Friday, June 20, 2008

• FISA Legislation Easily Passes the US House
• Former Bush Press Secretary Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee
• Physicians Find Physical Evidence of "Torture" on US Detainees Abroad
• 52 Illegal Detention Centers Identified in Pakistan
• Tibetans in India Speak Out Against Chinese Detentions

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FISA Legislation Easily Passes the US House

After months of debate, today the house voted 294 to 129 to pass the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. The legislation gives telecommunications companies a free pass by providing immunity against lawsuits connected to their providing the government access to private phone records. It also extends the powers for the government surveillance program until 2012. Republicans overwhelmingly supported the bill, but the real battle was between conservative and liberal democrats. FSRN's Karen Miller has more.

Former Bush Press Secretary Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee

Scott McClellan, former press secretary for the Bush Administration, recently published a book damning the Bush White House for deceiving the American public. Today he testified before the House Judiciary Committee. He said he was told, under orders of the President and Vice President, to lie about Scooter Libby's involvement in the identity leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame. McClellan's testimony comes after a FBI and federal grand jury investigation into the origin of the security breach. Katharine Jarmul has more from DC.

Physicians Find Physical Evidence of "Torture" on US Detainees Abroad

Physicians for Human Rights recently did examinations of 11 former US detainees who were held as terrorism suspects in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and Afghanistan. According to doctors, these men were never charged but were subjected to extreme abuse. Physicians for Human Rights released the results of the examinations earlier this week in a report called "Broken Laws, Broken Lives," calling it the most detailed account yet of the treatment of prisoners by US personnel. I spoke with Dr. Sondra Crosby, who personally examined four of the men. Crosby is a General Internist at Boston Medical Center who specializes in the care and evaluation of torture survivors.

52 Illegal Detention Centers Identified in Pakistan

The Asian Human Rights Commission earlier this month identified 52 illegal detention centers in Pakistan. Since 2001 thousands of families have been searching frantically for their loved ones, but all in vain. According to the commission, intelligence agencies have kept these people in detention centers and forced them to confess involvement in terrorist activities. The only ray of hope dimmed, when President Pervez Musharraf removed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry last November. The judge had directed the country's intelligence chief to present the prisoners to the court. Now Pakistanis are protesting across the country, calling for the release of all disappeared persons, and the closure of the illegal detention facilities. FSRN correspondent in Peshawar Rahmanullah has more.

Tibetans in India Speak Out Against Chinese Detentions

Today the official Chinese news agency reported the government has released more than 1000 Tibetans detained during protests in March. The announcement comes one day before the Olympic torch is scheduled to make its way through the Tibetan capitol. But according to an Amnesty International report, the crackdowns against protesters have not ceased - and include beatings, torture and food deprivation. The report also denounces the lack of access to the region. FSRN's Natalia Viana went to India to talk to Tibetans in exile.