U.S. Terrorist Hit List May Face Legal Challenge by Civil Liberties Groups

[maddezmom]

Source: Bloomberg

The American Civil Liberties Union said the U.S. Treasury Department gave it permission to sue the government over an alleged policy of seeking to kill U.S. citizens abroad who are terrorism suspects.

The ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights said they were retained to bring the suit by the father of U.S.-born Anwar al-Awlaki, of Yemen, whom they say has been “targeted for death” without being charged or convicted. Al-Awlaki has been identified by the U.S. as a leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The ACLU and the center sued the department and its Office of Foreign Assets Control on Aug. 2, claiming they violate the constitution by requiring, in some cases, a permit for lawyers to represent terrorism suspects.

“The license issued by OFAC today will allow us to pursue our litigation relating to the government’s asserted authority to engage in targeted killings of American citizens without due process,” the groups said in a statement.


Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-05/u-s-terrorist-hit-list-may-face-legal-challenge-by-civil-liberties-groups.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Glad the license was finally issued.

[The Stranger]

2. This whole license bullshit needs to be struck down.

The right to counsel cannot be subjected to governmental license.