Archive for: 04/2009

President Obama’s first 100 days: Report introduction

President Obama must begin to address the crimes and widespread violations of human rights that have stained the USA's response to the 11 September 2001 attacks.

President Obama's first 100 days logo

President Obama’s first 100 days: Timeline

Here's a timeline of key events during President Obama's first 100 days in office.

President Obama’s first 100 days: Case studies

When he took office on 20 January 2009, President Barack Obama inherited a legacy of torture, impunity and unlawful detention. The legacy is the result of the USA's response to the attacks of 11 September 2001, a response that has been marked by an assault on the framework of international human rights law. A number of people remain unaccounted for, unlawfully detained and unwell. Here are some of their stories.

US President Barack Obama

President Obama’s first 100 days: Facts and figures

Three executive orders and 1 memorandum were signed by President Barack Obama on 22 January 2009, ordering the closure within a year of the US detention centre in Guantanamo; an end to the CIA's long-term secret detention program and the banning of "enhanced" interrogation techniques; a review of detention and detainee transfer policy, and a review of the case of Ali al-Marri, the one "enemy combatant" held on the US mainland at the time of inauguration.

Disappear
© AI

On Torture

On the 16th April, 2009, President Obama authorised the release of four memo's written by members of the Office of Legal Council (OLC) between 2002 and 2005.The release of these memos along with the recent leaked ICRC report are a stark reminder of what has occurred in the name of freedom and democracy and the need for accountability.

Obama change sign
© AP/PA Photo/Nati Harnik

Mixed Messages

President Obama's first 100 days yield mixed messages about counter terror and human rights.

President Obama
© AP Graphics Bank

Lawyers for Guantanamo detainee caught in bizarre twist of secrecy

Obama has been denied access to the contents of a letter outlining prisoner abuse at Guantanamo.

George W. Bush
© AP Graphics Bank

Finally Accountable?

Outspoken Spanish Judge takes ex-Bush officials to court for sanctioning torture.

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