmi Oluyede, Co-Chair, Women's Interest Network 

★ Linda Strite Murnane, Vice-Chair, Women's Interest Network 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Kathryn Bolkovac worked as a United Nations International Police Force Monitor under contract with DynCorp in the Balkans, following years as a police investigator in Nebraska. In 2001, she filed suit against DynCorp when they terminated her employment after she reported the involvement of many of her co-workers in human trafficking and in procuring prostitution services. Ms. Bolkovac won a unanimous decision from a British employment tribunal finding that the actions of DynCorp were illegal. During her time in Bosnia as an investigator, Ms Bolkovac uncovered evidence of girls who refused to have sex being beaten and raped in bars by their pimps while peacekeepers stood and watched. She discovered that one UN policeman who was supposed to be investigating the sex trade paid £700 to a bar owner for an underage girl who he kept captive in his apartment to use in his own prostitution racket. Ms. Bolkovac will discuss her experience and her efforts to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation in this one hour non-CLE teleconference in honor of International Women's Day. 

REGISTRATION RATES: 

$15 - Section of International Law Members 

$25 - SIL Non-Members 

REGISTER NOW 

FREE Teleconference - Protecting Human Rights: Are Drones the New Sheriff in Town?

Protecting Human Rights: Are Drones the New Sheriff in Town?

A FREE non-CLE teleconference proudly presented by

ABA Section of International Law

International Human Rights Committee

Co-sponsored by

ABA Section of International Law

ABA International Criminal Law Committee

Thursday, December 12, 2013

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM US EST

By teleconference only

REGISTER NOW

The U.S. Drone program has been the subject of much debate. Join our experts in a riveting assessment of whether Unmanned Arial Vehicles ("UAVs" or "Drones") have the potential to protect and promote human rights? Surveillance drones have raised privacy concerns; but what if they are used to document and monitor abuse in dangerous crisis zones or remote locations unreachable by monitors? Our experts will discuss various non-military uses for Drones, the rapid advance of technology, the possible benefits of Drones to the human rights cause, and the legal framework implicated.

Moderator:
Theresa Harris, Senior Program Associate, AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program


Speakers:
Mary “Missy” Cumming, Visiting Professor, MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics

Amie Stepanovich, Director, EPIC Domestic Surveillance Project

Christopher Tuckwood, Executive Director and Co-Founder Sentinel Project

*Registration for this program is complimentary through our website*

REGISTER NOW

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American Bar Association

Section of International Law

740 15th Street, NW • Washington, DC 20005 • 202-662-1660

intlaw@americanbar.org - www.americanbar.org/intlaw

Free Teleconference: The Arab Spring and U.S. Government Policy

Please join us Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT for a FREE teleconference on the Arab Spring and U.S. Government policy, proudly presented by the International Human Rights Committee of the ABA Section of International Law in cooperation with Human Rights Watch.

The Arab Spring is an explosion of human rights expression that has challenged the U.S. Government’s former strategy and alliances with former partners and enemies in the Middle East. This free teleconference will dissect the U.S. Government’s shifts in policy and recommendations on how the U.S. Government might deal with this unprecedented moment of regime change and interest in human rights.

Speakers include Joe Stork, Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch, Middle East and North Africa Division; Heba Fatma Morayef, Researcher, Human Rights Watch, Middle East and North Africa Division; and Gary Sick, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University of International and Public Affairs, Former White House National Security Adviser for Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, Former White House aide on Iran during the Iranian Revolution (moderator).
The speakers are on the cutting edge of monitoring human rights in the Middle East and making policy recommendations to the U.S. Government and other sovereign nations. They will discuss how USG policy has shaped the Arab Spring, positive and negative; ways the USG has used its leverage to influence human rights, positive and negative; multi-country review of Human Rights Watch’s coverage; and Human Rights Watch’s recommendations to the USG.

Dial-in Details:
U.S. and Canada Dial-in #: 877-464-2827
International Dial-in: 706-643-9966
Passcode #: 80960731

In the Wake of Griswold v. Driscoll: A Present Day Discussion on Recognition and Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

Join us for the following FREE teleconference on Thursday, July 14, from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EDT, presented by ABA Section of International Law International Human Rights Committee.

The Armenian Genocide has remained a powerful topic for people of both Armenian and Turkish decent for nearly 100 years. This topic has gained additional focus in the wake of Griswol...d et al v. Driscoll.

Griswold, filed in October 2005 by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) alongside two high school teachers and a student, alleged certain educational materials limited free speech by not including resources that presented “contra-genocide” viewpoints. In August 2010, the First Circuit of Appeals upheld a US District Court ruling that prevented the case from moving forward after a five year battle.

In March, lead attorney Harvey Silverglate argued before a three-judge panel that the educational curriculum in question amounted to a “21st-century library” and should be protected from censorship. On behalf of the panel, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, did not directly address the issue of the Armenian Genocide in his opinion. Instead, Souter focused on whether the issue fell under free speech protection and the panel’s ultimate decision that the case could not go forward.

“The Court of Appeals’ decision is a major victory for sound education on the Armenian Genocide,” Van Krikorian of the Armenian Assembly of America, said in a statement. “The Court defended free speech … and struck a blow to the spurious tactics used by genocide deniers to engage under the pretext of debate.”

This teleconference will provide an overview of the issues dealt with in Griswold et al v. Driscoll and a brief overview of the history of the Armenian Genocide and the state of recognition both domestically and abroad.

Speakers include Mark Fleming, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP; Sonya Nersessian, Immediate Past Chair, Armenian Bar Association; and Professor Peter Rosenblum, Columbia Law School (moderator).

Dial-in Details:

U.S. and Canada Dial-in #: 877-464-2827
International Dial-in: 706-643-9966
Passcode #: 81684988

CEDAW Teleconference Materials

Please join us tomorrow, May 18, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. for a free teleconference discussing global perspectives on the impact of CEDAW on legal reform efforts regarding rights of women.  Included below is a powerpoint presentation for the program.

Penny Wakefield (moderator) has recently authored an article, CEDAW Ratification:  Backseated Once Again, which provides useful insight into U.S. failure to ratify CEDAW.

Do You Know CEDAW? You Should.

The word “CEDAW” may not ring a bell even for committed women’s rights supporters in the United States. But the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a landmark international women’s rights agreement that almost every country in the world has ratified in the 30-plus years since its introduction. The only countries that have not are Iran, Somalia, Sudan, three small Pacific Islands—and the U.S. This Wednesday, the International Human Rights Committee of the ABA Section of International Law is offering a valuable opportunity to all who want to learn more about the convention, its impact internationally, and its prospects here at home.

What does CEDAW mean for ratifying countries? Countries that ratify CEDAW affirm that women’s rights are human rights and commit themselves to ending discrimination against women and girls. CEDAW provides a practical blueprint for these efforts and has had a real impact on women and girls around the world. Guided by CEDAW, policymakers and advocates internationally have taken important steps toward stopping sex trafficking and domestic violence, expanding girls’ educational opportunities, providing access to maternal health care, and ensuring women’s right to vote.

Empowerment of women also leads to more prosperous, stable, peaceful societies. Institutions such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum recognize that empowering women is one of the most effective paths for international development and for building stable communities. Improving the lives of women and girls worldwide thus is of great importance not only for those individuals, but also for global prosperity and our national security.

The United States should have a seat at the table when the international community discusses how best to continue to promote progress for women and girls. Ratification also would create an important opportunity for continuing our own national conversation about how best to overcome persistent barriers women still face here at home. By ratifying CEDAW, the U.S. would continue a proud tradition of advancing human rights and strengthen our role as a global leader in standing up for the rights of women and girls. The National Women’s Law Center, as a co-chair of the CEDAW Task Force of the Leadership Conference of Civil Rights, is working to ensure that we join the international community in ratifying CEDAW and affirming our commitment to women’s empowerment.

To learn more about CEDAW, about the National Women’s Law Center’s efforts in support of ratification, and about the impact of CEDAW internationally, register for “However Long the Night”: Global Perspectives on the Impact of CEDAW, a free teleconference being held this Wednesday, sponsored by the International Human Rights Committee of the ABA Section of International Law. Or, if you are in Washington, D.C., register to attend in person. It’s time for all of us to understand CEDAW’s promise.

Emily J. Martin

Vice President and General Counsel, National Women’s Law Center

"However Long the Night" Global Perspectives on the Impact of CEDAW (Convention to Eliminate all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) on Legal Reform Efforts Regarding the Rights of Women

Join us in person (Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, DC) or by telephone on Wednesday, May 18 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. for "However Long the Night" Global Perspectives on the Impact of CEDAW (Convention to Eliminate all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) on Legal Reform Efforts Regarding the Rights of Women.

This FREE teleconference is proudly presented by ABA Section of International Law International Human Rights Committee and co-sponsored by ABA SIL Africa Committee, ABA SIL NGO and Not-for-Profit Organizations, and Committee ABA SIL Women's Issues Network (WIN) ABA IMPOWR (International Models Project on Women's Rights), and in cooperation with ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities - Women's Rights Committee, District of Columbia Women's Bar Association: International Law Forum, Amnesty International USA, and TransAfrica Forum.

The United States remains one of the few nations in the world that has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This 90-minute non-CLE program will provide a concise overview of the history, development and implementation of CEDAW, including the status of CEDAW ratification in the United States. Afterwards, our panel of women’s rights advocates and lawyers from around the world will deliver short presentations on the advocacy strategies for eradicating discriminatory laws and fostering gender-equality law reform efforts that have been effective (or unsuccessful) in their countries.

Participants will gain an understanding of the treaty provisions of CEDAW; understanding of CEDAW’s status internationally and in the US; awareness of how CEDAW has been utilized by advocates and lawyers internationally to advance women’s rights; and awareness of opportunities to support gender reform projects that utilize CEDAW to advance women’s rights.

Speakers:

• Emily Martin, Vice President and General Counsel, National Women's Law Center, Washington, DC
• Mahdere Paulos, Former Judge to the High Court in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Former Executive Director, Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), Washington, DC
• Carolyn Reynolds, Executive Director, Women's Issues Network of Belize (WIN-Belize); Commissioner, Belize National Women's Commission Belize City, Belize
• Rosa Celorio, Human Rights Specialist, Special Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Washington, DC
• Penny Wakefield, Executive Board, ABA Center for Human Rights, Washington, DC (moderator)

Please register at the link above. Registration closes prior to the event.

IHRC to Host Free Non-CLE Teleconference: A "How To" Guide to Representing Asylum Seekers Pro Bono

Please join the Committee for a free non-CLE teleconference on Wednesday, January 19, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. EST providing a "how to" guide to representing asylum seekers. The panel includes:

• Ani E. Ajemian, Co-Chair, International Human Rights Committee
• Anita Sharma, Asylum Attorney/Coordinator for the PAIR Project
• Reena Arya, Managing Attorney, Refugee Protection Program at Human Rights First

The panel will discuss the elements of an asylum case and relevant law; the importance of pro bono representation; how to get involved; and war stories on representation experiences. Please register at the following link.

IHRC to Host Free Teleconference: Justice Albie Sachs

The International Human Rights Committee is hosting a free teleconference with Justice Albie Sachs, recently retired Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST.

Justice Sachs’ career in human rights activism started at the age of seventeen, when as a law student in Cape Town, he took part in the Defiance of Unjust Laws Campaign. The bulk of his work at the Cape Bar involved defending people charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws. After going into exile in 1966, he spent eleven years in England and eleven years in Mozambique as law professor and legal researcher. In 1988, he was blown up by a bomb placed in his car in Maputo by South African security agents, losing an arm and the sight of an eye. During the 1980s he helped draft the ANC’s Code of Conduct and statutes. In 1990, he returned home and as a member of the Constitutional Committee and the National Executive of the ANC took an active part in the negotiations which led to South Africa becoming a constitutional democracy. After the first democratic election in 1994, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to serve on the newly established Constitutional Court, from which he retired last fall.  For additional information on Justice Sachs, please visit the following link.

Justice Sachs will discuss his new book, “Reason and Passion: The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law,” which addresses the following subjects:

• Terrorism, Torture and the Rule of Law
• Punitive Justice vs. Restorative Justice
• Social and Economic Rights as Fundamental Human Rights
• Does the Law Have a Sense of Humor?
• The Secular and the Sacred: The Right of Same Sex Couples to Marry

To participate in the teleconference, please use the following call-in information:

Dial-in Number: 1-517-417-5200
Participant Access Code: 4204974

Participants who join the call are muted but may unmute themselves during the question and answer portion of the teleconference. It is important to remain on mute while not speaking to avoid complications with feedback. The teleconference is limited to 150 participants, so please join us early to ensure your participation. Participation in the teleconference is on a first come, first served basis.

IHRC to Host Free Teleconference: How to Litigate Human Rights Cases Using UN Treaties

The International Human Rights Committee is hosting a free teleconference on Monday, November 30, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EST, addressing how to litigate human rights cases using UN treaties. Noted civil liberties attorney, activist, and theorist Ann Fagan Ginger will provide the presentation for this teleconference.

Professor Ginger is founder and director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute in Berkeley, California, which seeks to promote social change by increasing the recognition and use of existing human rights and peace law at the local and national levels. She has been a visiting professor of law at a number of schools in California and Washington. Her work in human rights law includes rigorous analysis of the relationship between U.S. law and international human rights standards.

This teleconference will address the following topics:

• U.N. human rights treaties ratified by the United States;
• how to use these treaties in litigation;
• how these treaties relate to articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
• treaty reporting requirements; and 
• how to use reporting requirements on local issues before city and state bodies.

To participate in the teleconference, please use the following call-in information:

Dial-in Number: 1-219-509-8111
Participant Access Code: 153417

Participants who join the call are muted but may unmute themselves during the question and answer portion of the teleconference. It is important to remain on mute while not speaking to avoid complications with feedback. The teleconference is limited to 150 participants, so please join us early to ensure your participation. Participation in the teleconference is on a first come, first served basis.

Please visit the Committee's Blog, Global Rights Forum (http://inthumrights.blogspot.com/), for additional information. If you are interested in contributing to the blog or have suggestions for additional teleconferences, please contact Committee Vice-Chair Erin Louise Palmer at erinlouisepalmer@hotmail.com.

Relevant Materials for International Human Rights Committee's Teleconference on the CIA and the Use of Torture to Combat Terrorism

Please note the following materials of relevance to the upcoming teleconference on the CIA and the use of torture to combat terrorism:

• Stuart Taylor Jr., "Torture:  Stop Harassing the Lawyers," NationalJournal.com (Sept. 12, 2009) 
• Testimony of David Luban, Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, "What Went Wrong:  Torture and the Office of Legal Counsel in the Bush Administration" (May 13, 2009)
• Senate Armed Services Committee Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody (Dec. 11, 2008)
• ICRC Report on the Treatment of Fourteen "High-Value Detainees" in CIA Custody (Feb. 2007)
• CIA Inspector General's Report on Counterterrorism Detention and Interrogation Activities (May 7, 2004; released Aug. 24, 2009)

Torture is Illegal, Immoral and Counterproductive

by Mike Pheneger, Colonel, US Army (Ret.), a participant in the International Human Rights Committee's teleconference on the CIA and the use of torture to combat terrorism

*Please click on the title of this post to read the post in its entirety.

I was stunned to learn that the United States government had authorized the torture of suspects captured during the War on Terror. I am not naïve. As a professional soldier, I know individuals captured by the US military have been abused in the past, but abuse usually occurs at the point of capture during or immediately after a fire-fight when tempers are hot and units have sustained casualties. Some prisoners were tortured, but this was an aberration not national policy. It is important that we ensure that the record of our involvement with torture is laid bare. That is the only way to ensure that we never again stride purposely and confidently down that dark path.

Our greatest presidents rejected torture and abuse. Washington refused to follow the British practice of torturing prisoners; he believed our new nation should be noted for its humanity. Lincoln believed that “military necessity shall not permit of cruelty.”

The Bush Administration abandoned our traditions and made a calculated decision to authorize torture as a matter of national policy. Immediately after 9/11, Vice President Cheney noted that we would have to go the “dark side” to counter the al-Qaeda threat. After 9/11, the administration “took the gloves off” and approved “harsh” interrogation techniques that individually and in combination amount to torture. Alberto Gonzales advised that Geneva Convention prohibitions against torturing and abusing prisoners did not apply to al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners.

The torture policy and its “legal” justification were developed in secret by a small group of attorneys closely associated with the Vice President. They simply assumed that “harsh” interrogations would be necessary to obtain actionable intelligence. There is nothing in the public record to indicate that anyone with actual knowledge of or experience in interrogation participated in making the decision. Service Judge Advocates were frozen out of the process because they were considered “unreliable.” When Alberto Mora, then General Counsel of the US Navy, learned the Department of Defense was about to approve harsh interrogation methods, he brought his concerns to DoD General Counsel William Haynes. After unsuccessfully trying to bring Mora on board, Haynes froze him out of the process. The torture policies were not subject to the normal interagency coordination process that is designed to weed out really bad ideas.

IHRC to Host Free Teleconference: the CIA and the Use of Torture to Combat Terrorism

On Monday, October 26, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EST, the International Human Rights Committee will host a free teleconference on the CIA and the use of torture to combat terrorism. The teleconference will discuss CIA interrogation tactics and whether they constitute torture, as well as the relationship between torture and the rule of law in the context of CIA liability.

Panel members for this teleconference include:

• Mike Pheneger: Mike Pheneger, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.), represents Florida on the ACLU's National Board and serves on the ACLU's National Executive Committee. Colonel Pheneger spent 30 years on active duty as a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and served multiple Vietnam tours, retiring in 1993. He also served as an intelligence staff officer at the U.S. European Command and on the Army staff. He currently teaches courses on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, terrorism, and geopolitical issues for the University of South Florida's Learning in Retirement Program. He holds a B.A. in History from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and an M.P.A. from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the Command & Staff Course, U.S. Naval War College, and the Military Intelligence Officer's Advanced Course.

• Hina Shamsi: Hina Shamsi is Senior Advisor to the Project on Extrajudicial Executions at NYU School of Law. Previously, Ms. Shamsi was a Staff Attorney with the National Security Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. She is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and Mount Holyoke College.

• Stephen I. Vladeck: Stephen I. Vladeck is a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, where his teaching and research focus on federal jurisdiction, national security law, constitutional law (especially the separation of powers), and international criminal law. Professor Vladeck was part of the legal team that successfully challenged the Bush Administration’s use of military tribunals at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. 557 (2006), and has co-authored amicus briefs in a host of other lawsuits challenging the U.S. government’s surveillance and detention of terrorism suspects. Professor Vladeck earned a B.A. summa cum laude in History and Mathematics from Amherst College in 2001 and graduated from Yale Law School in 2004. He clerked for the Honorable Marsha S. Berzon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Rosemary Barkett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

• Ben Wizner: Ben Wizner has been a staff attorney at the ACLU since 2001, specializing in national security, human rights, and first amendment issues. He has been involved in numerous post-9/11 civil liberties cases, including challenges to the CIA's extraordinary rendition program; lawsuits aimed at exposing FBI and Pentagon surveillance of non-violent protestors; and suits challenging unlawful airport security policies. He has traveled to Guantanamo Bay to observe and report on Military Commission trials. Wizner was a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is a graduate of Harvard College and New York University School of Law.

To participate in the free teleconference, please use the following call-in information:

Dial-in Number: 1-219-509-8111

Participant Access Code: 153417

Participants who join the call are muted but may unmute themselves during the question and answer portion of the teleconference. It is important to remain on mute while not speaking to avoid complications with feedback. The teleconference is limited to 150 participants, so please join us early to ensure your participation.