I've already emailed Skinner to make this an official DU Activist item but we don't have much time so I thought this might give some of us a head start...
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events@c-span.orgJudge rules in favor of holding public hearings on detainee abuse
Larisa Alexandrovna
Following the latest round of filings by the Department of Defense in conjunction with the State Department -which attempts to stipulate that all current and future photographs and tapes of detainee abuse be permanently sealed and, in addition, the reasons given for the motion be heavily redacted - the court ruled largely in favor of public disclosure.
The government's most recent motion was filed several weeks back when it missed its deadline for the release of all documents pursuant to the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit, which has forced the release of over 60 thousand documents thus far in relation to detainee abuse and torture.
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Judge Hellerstein stated that the public had an "educational interest" in the reasons for sealing the abuse documents, and scheduled a public hearing for this Thursday.
The hearing this Thursday will address whether the government has agreed to accede to the court ruling that the DOD and State declarations be unredacted, or if they tend to repeal. The hearing will be public, but any appeals with regard to the DOD/State declarations may require closed door hearings as part of the larger public hearing.
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Judge_rules_in_favor_of_holding_public_hearings_on_detainee__0816.html