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Ondanks vraag Obama naar open overheid, verzet de Rechtvaardigheid zich tegen het onthullen van de geheimen van Bush
Maandag, 16 Februari, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP)? Ondanks Voorzitter Obama' de sgelofte aan open overheid meer dan ooit, de Afdeling van de Rechtvaardigheid verdedigt het beleidsbesluiten van Bush om vele documenten over binnenlands aftappen, gegevensinzameling op reizigers en de V.S. geheim te houden. burgers, en ondervraging van veronderstelde terroristen. In een half dozijn processen, hebben de advocaten van de Rechtvaardigheid zich formele moties of afgewezen uit-van-hofaanbiedingen verzet om hofactie te vertragen tot het nieuwe beleid de richtlijnen van het Akte van de Vrijheid van Informatie herschrijft en besluit of de nieuwe regels het publiek zouden kunnen toestaan om meer te zien. In slechts één geval heeft de Rechtvaardigheid Afdeling overeenkwam om een proces op te schorten FOIA tot de betwiste documenten onder de nog-aan--geschreven richtlijnen kunnen worden opnieuw beoordeeld. Dat geval impliceert onderhandelingen over een anti-vervalst verdrag, niet de controversiëlere, geheime anti-terrorismetactiek die de andere processen evenals de beloften van Obama van grotere openheid kuit schoot. De „tekens in de laatste dagen zijn niet volledig aanmoedigend,“ bovengenoemde Jameel Jaffer, een procureur voor De Amerikaanse Burgerlijke Unie van Vrijheden, wat verscheidene processen strevend naar de wettelijke redenen van het beleid van Bush voor warrantless binnenlands aftappen en voor zijn behandeling van terrorismegevangenen indiende. De groepen die open overheid, burgerlijke vrijheden en privacy bepleiten waren overjoyed dat Obama op zijn eerste dag in bureau het beleid FOIA omkeerde dat door de eerste algemene procureur van Bush wordt opgelegd, John Ashcroft. De afdeling van de Rechtvaardigheid van Bush zei het om het even welke wettige wettelijke basis zou gebruiken om inhoudende verslagen van het publiek te verdedigen. Obama verbond een „ongekend niveau van openheid in overheid ertoe“ en gaf opdracht tot nieuwe richtlijnen FOIA die met een „vermoeden ten gunste van onthulling worden geschreven.“ Maar de acties van de Rechtvaardigheid in hoven hebben sindsdien twijfel gegoten op hoe ver het nieuwe beleid zal gaan. In een geval FOIA strevend naar toegang tot regels regeren FBI' pakhuis van de Gegevens van s het Onderzoeks? een computergegevensbestand dat bevat 1 miljard searchable documenten over Amerikanen en vreemdelingen? De advocaten van de rechtvaardigheid vertelden hier een Donderdag van het districtshof, „het is niet duidelijk dat de nieuwe richtlijnen, zodra uitgegeven, aan Foia- verzoeken retrospectief zullen zijn dat het agentschap reeds verwerking.“ heeft gebeëindigd Zij vroegen het hof om in plaats daarvan te beslissen dat FBI genoeg heeft gedaan. The bureau has reviewed 878 pages, withheld 76 and released some portions of 802. To withhold some material, the FBI cited discretionary FOIA exemptions and ones that require balancing privacy and public interests. David Sobel, attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based group that advocates civil liberties in cyberspace and brought the lawsuit, said those decisions might come out differently under the new guidelines. The issue isn’t retroactivity, Sobel said. “The issue is whether the new administration is going to devote legal resources to fighting old battles now that the president has announced a fundamental change in the government’s approach to FOIA.” Other lawsuits in which Justice’s civil division has expressed opposition to delays until the administration writes its FOIA guidelines and uses them to review Bush decisions: ? One seeking documents about the Automated Targeting System used by Customs officers to screen all travelers leaving or entering the country. ?A case seeking records of lobbying by telecommunications companies to get legal immunity for cooperating in warrantless domestic wiretapping. ? A case seeking Justice’s legal opinions justifying that wiretapping. One of the plaintiff attorneys, Meredith Fuchs, of the National Security Archive, a private group that publishes formerly classified government documents, said, “I’m somewhat surprised they did not take the opportunity to look at these again, but maybe it’s because the administration doesn’t have all its top Justice appointees in office yet.” ? Three cases seeking Justice legal opinions about detention and interrogation of terrorism detainees. Civil division attorney Caroline Wolverton wrote the ACLU’s Jaffer that Justice would proceed “consistent with the principles” in Obama’s FOIA order “and also with due regard for the legitimate confidentiality interests of the executive branch and the national security interests of the United States.” Jaffer called that “a nonresponse response.” So far, Justice has expressed willingness to review Bush decisions in two cases, only one because of FOIA changes. Only in Sobel’s lawsuit for anti-counterfeiting treaty documents has Justice joined a plaintiff to obtain a court delay to give the administration time to write FOIA guidelines and use them to “review its determinations on the documents at issue.” But that case is unusual because Justice is represented by its Office of Information and Privacy, not by the civil division handles which all the other FOIA lawsuits. The information and privacy office provides governmentwide guidance on how to obey the FOIA. Attorneys in these cases worry that the information and privacy office doesn’t have the clout of the much larger civil division and may not control administration policy. The civil division has sought a delay to review one case ? involving three 2005 Justice legal memos on the definition of “cruel and unusual” interrogation tactics. But its request didn’t mention the new FOIA policy. Instead it said Obama’s Jan. 22 executive order on detention and interrogation might alter the government position. Even if the new administration reviews Bush decisions, that’s no guarantee the outcome will change. Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced a review of every court case in which the Bush administration used a different legal tool to preserve secrecy: the state secrets privilege it invoked a record number of times to have lawsuits thrown out. On the same day, however, civil division attorney Douglas Letter cited the state secrets privilege in asking a federal appeals court to uphold dismissal of a lawsuit accusing a Boeing Co. subsidiary of illegally helping the CIA fly suspected terrorists to allied foreign nations where they would be tortured. Three times Letter assured the judges his position had been approved by Obama administration officials. “This is not change,” said ACLU executive director Anthony Romero. “President Obama’s Justice Department has disappointingly reneged” on his promise to end “abuse of state secrets.” Have Your Say: Despite Obama call for open government, Justice resists disclosing Bush secrets Please read our posting guidelines before posting. Alternatively you can discuss this report here. Related News
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