“Every day, women, men and children are tortured or ill-treated with the intention of destroying their sense of dignity and human worth,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared. He called on countries to “provide concrete support for victims of torture and prove their commitment to fighting a cruel and dehumanizing practice that remains pervasive.” The [...]

On Tuesday, Truthout’s Jason Leopold published a comprehensive and detailed investigative report on the “other Abu Zubaydah.” The report covered the brother of the high-profile terror suspect still being held at Guantanamo, whose name is Hesham. It highlighted how Leopold had discovered Hesham was living in the United States and had been in the US [...]

A nonprofit watchdog group, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), obtained a report through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that concludes officials in the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General are guilty of “persistent sloppiness and a systematic disregard for Pentagon rules meant to protect those who report fraud, abuses, and the waste [...]

Protesters from Occupy Wall Street and attorneys from civil and human rights groups filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request for information on the policies the New York Police Department (NYPD) is using and has used to control and handle Occupy demonstrations since the movement grew in Zuccotti Park last September. The submitted request [...]

Hundreds of records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on how department officials responded to Occupy Wall Street and the larger Occupy movement were published by the independent news website Truthout today. The records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request contain many nuggets that show how Homeland Security was conscious of [...]

UPDATE – 3:07 PM Due to technical difficulties on the House committee website, I am unable to view this hearing. Therefore, I cannot live blog the hearing and report on the testimony. I will NOT be live blogging. If the issues with the website are worked out, I may post a quick report on the [...]

(update below) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) continued its challenge against the CIA’s withholding of information on the agency’s use of drones to carry out “targeted killings.” As part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, an appeal was filed on March 15. The ACLU’s appeal argues the case centers on whether it [...]

12:22 PM EST In case I do not get around to posting a formal story on Ensminger’s remarks here is what Ensminger said that was of tremendous importance and had to do with extreme secrecy encountered in trying to expose the truth on water contamination at Camp Lejeune. He talked about watching his daughter die [...]

UPDATE – 10:47 PM POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein factchecks Holder’s Sunshine Week speech. UPDATE – 10:44 PM A judge has ruled that certain material related to a 2010 mine explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine-South in Raleigh County, West Virginia that killed 29 miners and injured two is exempt from FOIA. UPDATE – 10:42 PM Attorney General [...]

A consensus has emerged during the presidency of Barack Obama. His administration is increasingly regarded as the worst on issues related to freedom of information and transparency. Today, Josh Gerstein of POLITICO has a story that gives voice to this emerging consensus, which more and more open government advocates hold despite the fact that the Obama [...]