Intelligence community legal reference book

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence has declassified its Intelligence Community Legal Reference Book from which the US intelligence community ‘draws much of its authority and guidance’. Download the 949 pages here.

ICJ Condemns Misuse of Anti-Terrorism Laws to Prosecute Sri Lankan Journalist

On 31 August 2009, Mr Tissainayagam, a Tamil journalist who wrote articles criticising the Sri Lankan government’s war against the Tamil Tigers, was convicted under anti-terrorism laws and sentenced by Judge Deepali Wijesundara to 20 years “rigorous imprisonment.” The journalist’s case has attracted international attention, with President Obama saying earlier this year it was “emblematic [...]

Ninth Circuit denies challenge to ban on providing services to terrorist organizations

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday ruled against a Humanitarian Law Project (HLP) challenge to former President George W. Bush’s Executive Order 13224, which prohibits unlicensed US groups and individuals from providing services to certain terrorist organizations designated by the government. The HLP wanted to aid the Kurdistan Worker’s [...]

Lawyers for alleged al Qaeda media director appeal conviction

[JURIST] Lawyers for alleged al Qaeda media director Ali Hamza Ahmad Suliman al Bahlul appealed his conviction and life sentence for conspiring with al Qaeda, soliciting murder, and providing material support for terrorism. His Pentagon-appointed defense lawyers argued that his constitutional rights were violated because a supposed al Qaeda recruitment film he released is protected [...]

Freedom of opinion and expression in Egypt in 2008 – ANHRI Report

Read the report here.

Canadian airport to test ‘behaviour detection’ program

Beginning next year, some air travellers will be scrutinized by airport “behaviour detection officers” for physiological signs of hostile intent.
Planning for the training and deployment of the plainclothes security officers is to begin this fall, with a pilot project expected to roll out at a major airport in 2010, the Canadian Air Transport Security [...]

Internet filtering in the Middle East and North Africa

The Open Net initiative just released it’s 2008-2009 report on filtering trends across the Middle East and North Africa. Overall, there has been an increase in filtering practices since 2007, and further measures to monitor Internet activities, particularly in Internet cafés, have been introduced. Additionally, countries that have been filtering political content continue to add [...]

John Brennan on the US counterterrorism policy

Remarks by John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, As Prepared for Delivery “A New Approach to Safeguarding Americans, 6 August 2009. Read the speech here.
Interview with Brennan here. Comments in the LA Times and the WSJ.

Malaysia mulls Chinese Green Dam twin

The Register reports that Malaysia is mulling a net filter along the lines of China’s Green Dam. But Information Minister Rais Yatim says it would not be used to censor blogs and websites. During a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Reuters reports, Rais said the proposed filter would be used to battle child pornography.

Internet firms warn against UK government surveillance plans

In a submission to the Home Office as part of a public consultation, internet firms have labelled government plans to force them to monitor calls, emails and internet usage as “an unwarranted intrusion into people’s privacy” and have suggested people were deceived about the extent of the government’s ambitions to monitor the country’s communications data. [...]