Groups Decry Secrecy, Demand List of Prisoners

A coalition of civil rights groups on Monday called on the Justice Department to release the names of the estimated 900 prisoners the FBI has arrested or detained since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Filing a Freedom of Information request, 20 civil rights groups also demanded that the government release the nature of the charges filed against the prisoners, the dates they were detained and where they are being held.

“While certain aspects of the FBI investigation into the terrorist attacks need to be secret,” said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, “we do not live in a country where the government can keep secret who they arrest, where they are being held or the charges against them.”

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft has maintained that the detainees have not been abused and that increased vigilance is required during this period of heightened security. Neither Ashcroft nor FBI Director Robert Mueller has responded to the American Civil Liberties Union’s previous requests to have the names released.

But civil libertarians said this “unprecedented veil of secrecy” has raised serious questions about the validity of the government’s investigation. By not releasing the information, the government has no accountability for its actions.

Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), who cast the lone vote against a counter-terrorism bill that gives the Justice Department sweeping new police powers to deter terrorism, plans to request release of the names this week, according to a Feingold aide.

Martin said the coalition expects a response from the Department of Justice within a couple of days. If its request is denied, it intends to file a lawsuit.

Other participating groups included the American Immigration Lawyers Assn., Amnesty International and Arab American and Muslim organizations.