Human Rights Groups Troubled by Obama's Position on Reversing Bush Era Abuses of Power

Interview with Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, conducted by Scott Harris

On March 13, the Obama administration announced that it would abandon the Bush administration's term "enemy combatant" while at the same time arguing in court for the continued detention of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The Obama Justice Department stated that the legal rationale for holding some 240 prisoners at Guantanamo will now be based on laws passed by Congress and, by extension, international law, including the Geneva conventions. Within days of being sworn into office, Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo prison within a year.

The Justice Department said that only those detainees who provided "substantial" support to al Qaeda, the Taliban or similar groups -- or who were "part" of those groups -- would be considered candidates for detention. But troubling to many human rights groups was the vague definition of what constitutes "substantial" support for a militant group and the uncertain status of more than 600 prisoners now being held at the Bagram U.S air base in Afghanistan. Also of concern to civil liberties advocates was the Obama administration's decision to shield top Bush administration officials from lawsuits brought by prisoners who say they were tortured while being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

As Congress and the administration are considering their options to hold Bush administration officials accountable for violations of U.S. and international law, either through the appointment of a special prosecutor or the establishment of an independent Truth Commission, disturbing information has come to light that could increase the urgency of such an undertaking. Renowned investigative reporter Seymour Hersh told an audience at a University of Minnesota event about his unpublished reporting on an ongoing covert military operation that he described as an "executive assassination ring" conducted out of former Vice President Cheney's office, and illegal domestic spying conducted by the CIA. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who discusses his concerns about the direction the Obama administration is taking in making a clean break with Bush era human rights abuses.

Contact the Center for Constitutional Rights by calling (212) 614-6464 or visit their website at www.ccrjustice.org

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