”Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11”
A. Basic Rights Of All Peoples Under U.S. Jurisdiction
- Right Not To Be Killed Or Disappeared
- Right Not To Be Tortured
- Right Peaceably To Assemble And Petition The Government
- Right To Equal Protection Regardless Of Race Or National Origin
- Right To Equal Protection For Women
- Right To Free Exercise Of Religion
- Right Of The Media To Report Facts, And Not Be Killed
- Right To Privacy From Surveillance
- Right Of Libraries Not To Report On Readers
- Right Of Universities To Accept Foreign Scholars And Students
- Right To Travel
8. Right To Privacy From Surveillance
Immediately after 9/11, Bush called on Congress to swiftly pass the Patriot Act (“Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism”), a 131-page bill that became Public Law 107-56. The act expanded the powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978, which created a court to oversee FBI surveillance in foreign intelligence investigations.
The government established a new technology called MATRIX to make it easier for local, state, and U.S. law enforcement agencies to exchange information, without an avenue for public review.
Constitutional scholars found that the Patriot Act violates the constitutional right to privacy in the First and Ninth Amendments, U.N. Charter Art. 55, and ICCPR articles.
Attorney General Implements His Registration System
(David Cole "13,000 Arabs & Muslims in U.S. Face Deportation & John Ashcroft Attempts to Expand Patriot Act," Democracy Now!, June 9, 2003, http://www.democracynow.org/print.pl?sid=03/06/09/1652214 accessed August 5, 2004.)
ICE Threatened to Deport Pakistani Teenagers after "Registration": Hassan Amin, et al.
("Teenaged Pakistani Brothers Face Deportation," DAWN, July 3, 2003, http://www.dawn.com/2003/07/04/nat29.htm accessed August 5, 2004; (Sean Holstege, "Immigration Tears Family Apart," Oakland Tribune, July 2, 2003, http://www.amuslimvoice.org/html/body_oakland_tribune_7-2-2003.html accessed August 5, 2004; Immigrants Targeted for Deportation After Participating in INS Special Registration Program Speak Out," ACLU of Northern California, June 30, 2003, http://www.aclunc.org/pressrel/030630-advisory.html accessed August 5, 2004.)
Immigration Failed To Notify Non-Citizens of Second Registration
("As Immigrant Registration Deadlines Loom Once Again, ACLU Sees Trap for Arabs and Muslims," American Civil Liberties Union, October 30, 2003, http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=14256&c=206 accessed August 5, 2004; US-VISIT System to Be Launched in Early 2004," Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, P.C., December 3, 2003, http://pubweb.fdbl.com/news1.nsf/0/ bf8a58f73f7e811685256df1007555a4?OpenDocument accessed August 5, 2004.)
City Agreed to Limit Intelligence Gathering
(Mike McPhee, "Police Outline 'spy file' revamp: new curbs unveiled after lawsuit settled," Denver Post, April 18, 2003, http://www.ccmep.org/2003_articles/Civil%20Liberties/ 041803_police_outline_spy_file_revamp.htm accessed August 5, 2004.)
Police Infiltrated Peace Fresno
(Letter from Mark Schlosberg to Fresno Chief of Police Jerry Dyer, Re: Protecting Fresno Residents' Right to Privacy Against Federally Encouraged Intelligence Abuses, February 20, 2003, http://www.aclunc.org/police/030220-fresno.pdf accessed August 5, 2004; Mike Rhodes, "Local Police Group Infiltrated By Government Agent," Community Alliance, November 2003, http://sfbay.indymedia.org/news/2003/10/1650550.php accessed August 8, 2004.)
Judge Limited PATRIOT Act Application; Then Amended Opinion
(Linda Deutsch, "Part of Patriot Act Ruled Unconstitutional," CNN.Com, Jan. 26, 2004, http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/26/patriot.act.ap/ accessed August 5, 2004; (Humanitarian Law Project v. Ashcroft, 309 F.Supp.2d 1185).
Federal Legislation Threatens Right to Privacy of Medical Records
(P.L. 107-56; Citizens for Health et al v. Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, No. 03-2267, April 2, 2004; "Frequently Asked Questions about Government Access to Personal Medical Information," American Civil Liberties Union, May 30, 2003, http://www.aclu.org/privacy/privacy.cfm?ID=12747&c=27 accessed July 30, 2004.)
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