With nauseating irony, a federal circuit court judge prevents the release a Guantanamo detainee for fear of being tortured in his home country, while the Supreme Court refuses to hear Lebanese-German citizen’s appealing claiming he was abducted and tortured based on the government’s argument of “state secrets privilegeâ€:
- Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Torture Appeal (New York Times)
- Judge Halts Transfer of Guantánamo Detainee (New York Times)
Partisanship and the inflated threat of terrorism are the motivations behind the some Congresspersons’ opposition to timid revisions of the Protect America Act:
- GOP Opposes Attempt To Revise Wiretap Law (Washington Post)
Human Rights Watch report condemns violent, rich and corrupt “Godfathers†of Nigeria, and urges President Yar’Adua to follow through on promises to investigate alleged crimes committed during April’s presidential elections:
- Nigeria’s ‘Godfathers’ Denounced in Report (Washington Post)
“Is police torture a bigger problem today? There’s no question… Fifteen years ago, we used to say that this or that police station is bad… Today, I can’t name a single police station that’s good. And the victims are middle-class, they’re educated, they’re homeless. It doesn’t make any difference.”—Gasser Abdel Razak, regional director for Human Rights Watch
- As Egypt Cracks Down, Charges of Wide Abuse (Christian Science Monitor)
Confusion of presidential succession and lack of federal engagement with local tribal governments compound Pakistan’s heightened security problem with Taliban militants:
- Political Paralysis Lets Pakistan Militants Thrive (New York Times)
Tunisia’s authoritarian political system allows little room for peaceful political dissent by Islamist groups, leading to speculation among some prominent analysts and activists that this may be forcing young people toward hard-line and militant ideologies:
- Secular Tunisia May Face A New, Younger Islamist Challenge (Christian Science Monitor)
Political violence in Afghanistan is increasingly pervasive as 2 are killed and 10 wounded after suspected Taliban members fire on a mosque during prayers:
- Gunmen Attack Afghanistan Mosque (BBC News)
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