State Department

ACLU supports State Department employee under fire for criticizing Iraq reconstruction

The American Civil Liberties Union has sent a letter to the State Department in support of one of the department’s  employees who is in the process of losing his job for criticizing the U.S. reconstruction in Iraq of which he had first-hand knowledge. The State Department claimed the employee violated their policy on prepublication review. -db From a commentary for the American Civil Liberties Union, May 15, 2012, by Kate Wood. Full story  

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State Department still says cables WikiLeaks released last year are classified

The Obama administration is still insisting that cables WikiLeaks released last year are classified even though the cables were released by the State Department in compliance with a Freedom of Information Act request. The classified information concerned targeted killings, detention at Guantanamo, torture and rendition. -db From a commentary for the American Civil Liberties Union, December 7, 2011, by Nathan Freed Wessler and Anna Estevao. Full story  

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U.S. diplomat suspended for publishing book criticizing Iraq war policy

The Obama administration suspended Foreign Services Officer Peter Van Buren for his book critical of the State Department operations in Iraq. Van Buren also installed a link to WikiLeaks on his blog. “No one was particularly concerned about what we were doing, how much money we were spending, and the results of our endeavors,”  Van Buren said of his experiences in Iraq in a speech to the National Press Club last week. From The Talk

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Federal judge approves suit against State Department on FOIA requests

A federal judge ruled that an author could proceed with his lawsuit against the State Department and other government agencies who allegedly ignored a requirement to provide Freedom of Information Act requesters estimates of the time it would take to fulfill requests. The author was after information about the Iraq oil industry. -db From Politico, September 29, 2011, by Josh Gerstein. Full story

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