For almost a decade and a half, the people behind the Bush
administration's shameful treatment of terrorism suspects have avoided
punishment for their crimes, but that may be about to change.
The courts have had their say and have ruled that former Bush
administration officials can, in fact, be sued for how they conducted
the "war on terror."
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals made that pretty much official on
Friday when it refused to hear a challenge to its earlier ruling in the
case of Turkmen v. Ashcroft. That case, sparked by a civil rights lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights,
involves hundreds of Arab, Muslim or South Asian men who were detained
and then abused by our government in the weeks following 9/11.
See more news and opinion from Thom Hartmann at Truthout here.
Some of them were beaten by security guards and kept in solitary
confinement, which the United Nations considers a form of torture. After
they were released, these men sued the people they say authorized their
detentions - people like former Attorney General John Ashcroft and
former FBI director Robert Mueller.
Everyonewho authorized and participated in the illegal roundup of hundreds of
innocent men after 9/11, from high-up government officials on down, is
now fair game for a lawsuit. (Image: Lance Page / Truthout; Adapted: amarine88, Bebopsmile, ImageAbstraction, JoesSistah...)
