Stop CIA Kidnapping and Abuse

Stop CIA Kidnapping and Abuse

The ACLU, in an historic lawsuit, is challenging the extraordinary rendition of Khaled El-Masri, an innocent victim who was released from a CIA prison without ever being charged.

Former CIA Director George Tenet violated U.S. and international human rights laws when he authorized agents to abduct Mr. El-Masri, beat him, drug him, and transport him to a secret CIA prison in Afghanistan. The corporations that owned and operated the airplanes used to transport Mr. El-Masri are also being sued for his kidnapping and abuse. The CIA continued to hold Mr. El-Masri incommunicado in the notorious “Salt Pit” torture cell in Afghanistan long after his innocence was known. Five months after his abduction, Mr. El-Masri was deposited at night, without explanation, on a hill in Albania.

In response to the governments’ torture and abuse policies, Senator John McCain, who heroically survived torture and abuse while he was himself a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, introduced legislation that bolsters the prohibition on the government’s use of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner, and an array of retired generals and admirals--including former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell and John Shalikashvili, support this legislation.

Click here to take action now and support the McCain amendment!

The McCain amendment is a major step to making sure that the government understands that same clear rules apply to everyone, and would prohibit the torture and abuse suffered by Mr. El-Masri and other victims of extraordinary rendition. No one is above the law, and no one--no matter their office or rank--can order anyone else to break the rules.

Vice President Dick Cheney is personally lobbying Congress to exempt the CIA from the McCain amendment, so that the agency can continue to torture and abuse people in its secret prisons.

Take action right now and urge Congress to vote for the anti-torture amendment sponsored by Senator John McCain.
The Patriot Act passed a mere 45 days after the September 11 attacks with virtually no debate or discussion. Fortunately many of the sections that expanded government power were set to expire at the end of this year. Now, some in Congress are secretly considering legislation that would make these powers permanent and expand them.