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Senate Intelligence Committee Considers Patriot Act Expansion Bill in Secret; ACLU Calls for Open and Public Dialogue
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union denounced today's closed-door votes by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence of legislation designed to reauthorize - and expand - the Patriot Act. Included in the committee's deliberations are proposals to make the Patriot Act's most controversial provisions permanent, and to expand it by allowing FBI agents issue their own search orders with no advance court approval.

Defense Department Personnel Impersonated State Department Officials in Guantánamo Interrogations, FBI Documents Show
NEW YORK -- Documents released by the FBI state that Defense Department personnel impersonated State Department officials in interrogations at Guantánamo Bay, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

Patriot Act Provision Lets Government Grab Personal Records Secretly; ACLU Testifies Before House That Law Needs Checks and Balances
WASHINGTON - The "national security letter" provision of the Patriot Act goes too far in letting the government secretly gather confidential records and gagging those ordered to turn them over, the American Civil Liberties Union said in testimony before a key panel of lawmakers Thursday.

Guantánamo Prisoners Told FBI of Qur'an Desecration in 2002, New Documents Reveal
NEW YORK -- New documents released by the FBI include previously undisclosed interviews in which prisoners at Guantánamo complain that guards have mistreated the Qur'an, the American Civil Liberties Union said today. In one 2002 summary, an FBI interrogator notes a prisoner's allegation that guards flushed a Qur'an down the toilet.

Senate Intelligence Committee Examines Controversial Patriot Act Expansion Bill; Closed Door Vote to Be Held This Week
WASHINGTON - The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence met today to consider legislation that would reauthorize - and expand - the Patriot Act. The American Civil Liberties Union denounced attempts to expand, rather than critically review and reform, the controversial provisions set to expire at the end of the year. A proposal to make the law's most controversial provisions permanent, and to expand it by allowing FBI agents issue their own search orders with no advance court approval, will likely be voted on in secret Thursday.

U.S. Soldier Instructed Iraqi Detainee to Dig Own Grave, According to New Army Documents
NEW YORK -- New documents released by the Department of Defense reveal more cases of abuse including mock executions and use of a religious symbol to taunt detainees, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

ACLU Urges Lawmakers to Enact "Common Sense" Fixes to Patriot Act In Appearance Before the House Intelligence Committee
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union appeared today before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public oversight hearing on the Patriot Act and renewed its call for changes to bring the 2001 anti-terrorism measure in line with the Constitution.

Documents Obtained by ACLU Expose FBI and Police Targeting of Political Groups
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union charged today that the FBI and local police are engaging in intimidation based on political association and are improperly investigating law-abiding human rights and advocacy groups, according to documents obtained through a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. ACLU affiliates today filed FOIA requests seeking similar documents in ten states.

Senate Committee to Review Controversial Patriot Act Legislation in Secret; Draft Legislation Hidden from Public
WASHINGTON - The Senate Intelligence Committee announced today that it is rushing forward with a markup of Patriot Act reauthorization legislation Thursday, but that the session will be behind closed doors

ACLU Applauds Colorado's Call to Be Safe and Free; Nationwide Patriot Act Resolution Movement Still Gaining Momentum
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the state of Colorado for passing a bipartisan resolution calling on Congress to bring the controversial Patriot Act in line with the Constitution. Colorado becomes the seventh state, and joins at least 382 other communities that have passed such resolutions. A similar resolution recently passed the Idaho state legislature.

ACLU Urges Court to Reject Interpretation of Terrorism Funding Law that Hinders Work of Humanitarian Groups
SAN FRANCISCO -- A law broadened by the Patriot Act exposes legitimate humanitarian organizations to severe criminal penalties simply for doing their jobs, the American Civil Liberties Union said today. The ACLU filed a legal brief Friday in support of a challenge to the law.

ACLU Questions Scope of "Intelligence Fusion Center" in Massachusetts
BOSTON -- Responding to Governor Mitt Romney's unveiling of the state's first ""intelligence fusion center,"" the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today issued a formal request to Secretary of Public Safety Edward A. Flynn for documents describing the purpose, structure, and funding of the center.

Defense Department Invokes Geneva Conventions to Withhold Torture Photos
NEW YORK -- In a federal court brief filed late last night, the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the government's claim that turning over photographic evidence of detainee abuse in Iraq would violate the Geneva Conventions.

One Year After Release of Notorious Abu Ghraib Photos, Government Fails to Hold Senior Military Leaders Accountable, ACLU Says
NEW YORK - One year ago this week, the world recoiled at the release of photographs depicting members of the U.S. military degrading and abusing Iraqi detainees. The stark images of men being threatened with dogs, mock electrocutions and simulations of rape will forever remain one of the lowest moments in the history of our nation.

Portland, Oregon to End Role in FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force
PORTLAND, OR -- Citing the need for greater oversight of its own police officers, Mayor Tom Potter announced Friday that Portland will soon end its participation in the local FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. However, Potter and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Jordan said the two agencies would continue to cooperate in terrorism investigations and that the Mayor will be seeking secret clearance to allow him access to classified information.

ACLU Challenges Government's Use of Secrecy to Avoid Accountability in National Security Whistleblower Case
WASHINGTON -- During closed oral arguments today before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the government's ""radical theory"" that every aspect of FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds' case involved state secrets and therefore could not go forward. The ACLU also filed an emergency motion last night, along with other public interest groups and media outlets, challenging the court's decision to close the courtroom to members of the press and the general public.

ACLU of Southern California Sues DHS Secretary Chertoff Over Free Speech Rights for Federal Air Marshals
LOS ANGELES -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Air Marshal Frank Terreri, who is seeking a ban on Federal Air Marshal Service rules that prohibit him from speaking publicly about his job or saying anything in connection with the Air Marshal Service.

Homeland Security Violates Civil Rights of Muslim American Citizens
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations in simultaneous news conferences in Buffalo and Brooklyn today announced a lawsuit charging that the Department of Homeland Security singled out and violated the rights of American citizens who were returning from a religious conference in Toronto. The lawsuit was filed to challenge the DHS's policy of detaining, interrogating, fingerprinting and photographing American citizens who are Muslim, solely because they attended an Islamic conference.

ACLU Files Emergency Motion to Open Hearing in Case of FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the National Capital Area today filed an emergency motion to open the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to the public during oral arguments tomorrow in a hearing over the termination of FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds. Several media outlets filed a separate emergency motion.

Latest Government Documents Show Army Command Approved and Encouraged Abuse of Detainees, ACLU Says
NEW YORK -- New evidence disclosed in documents released by the Department of Defense confirms that soldiers who abused prisoners were acting with the ""seeming approval"" of senior command, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.