January 24, 2002
Arthur Anderson Auditor Takes the Fifth
On the eve of the first set of Congressional hearings into the collapse of the 7th largest company in America, ENRON’s chief executive Kenneth Lay resigned. Just one day before his resignation, Federal agents stationed themselves in Enron’s Houston corporate offices to examine allegations that the energy trading giant also illegally shredded key corporate documents. Meanwhile, On Capitol Hill, members of Congress began a formal round of hearings into the role Arthur Anderson Consulting played by shredding documents relating to the energy-trading giant’s collapse. Kata Mester has more from Washington::
NJ ACLU Sues for Names of Detainees
In the aftermath of September 11th, hundreds of Arabs and dark-skinned South Asians living in the United States in violation of minor immigration regulations have been rounded up and placed in detention facilities, facing possible deportation to their countries of origin. They are being held in secret, with minimal access to legal representation or ability to contact friends and loved ones. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit earlier this week against two New Jersey counties, seeking release of the names of all Immigration and Naturalization Service detainees held in those counties’ jails. Free Speech Radio News correspondent Scott Gurian files this report..
Stay of Execution for Amos King
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a stay in the execution of a Florida death row inmate. With just over 24 hours before Amos Kings scheduled execution and moments before he met with the press, the high court granted him a reprieve. From St. Petersburg, Sally Watt has the story.
More Military Aid for Colombia?
The renewal of aid package to Colombia through the Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) in the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill of 2002 by congress is raising concerns by congress members, human rights activists and Colombians themselves. First concern, the alarming number of human rights violations and massacres of civilians in Colombia by paramilitary forces, kidnapping and other abuses by guerrilla forces, as well as persistent reports of aiding and betting of paramilitaries by some units of the Colombian Armed Forces. The conference agreement includes language that provides for the obligation of 60 percent of funds appropriated for the Colombian Armed Forces if certain conditions relating to human rights are met. Are they? José a journalist and professor of philosophy in a Colombian University explains :
