Greetings from NYC, where we have been since last Wednesday working on another round of interviews. The picture is taken from the Human Rights Watch NY Office on the 34th floor of the Empire State Building.
I continue to be amazed by the people we meet and the stories they have to share. Let me introduce you to a few.
Debra Sweet is a long time anti-war activist and Director of World Can’t Wait, an organization dedicated to stopping the crimes of our government.
Reed Brody, Counsel and spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, he is often referred to as “The Dictator Hunter.” He travels around the world representing victims and using the rule of law to prosecute human rights crimes. He was instrumental in the cases against Augusto Pinochet and former dictator of Chad, Hissene Hebré.
William Arkin, Investigative journalist and author, most known for his exposé series in The Washington Post entitled “Top Secret America.” He just released a new book called “American Coup: How a Terrified Government is Destroying the Constitution.” He is currently working on a book on drones.
Center for Constitutional Rights has been a big supporter of our project. This week we interviewed three organization leaders:
Vincent Warren, CCR’s Executive Director works towards combating the illegal expansion of presidential power and policies such as: illegal detention at Guantanamo, rendition, torture and illegal wiretapping, holding corporations and government officials accountable for human rights abuses.
Maria Lahood, CCR Senior Staff Attorney, specializing in human rights litigation and holding corporations and government officials accountable for torture, extrajudicial killings and war crimes abroad. One of her cases is Arar vs. Ashcroft, a lawsuit against US officials for the extraordinary rendition of Canadian citizen, Maher Arar.
Omar Farah, CCR Staff Attorney, Guantanamo Global Justice Initiative. His stories of defending detainees at Guantanamo and his personal witness to the stories of torture, rendition and the impact of hunger strikes are enthralling.
– Wendy B. White