A 2004 internal CIA report into the agency's torture practices must see the light of day by August 24, a federal judge has ordered, essentially granting an Obama administration request for a delay in making the document public.

The document, which details torture practices and evidently questions the usefulness of "enhanced interrogation," is considered so "disturbing" that it may have been what prompted Attorney-General Eric Holder to mull a special prosecutor for alleged torture-related crimes during the Bush administration.

The Justice Department has been fighting a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union to make the document public. Earlier this month, the DoJ asked federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein to extend a deadline for the release of the document, which had originally been slated for June.

The DoJ had asked until August 31 to "review" the report and its relation to other sensitive CIA documents before making it public. On Wednesday, Judge Hellerstein gave the Justice Department until August 24, Spencer Ackerman reports at the Washington Independent.

The administration's request for a delay had some bloggers wondering whether the DoJ has any intention to release the document.

The ACLU and others believe the 2004 report could prove to be a significant turning point in the political battle over state-sanctioned torture, as it is expected to show that torture of suspects during interrogation is ineffective.

ACLU WANTS INFO ON MILITARY TRIBUNALS

The ACLU has filed a Freedom of Information request with the federal government to find out exactly how the Obama administration plans to proceed with military prosecutions of suspected terrorists.

In May, the administration announced it would continue operating a system of military tribunals set up during the Bush administration to try Guantanamo Bay detainees. The system had been widely criticized for denying defendants basic legal rights, such as habeas corpus -- the right of a defendant to see the evidence against them. It was also criticized for allowing testimony taken under coercion.

During his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama had promised to end the practice of military tribunals. But the Obama administration decided in May that not all suspects could be tried in federal courts; some would have to be tried in the tribunals.

Now, the ACLU wants to know whether the new administration will continue the old one's practice of severely restricting defendants' ability to defend themselves. The civil rights group has filed a request to get a copy of a memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that outlines what rights defendants will have under Obama administration tribunals, and whether statements obtained through coercion will be allowed.

"The Obama administration's continued support of the failed military commission system is at the center of much public attention and controversy," ACLU attorney Jonathan Hafetz said in a statement. "The release of the OLC memo on detainee rights would help to clarify this administration's position on military commissions and deepen the public's understanding of this important issue."

The Freedom of Information request can be found here.

-- Daniel Tencer

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 12:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.