Obama wins the right to invoke "State Secrets" to protect Bush crimes
"This is a sad day not only for the torture victims whose attempt to seek justice has been extinguished, but for all Americans who care about the rule of law and our nation's reputation in the world. To date, not a single victim of the Bush administration's torture program has had his day in court. If today's decision is allowed to stand, the United States will have closed its courtroom doors to torture victims while providing complete immunity to their torturers. The torture architects and their enablers may have escaped the judgment of this court, but they will not escape the judgment of history." -- Ben Wizner, staff attorney with the ACLU, responding to dismissal of Jeppesen case in Ninth Circuit Court today
Protest at Jeppesen -- Hold the Torturers Accountable! Thursday, September 9 at 5:00 PM in front of Jeppesen office, 225 W. Santa Clara St, San Jose On Wednesday, September 8, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the lawsuit that charged Jeppesen Dataplan (a Boeing subsidiary) with complicity in the CIA torture flights. The Obama Justice Dept. had asked the court to throw out the lawsuit because it might reveal "state secrets." What secrets? Bush administration officials have admitted that torture, including waterboarding (almost drowning) was used often, against detainees in various hidden prisons around the world. There should be no secrecy but rather full disclosure of all the facts around the torture flights. All participants--government agencies, corporations like Jeppesen, and individuals who planned and carried out the torture--must be held accountable. |
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