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View Full Version : H.R. 984 - State Secret Protection Act of 2009




Reason
06-18-2009, 01:45 PM
The Justice Department has asked the 9th District Court of Appeals to throw out an extraordinary rendition lawsuit on the basis that it cannot be tried without revealing "state secrets." We need to stop the shameful effort to protect torturers and their enablers from the legal consequences for their actions.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-984

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The State Secrets Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 984) was introduced to narrow the scope of the "state secrets" privilege. This essential bill would allow victims of government wrongdoing to seek justice without running into a wall of unnecessary secrecy.

This bill is also a crucial step in stopping shameful efforts to protect torturers and their enablers from the legal consequences for their actions.

The Bush administration abused the "state secrets" doctrine by broadly claiming legal cases couldn't go forward without jeopardizing national security. Because they used this doctrine to escape accountability for illegal behavior, not a single torture victim has had his or her day in court.

The government has asserted the "state secrets" claim with increasing regularity in an attempt to throw out lawsuits and justify withholding information from the public. In addition to extraordinary rendition, the claim of "state secrets" has also been made about illegal wiretapping, torture and other breaches of U.S. and international law.

As a supporter of civil liberties and the rule of law, I urge you to support this critical bill and become a co-sponsor of the State Secrets Protection Act of 2009.

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