Jill Savitt / Human Rights First – 2006-07-13 00:09:57

http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/haynes?qp_source=ga%5fadv

Say No to Haynes’ Judicial Nomination
Jill Savitt / Human Rights First

When Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld authorized the abuse of prisoners in US custody – including keeping prisoners naked, forcing them into stress positions, and using dogs to terrify them — he acted on the advice of William J. Haynes, the General Counsel to the Department of Defense.

When the top military lawyers raised objections, Mr. Haynes ignored them and instead embraced the now-discredited “torture memos.”

This week Mr. Haynes is being considered for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.

President Bush nominated Mr. Haynes to a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the government’s favorite court for trying cases in the “war on terror.” The “torture memos” could not survive public scrutiny – will Mr. Haynes?

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/us_law/etn/pdf/dod-memos-120202.pdf
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that the Guantanamo military commissions, recommended by Mr. Haynes, are illegal. It also ruled that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions applies to detainees in the “war on terror,” contrary to what Haynes argued; Common Article 3, among other things, prohibits cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees.

This week the Senate Judiciary Committee has an opportunity to question Mr. Haynes – and your Senator is on it! Make sure your Senator gives these issues the attention they deserve.

Call Sen. Dianne Feinstein at (202) 224-3841.

Tell the staffer who takes your call:

* As a constituent of Sen. Feinstein, I am deeply concerned about President Bush’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
* William Haynes is responsible for policies that led to the abuse of detainees in U.S. custody. Before he rises to a position where he has the last word on some of today’s most important legal issues, I urge you to rigorously question him about his position on the humane treatment of prisoners.
* Please compel Mr. Haynes to answer questions about his role in developing these detention policies and to provide all relevant materials.

Is Mr. Haynes the appropriate person for the job? It is your Senator’s responsibility to find out.

Call Sen. Feinstein at (202) 224-3841. Then please reply to this message to let us know you made the call.

As a constituent of a Senator on the Judiciary Committee, you are in a unique position to call for an intense scrutiny of this nominee’s views on torture and detainee treatment.

Thank you so much for making the call — we will certainly keep you updated.

Jill Savitt is the Director of Campaigns for Human Rights First.

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