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Attorneys for Gitmo Detainees on Hunger Strike Win Court Order to Receive Medical Records

Betsy Iger — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 12:11:19 -0400

On October 25, 2005, in Washington, D.C., United States District Court Judge Gladys Kessler issued an opinion in the case of four Saudi nationals on hunger strike at the Guantánamo Bay prison camp. In an emergency hearing the week of October 14, lawyers with the New York-based law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which is working in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) argued for contact with their clients and immediate access to their medical records.

Attorneys for Hunger Striking Guantánamo Detainees Demand Immediate Access to Clients

Betsy Iger — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 12:23:03 -0400

Since August 8, 2005, detainees at the Guantánamo Bay prison camp have been engaging in a life-threatening hunger strike to protest their indefinite detention without legal process and the inhumane conditions of their detention. The Department of Defense (DOD) has refused to provide families or counsel any information about which prisoners are participating in the hunger strike, including the identity of the prisoners who are hospitalized and being force-fed.

Attorneys for Guantánamo Detainees Argue Before the United States Court of Appeals

Betsy Iger — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 12:33:16 -0400

On September 8, 2005, cooperating counsel with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on behalf of the men currently held at Guantánamo Bay. At issue is whether prisoners detained in Guantánamo are entitled to due process. The case was heard before a three-judge panel that included Judges Sentelle, Randolph, and Rogers.

Attorneys for Suicidal Gitmo Detainee File for Immediate Access to Client

Betsy Iger — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 11:40:50 -0500

On November 1, 2005, in New York, attorneys for Jumah Al Dossari, the Bahraini national who made a desperate suicide attempt during a visit with his attorney two weeks ago, today filed papers asking for immediate access to Mr. Al Dossari. Mr. Al Dossari is represented by the firm of Dorsey & Whitney, and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) the legal group which spearheads the litigating efforts on behalf of the 500 plus men at Guantánamo.

Attorneys Representing Guantánamo Detainees React to Shocking Guantánamo Suicide Letter Just Released by The U.S.

Betsy Iger — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 11:54:30 -0500

In New York, on March 15, 2006, attorneys representing Guantánamo detainees at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) reacted to the first detainee suicide letter ever declassified by the U.S. Government, blasting the Bush Administration for driving detainees to suicide through indefinite detentions, mistreatment and torture at the base.

CCR and Cooperating Attorneys Contest DOD's Refusal to Permit Detainees to File Habeas Petitions

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 11:57:16 -0500

More than a year ago the Supreme Court ruled in the Center for Constitutional Rights case Rasul v. Bush that the Guantanamo detainees have a right to file habeas corpus petitions in U.S. courts. Despite this fact, the government continues to block the detainees’ access to their attorneys, and now, in cases where prisoners have managed to communicate their request for counsel through other detainees or lawyers, the government has said it will not honor those requests.

CCR and Other Leading Human Rights Groups Name 39 CIA "Disappeared" Detainees

Betsy Iger — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:00:56 -0400

On June 7, 2007 CCR and five other leading human rights organizations published the names and details of 39 people who are believed to have been held in secret U.S. custody and whose current whereabouts remain unknown. The briefing paper, the comprehensive accounting to date, also names relatives of suspects who were themselves detained in secret prisons, including children as young as seven.

CCR Asks Judge to Compel Bush Administration to Come Clean on Detainees' Deaths

Betsy Iger — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:04:32 -0400

On June 19, 2006 the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and its co-counsel filed an emergency motion on behalf of Salah Ali Abdullah Ahmed Al Salami, a detainee who died in Guantánamo Naval Base, asking the court to force the Bush Administration to provide documentation of his alleged suicide and to preserve all evidence relating to his death, detention, interrogations and treatment. The motion, which is CCR’s first court filing since the deaths at Guantánamo, also explains the need for an “independent invest

CCR Condemns Dismissal of Hamdan v Rumsfeld

Betsy Iger — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 12:08:08 -0500

On December 13, 2006, the Center for Constitutional Rights Deputy Legal Director Barbara Olshansky said, “Unfortunately, Judge Robertson overlooked the primary ruling on the rights and protections guaranteed to the detainees at Guantanamo by the United States Supreme Court in its 2004 ruling in Rasul v. Bush."

CCR Condemns Proposed Restrictions on Attorney Access to Clients at Guantanamo Bay

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 12:19:23 -0500

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which represents many of the detainees at Guantánamo and coordinates the work of nearly 500 pro bono attorneys, issued the following statement in response to the new restrictions on attorneys’ access to their clients at Guantánamo proposed by the Justice Department in the case Bismullah v. Rumsfeld.

CCR Files Amicus Briefs on Behalf of Jose Padilla

Betsy Iger — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:23:01 -0500

CCR Files Submission to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Condemning US Government Response to 3 Deaths at Guantanamo

Betsy Iger — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:59:43 -0500

On February 15, 2007, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Center for Justice and International Law, and the International Human Rights Clinic at American University’s law school filed a submission to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemning the U.S. government’s appalling response to the deaths of three Guantánamo detainees in June last year.

CCR Reacts to Bush Administration's First Court Filings Since the Guantanamo Deaths

Betsy Iger — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 14:08:58 -0400

NEW YORK, June 13, 2006 – The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) released the following statement regarding the government filing regarding the deaths of Guantánamo detainees represented by CCR, Salah Ali Abdullah Ahmed Al Salami, Mani Shaman Turki Al-Habardi Al-Utaybi, and Yasser Talal Al-Zahrani:

CCR Argues to Court that Military Commissions Act Is Unconstitutional

Betsy Iger — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:15:24 -0500

CCR Blasts Bush Administration for Suicides at Guantanamo

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:23:37 -0500

After learning of the apparent suicides of three men who were detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), condemned the Bush Administration's policy of indefinite detention and released a document which provides concrete examples of attempts by CCR and its cooperating attorneys to get medical and psychological attention to men at Guantánamo.

CCR Condemns Death of Fourth Guantanamo Prisoner

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:27:27 -0500

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) condemns the death of a fourth prisoner held without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The detainee is Saudi but has not yet been identified by the Department of Defense.

Center for Constitutional Rights Condemns Move by the Government to Dismiss Guantánamo Cases

Betsy Iger — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 13:32:25 -0500

Days before the New Year, the Bush Administration worked through Congress to strip federal courts of jurisdiction over the fate of the detainees at Guantánamo despite a June 2004 Supreme Court ruling granting them the right to bring applications for habeas corpus in U.S. courts. The government unilaterally declared the detainees enemy combatants without any process and is holding them indefinitely.

Center for Constitutional Rights Condemns U.S. Violence Towards Guantánamo Prisoners on Hunger Strike

Betsy Iger — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:39:30 -0500

On February 23, 2006, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) released the following statement in response to news reports confirming further abuse of prisoners at Guantánamo. CCR leads a team of over 450 pro-bono attorneys representing the detainees, and it won the landmark Supreme Court case establishing their right to challenge their detention in U.S. court (Rasul v. Bush).

CCR Files First New Challenges to Military Commissions Act

Betsy Iger — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:44:16 -0400

On October 2, 2006, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) announced that it had filed the first new legal challenges to key provisions of the Military Commissions Act (MCA) passed by Congress last week. CCR filed a habeas petition on behalf of 25 detainees held at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan who have been detained without charge or trial. Mohammed v. Rumsfeld directly contests the MCA's denial of due process to non-citizens held in U.S. custody.

CCR Files Important Brief in Khan v. Bush

Betsy Iger — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 13:49:57 -0500

On November 3, 2006, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a response to the government's efforts to deny CCR access to Majid Khan, on whose behalf CCR previously filed a petition of habeas corpus. Mr. Khan, one of the 'ghost' detainees held by the CIA in secret for more than 3 years, has never been charged with a crime. The brief argues that the Bush Administration's effort to deny Mr. Khan access to counsel "ignores the Court's historical function under Article III of the Constitution to exercise its independent judgment."

Court of Appeals Hears Arguments on Government's Effort to Dismiss Guantanamo Cases

Betsy Iger — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:53:22 -0500

On March 22 in New York a three-judge panel heard arguments from attorneys representing Guantánamo detainees in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals (Al Odah v. United States of America and Boumediene v. Bush). They asked the panel to reject the Government's effort to have the cases dismissed. CCR won the Supreme Court case establishing the detainees' right to challenge their detention in U.S. court (Rasul v. Bush), and currently oversees more than 500 pro-bono attorneys representing the detainees.

Eight Soldiers Sue U.S. Over "Stop Loss" Policy

Betsy Iger — Sun, 12 Dec 2004 13:59:12 -0500

Emergency Guantanamo Hunger Strike Hearing

Betsy Iger — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 15:03:47 -0400

As the condition of the Guantánamo detainees on hunger strike continues to worsen, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and cooperating counsel are fighting to keep these men alive. On Friday, October 14, 2005, CCR and its cooperating counsel will argue in United States District Court for the District of Columbia that the deplorable situation at Guantánamo must end and the attorneys must receive access to their clients.

The team’s demands are clear:

Judge Orders Government to Release Guantánamo Detainees’ Identities for the First Time

Betsy Iger — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 14:11:11 -0500

Federal Judge Rejects Bush Administration's Effort to Confiscate Lawyer's Privileged Communications with GITMO Detainees

Betsy Iger — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:16:11 -0400

On August 28, 2006, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the government's request for a 'filter team' to review papers seized from detainees at Guantanamo late yesterday. The Administration had requested that the court authorize the seizure and establish procedures for their review. Judge Richard Leon rejected the government's motion. In strong language, the court stated that any further review of potentially privileged material by the government comes "at their own legal peril."

First Violation of McCain Torture Amendment Alleged in Emergency Injunction

Betsy Iger — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:21:18 -0500

On February 27, 2006, The first violation of the McCain torture amendment was alleged in federal court in an emergency injunction to end further torture of Guantánamo detainees. The court made public an injunction filed by cooperating attorneys from Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan working with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which won the landmark Supreme Court case establishing the Guantánamo detainees' right to challenge their detention in U.S. court (Rasul v. Bush).

Graham Amendment Passes: Habeas Corpus Gutted

Betsy Iger — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 14:29:24 -0500

The Bush Administration, through an amendment introduced by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, has just successfully stripped federal courts of jurisdiction to hear applications for habeas corpus brought by those unilaterally declared enemy combatants without any process and held by the U.S. indefinitely throughout the world and even in the United States.

Groups Denounce Stealth Senate Amendment on Detainees

Betsy Iger — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 14:34:43 -0500

Guantanamo Detainees in Court Today to Argue for Right to a Speedy Trial in the U.S.

Betsy Iger — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:39:46 -0400

Guantanamo Detainees Return to Supreme Court for Third Time in Challenge to Military Commissions Act

Betsy Iger — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:43:16 -0500

March 5, 2007, Washington, DC and New York, NY - The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) joins co-counsel today in petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, asking it to review a lower court decision dismissing the cases Al Odah v. United States and Boumediene v. Bush filed on behalf of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The Supreme Court is being asked to grant review and hear the cases on an expedited basis in May.

In Emergency Hearing CCR Habeas Counsel Argue for Information about Medical Treatment of Hunger Striking Prisoners

Betsy Iger — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 15:46:54 -0400

Inter-American Commission On Human Rights Extends Precautionary Measures On Guantánamo Detainees

Betsy Iger — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 14:51:06 -0500

Lawyers for Canadian Teenager Imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay Ask United Nations to Intervene

Betsy Iger — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 14:55:26 -0500

One week before military tribunal proceedings are set to commence on January 11, 2006, for young Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, a detainee at Guantánamo Bay, his attorneys delivered a letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and Interim Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Karin Sham Poo. The letter urges the United Nations to appeal to the United States government and to unilaterally condemn Omar’s trial as inconsistent with international legal protections accorded to children in armed conflict.

New Hunger Strike Begins after the Department of Defense Reneges on Promises to Detainees

Betsy Iger — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:59:32 -0400

On August 31, 2005, in New York, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) cooperating counsel confirmed that prisoners have begun a new hunger strike at Guantánamo because the Department of Defense (DOD) failed to negotiate with prisoners as it promised to do after the June/July 2005 hunger strike. According to papers filed on behalf of 42 prisoners represented by Clive Stafford Smith, in late June and most of July 2005, a hunger strike occurred in all five camps at the detention center.

Senator Specter Submits Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Guantanamo Cases that Challenge the Military Commissions Act

Betsy Iger — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:02:53 -0400

With the Supreme Court due to decide whether it will take up once more the case of the Guantánamo detainees and their right to habeas corpus, Senator Arlen Specter on March 22, 2007 submitted an amicus brief to the Court in support of the Center for Constitutional Rights and co-counsel's petition for a writ of certiorari that asks the Court to hear the case this spring.

Statement of Center for Constitutional Rights in Response to Court of Appeals Decision in Case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

Betsy Iger — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 16:06:01 -0400

Supreme Court Denies Immediate Review of Guantanamo Cases

Betsy Iger — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:11:07 -0400

On April 2, 2007, the Supreme Court announced that it would not be hearing the cases of the Guantánamo detainees for the time being. The Court denied the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and co-counsel’s motion to hear the case with three justices dissenting and two issuing a statement that the detainees should exhaust the process set up by the Detainee Treatment Act (DTA).

U.S. Court Orders Bush Administration to Grant Guantanamo Detainee Access to Attorney

Betsy Iger — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 15:17:34 -0500

A U.S. District Court has ordered the Department of Defense to grant a Guantánamo detainee access to his attorney, ruling against the Bush Administration’s effort to deny him counsel for months while higher courts interpret legislation on detainees’ legal rights. The judge concluded such efforts could render the detainee’s “right to counsel meaningless.” The Bush Administration has blocked more than half of detainees from meeting with their attorneys.

Canadian Rendition and Torture Victin Maher Arar Chosen for Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People

Betsy Iger — Thu, 03 May 2007 11:20:59 -0400

On May 3, 2007, Time Magazine announced that Canadian rendition victim and Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) client Maher Arar has made this year's Time 100, a "list of 100 men and women whose power, talent, or moral example is transforming our world." Mr. Arar is the first victim of the Bush administration's practice of extraordinary rendition to come forward and contest his treatment in a U.S. court.

CCR Celebrates Victory in Supreme Court Immigration Detention Case

Betsy Iger — Wed, 12 Jan 2005 10:26:34 -0500

In a decision cheered by human rights organizations and immigrant justice activists, the Supreme Court ruled in Benitez v. Mata (also known as Martinez v. Clark) on January 12, 2005 that the protection against indefinite detention for immigrants, first decided in Zadvydas v. Davis, applied in cases involving those who were currently within the U.S., regardless of their immigration standing. The Center for Constitutional Rights joined in an Amicus brief supporting the application of Zadvydas in this case.

CCR Files Constitutional Challenge to Patriot Act

Betsy Iger — Tue, 05 Aug 2003 11:42:06 -0400

CCR filed papers in a Los Angeles court challenging a provision of the USA Patriot Act that criminalizes the provision of “expert advice and assistance” to proscribed organizations.

CCR Investigates Case of Torture Survivor Maher Arar

Betsy Iger — Wed, 05 Nov 2003 10:50:55 -0500

CCR has launched an investigation into the rendition and torture of Maher Arar, a Syrian born Canadian citizen. Mr. Arar, who was arrested by U.S. officials while in transit at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, was intensively interrogated and then deported to Syria, where he endured 10 months of torture at the hands of Syrian intelligence officials. By knowingly placing Mr. Arar in the custody of a nation that regularly practices torture, the U.S. has violated the International Convention Against Torture, of which it is a signatory.

CCR Wins Great Victory: Key Provision of the Patriot Act Ruled Unconstitutional

Betsy Iger — Tue, 27 Jan 2004 10:55:10 -0500

A district court judge declared an important provision of the USA Patriot Act unconstitutional because it is so vague that it “could be construed to include unequivocally pure speech and advocacy protected by the First Amendment.” The ruling is the first such ruling on the USA Patriot Act.

Descendents of Japanese American Internees File Amicus Brief in Support of Muslim Immigrants

Betsy Iger — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:59:05 -0400

On April 3, 2007, descendants of Japanese Americans interned during World War II filed the first of three amicus briefs in support of a Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) appeal on behalf of Arab and South Asian immigrants detained after September 11, 2001. The brief outlines the damage the internment did to their families and to the laws of equal protection in the U.S. and draws parallels between what was done to Japanese Americans during the war and the profiling of Muslim men today.

John Ashcroft Sued by CCR for Torture

Betsy Iger — Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:03:10 -0500

CCR, on behalf of Canadian citizen Maher Arar, sues Attorney General John Ashcroft and other U.S. officials for sending him to be tortured in Syria.

CCR Applauds Judge's Decision to Drop Plea Bargain of Haitian Former Paramilitary Leader Emmanuel "Toto" Constant

Betsy Iger — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:12:11 -0400

On May 22, 2007, the judge in the mortgage fraud case of former Haitian death-squad leader Emmanuel “Toto” Constant dropped Constant’s plea bargain in the criminal case and ordered him to go to trial, where he faces a maximum of 15 years if convicted.

CCR Files Lawsuit Against Private Contractors for Torture Conspiracy

Betsy Iger — Wed, 09 Jun 2004 12:18:17 -0400

Two U.S. corporations conspired with U.S. officials to humiliate, torture and abuse persons detained by U.S. authorities in Iraq according to a class action lawsuit filed June 9, 2004, by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Philadelphia law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads.

CCR Wins Significant Legal Motion in Unocal Case

Betsy Iger — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 12:23:40 -0400

A Superior Court Judge ruled against oil giant Unocal’s motion to apply Burmese and Bermuda law in the CCR case Doe v. Unocal. Unocal is accused of being complicit in human rights violations that took place in Burma.

Court Orders Unocal to Stand Trial for Abuses in Burma

Betsy Iger — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 12:29:36 -0400

On September 15, 2004 California Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney rejected an attempt by Unocal Corp. to dismiss a lawsuit charging it is responsible for human rights abuses committed by the notoriously brutal Burmese military on behalf of Unocal’s Yadana Pipeline project in southern Burma. When the judge denied the oil company’s motion to dismiss the suit, she cleared the way for the trial to begin after eight years of litigation.

Former Director of Israel's General Security Service Sued in New York for Death and Injury of Over 165 in Gaza

Betsy Iger — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 11:34:36 -0500

On December 8, 2005, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) brought a class action lawsuit against Avi Dichter, the former Director of Israel’s General Security Service (GSS), on behalf of the Palestinians who were killed or injured in a 2002 air strike in Gaza. The attack occurred just before midnight on July 22, 2002, when the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) dropped a one-ton bomb on al-Daraj, a residential neighborhood in Gaza City in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Former Haitian Death Squad Leader Pleads Guilty to Fraud

Betsy Iger — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:01:32 -0500

Emanuel “Toto” Constant, the former leader of the Haitian paramilitary death squad known as FRAPH (the Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and Progress), pled guilty on February 8, 2007 to grand larceny and fraud in conjunction with a real estate mortgage scheme.

Attorneys with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) welcomed the news that he may finally do jail time, but expressed the desire to see him held accountable for his role in more than 5,000 murders and untold dismemberment, rapes and other torture and violence in the early 1990s.

Former Head of the Intelligence Branch of the Israel Defense Forces and Chief of Staff Charged in U.S. Court with War Crimes

Betsy Iger — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:05:56 -0500

Haitian Death Squad Leader Ordered to Pay $19 Million to Torture Survivors

Betsy Iger — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:11:24 -0400

On October 25, 2006, Emmanuel "Toto" Constant--the former leader of Haiti's notorious death squad known as FRAPH--was ordered to pay $15 million in punitive and $4 million in compensatory damages to three women who survived rape, other torture and attempted killings committed by paramilitary forces under his command. U.S. District Court Judge Sidney H. Stein, of the Southern District of New York, awarded the survivors a total of $19 million in damages after hearing testimony from the women and expert witnesses. The damages award was entered late yesterday.

Historic Advance for Universal Human Rights: Unocal to Compensate Burmese Villagers

Betsy Iger — Sat, 02 Apr 2005 12:15:46 -0500

CCR is thrilled to announce that the U.S. oil company Unocal has agreed to compensate Burmese villagers who sued the firm for complicity in forced labor, rape and murder. The abuses were committed in the mid-1990's by soldiers providing security for Unocal’s natural gas pipeline in southern Burma.

Judge Dismisses Case Against Israeli Official Charging Him with War Crimes in the Killing of 15 Palestinian Civilians

Betsy Iger — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:20:38 -0400

On May 2, 2007, a federal judge dismissed the Center for Constitutional Rights’ case against senior Israeli official Avi Dichter for his role in dropping a one-ton bomb on a Gaza City apartment building, killing 15 Palestinians and injuring more than 150 others.

Ninth Circuit to Decide Validity of Alien Tort Claims Act

Betsy Iger — Tue, 17 Jun 2003 13:23:56 -0400

An important oral argument is taking place on June 17, 2003 before the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California concerning the legal status of the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) in Doe v. Unocal, a case CCR commenced the case in 1996.

Victory Against Human Rights Violators

Betsy Iger — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 12:27:29 -0500

CCR won a $66 million victory in its civil suit against Indonesia's former Vice Chief of Staff, accusing him of crimes against humanity and other human rights violations.

CCR scored a major victory this month when a judge awarded the six plaintiffs in Doe v. Lumintang $66 million dollars in compensation. The civil suit had been filed against Johnny Lumintang, the former vice Chief of Staff for Indonesia, for crimes against humanity and human rights violations during a crackdown against East Timorese activists.

CCR Welcomes the Family Connections Bill Introduced by New York Assemblymembers to Reform Prison Prison Phone System

Betsy Iger — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:33:37 -0400

“It is an injustice that families of inmates are forced to pay this backdoor tax,” said Assemblyman Aubry, Chair of the Assembly Correction Committee. “This is a public safety issue because it disrupts the need for families of inmates to maintain relationships with their loved ones, who will ultimately return to the community.”

Families Win Victory in Court of Appeals on Prison Telephone Challenge

Betsy Iger — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:40:44 -0500

On February 20, 2007, The Court of Appeals ruled that a constitutional challenge brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of New York family members who pay a grossly inflated rate to receive phone calls from their loved ones in state prisons must be allowed to move forward.

Federal Judge Rules on Constitutionality of Kickback in Contract Between New York State Prisons and MCI

Betsy Iger — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 13:44:26 -0400

Center for Constitutional Rights announced a major victory on August 30, 2005 for the families and friends of people incarcerated in New York State prisons. The federal trial court in Byrd v. Goord issued an opinion upholding the constitutional challenge lodged by inmates’ families, ministers, friends, and counselors to the inmate telephone system in New York, which is designed to provide the Department of Correctional Services with millions of dollars in “commissions” or “kickbacks.”

Highest Court in New York to Hear Challenge to Monopoly Prison Telephone Contract

Betsy Iger — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:48:52 -0400

The Center for Constitutional Rights welcomes the news that its motion for leave to appeal to the highest court of the state, the Court of Appeals, was granted in Walton v. NYSDOCS. The lawsuit seeks an order prohibiting the State and Verizon/MCI from charging exorbitant rates to the family members of prisoners to finance a 57.5% kick back to the State.

Verizon/MCI is currently charging these family members a 630 percent markup over consumer rates to receive a collect call from their loved ones, the only method of calling from a DOCS institution.

New York's Highest Court to Hear Challenge to Discriminatory Prison Telephone Charges

Betsy Iger — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:53:20 -0500

On January 9, 2007, Rachel Meeropol, a lawyer from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) will argue that the New York State Court of Appeals should stop the state government and the telephone service provider from charging exorbitant phone rates to families of prisoners in Walton v. New York State Department of Correctional Services (NYSDOCS).

Victory for Families of New York

Betsy Iger — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:57:23 -0500

Families in New York with a loved one in prison won a long-awaited victory on January 8, 2007 when Governor Spitzer committed to end the burdensome, back door tax on collect calls to inmates' families.

CCR Achieves Historic Settlement In Street Crimes Unit Class Action

Betsy Iger — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 14:04:46 -0400

On September 18, 2003, the City of New York agreed to settle a federal class-action lawsuit filed by CCR in 1999 that charged the New York Police Department with engaging in illegal racial profiling in stop and frisk situations. Key elements of the settlement include an order banning NYC police from engaging in all racial profiling, enhanced reporting and monitoring of stop and frisks and damages.

CCR and NLG Release New "Jailhouse Lawyer's Handbook"

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:07:59 -0500

The Center for Constitutional Rights, in alliance with the National Lawyers Guild, has just released “The Jailhouse Lawyer’s Handbook: How to Bring a Federal Lawsuit to Challenge Violations of Your Rights in Prison.” The handbook is a free resource for prisoners and their family members who wish to learn about legal options to challenge mistreatment in prison. It can be downloaded, or you can request a copy by writing to us at the following address:

CCR Challenges Secret Service in Protest Case

Betsy Iger — Mon, 12 Apr 2004 14:12:13 -0400

CCR Condemns Arrest of 3 Community Leaders Lawfully Monitoring Police Activity

Betsy Iger — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 13:16:21 -0500

On February 9, 2005 in New York, The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) denounced the arrest of three community organizers by officers of the New York Police Department on the night of February 8th. The arrest occurred when the three individuals were engaged in legal monitoring of police activities as part of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement Copwatch Program.

CCR Condemns Harassment of Former Members of Black Panther Party

Betsy Iger — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 13:21:11 -0500

Today, December 8, 2005, in Washington, D.C., the Center for Constitutional Rights condemned what it views as a campaign of harassment and political persecution of former members of the Black Panther Party.

CCR Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Black Seminoles

Betsy Iger — Fri, 21 May 2004 14:29:07 -0400

CCR files Amicus to Support Oversight of Electronic Voting

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:33:36 -0500

The Center for Constitutional Rights filed a Amicus Brief urging the California court to investigate questions of the integrity of electronic voting in Riverside County and that claims by election officials are not enough to satisfy the requirements of California law. CCR also requested that the plaintiff in the case of Soubirous v. Riverside gain access to basic information to determine that the votes were properly and fully counted as required by California law.

CCR Files Civil Rights Lawsuit on Behalf of Three Black Copwatch Activists Arrested While Monitoring Police Activity

Betsy Iger — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:38:22 -0400

On April 26, 2007, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of three Black activists who were manhandled and arrested while peacefully and lawfully filming New York Police Department officers in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn as part of a CopWatch program on the evening of February 9, 2005. All charges against the three were later dismissed.

CCR Files Lawsuit Challenging Withdrawal from Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

Betsy Iger — Tue, 11 Jun 2002 14:42:51 -0400

CCR Joins National Lawyers Guild in Civil Rights Lawsuit Against New York City For Those Arrested During Republican Convention

Betsy Iger — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 13:48:00 -0500

On November 22, 2004, a group of protesters and bystanders wrongfully arrested during the Republican National Convention last August filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of the almost 2,000 who were wrongfully arrested and detained under filthy and toxic conditions for unreasonably prolonged periods of time. They contend that the City and the NYPD took these actions to punish them for engaging in political expression and protest. The Center for Constitutional Rights is a signatory of this lawsuit filed by the National Lawyer’s Guild.

CCR joins NLG in Seeking Reparations for Victims of Tulsa Race Riots

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:56:06 -0500

CCR along with the National Lawyer’s Guild, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed an amicus brief in the case Alexander v. Oklahoma, supportive of the plaintiff’s petition for writ of certiorari to the United Stated Supreme Court.

The plaintiffs, victims of the Tulsa Race Riot, are seeking reparations for the devastating human rights abuses that occurred in Greenwood, Oklahoma in 1921 when the African American community of Tulsa was destroyed.

CCR Joins With Other Human Rights Groups to Advocate on Behalf of Women in Prison

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:58:50 -0500

CCR Opposes Alito Supreme Court Nomination

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 14:02:51 -0500

CCR Opposes the Nomination of Alberto Gonzales

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 14:06:21 -0500

“The best way for the American people to send a message to the Bush administration and the world that ‘we the people’ of the United States do not condone torture is to mobilize to reject the nomination of Alberto Gonzales.” - Ron Daniels, Executive Director, the Center for Constitutional Rights

CCR Partners with Greenpeace and Calls on the World to Unite for Peace

Betsy Iger — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 14:30:16 -0500

Greenpeace has joined CCR in calling for the UN General Assembly to prevent a possible war in Iraq by using UN resolution 377, "Uniting for Peace", a little known resolution that can be used when the Security Council is split on the issue of how to maintain international peace and security.

CCR Sues the NYPD for Protester Arrests

Betsy Iger — Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:38:58 -0500

In February 12, 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a multi-plaintiff federal lawsuit on behalf of protesters who were illegally arrested during an anti-war rally April 7, 2003, in New York. The suit charges that the New York Police Department unlawfully arrested the peaceful protesters and detained them for excessively long periods of time at 1 Police Plaza. Over 70 protesters were illegally arrested outside the offices of an affiliate of the Carlyle Group, a defense-related investment firm with financial ties to the Bush and bin Laden families.

CCR Visits Cincinnati to Meet with Boycott Leaders

Betsy Iger — Sat, 17 May 2003 15:45:38 -0400

The Center for Constitutional Rights visited Cincinnati to release its report on the findings of the hearing convened by CCR at the University of Cincinnati in May, 2003. The visit included meetings with local area officials, both public and private, business leaders and members of the Boycott Council to discuss progress in addressing the crisis affecting Black communities in Cincinnati and CCR’s recommendations for future steps to be taken. Executive Director Ron Daniels made the following statement:

Center for Constitutional Rights Challenges Government Power to Force Answers From Cuba Travelers

Betsy Iger — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:49:34 -0500

In Washington, D.C, on March 7, 2005 The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and co-counsel Klimaski & Associates filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C., challenging the government’s power to fine travelers to Cuba $10,000 not for violating the embargo on Cuba but simply for failing to answer a questionnaire. Answering the questionnaire about their Cuba travel could potentially subject a traveler to jail time; nonetheless, showing blatant disregard for Fifth Amendment rights, the government insists on threatening people with fines unless they answer.

CCR Files EEOC Discrimination Charges for Three African-American Applicants to the NYFD

Betsy Iger — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 14:54:36 -0500

Center for Constitutional Rights Files Lawsuit Challenging City’s Policy of Prohibiting Political Marches Along Fifth Avenue

Betsy Iger — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:04:22 -0500

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a complaint on behalf of the International Action Center and the Troops Out Now Coalition on Wednesday March 16 challenging the City’s policy of refusing new permits for marches on Fifth Avenue. CCR called for a reversal of the policy and for the City to allow the march this weekend to proceed on Fifth Avenue, arguing that the City is silencing dissent by refusing permits for demonstrations on Fifth Avenue.

CCR Says Tough Questions for Gonzales Are Not Enough

Betsy Iger — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 15:09:08 -0500

In New York, on January 5, 2005, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) urged senators to think of the message confirming Alberto Gonzales to the post of Attorney General will send to the world. Said CCR Executive Director Ron Daniels, “To confirm Gonzales as Attorney General will send a message to the world that we feel no shame for the torture and abuse that has occurred at our hands. Asking him tough questions is not enough: opposition to the nomination must have backbone.

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Democratizing the Media: A Victory for Low Power Radio

Betsy Iger — Thu, 08 Feb 2001 15:13:01 -0500

CCR won a suit on behalf of community and grass roots radio broadcasters when a federal appeals court ruled that the "pirate provisions" governing radio licensing were "unique and draconian" and violate the First Amendment.

Low power and micro radio broadcasting are vital to community formation and the development of a robust and expressive society.

Unfortunately the Federal Communications Commission has chosen to crack down on grassroots and community-based radio, denying them licenses to broadcast.
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DOJ Files Lawsuit Against the City of New York for FDNY's Discriminatory Hiring Practices

Betsy Iger — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 15:16:49 -0500

On May 21, 2007, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, charging it with discriminatory hiring practices against black and Latino potential firefighters. The lawsuit is in response to the Center for Constitutional Rights’ two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges of discrimination, one filed on behalf of the Vulcan Society in 2002, and the other filed in 2004 on behalf of a number of individual black and Latino candidates.
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Federal Appeals Court Finds for Minority Public School Teachers Who Say NYC Board of Education Discriminated Against Them

Betsy Iger — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:19:48 -0400

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