NEWS ADVISORY
ACLU OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA/SACRAMENTO CHAPTER
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News Conference Advisory

ACLU calls for restoration of habeas corpus rights in U.S., end to policy of torture; Thousands expected in D.C., other special events - including one in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO – The American Civil Liberties Union has announced it will hold a series of actions across the U.S. – including Sacramento – Tuesday demanding a restoration of fundamental freedoms in the U.S., including habeas corpus and due process, and an end to torture. Thousands are expected at a D.C. event.

Members of the ACLU/Northern California Sacramento County Chapter will hold a special news briefing TUESDAY, at 9:30 a.m. at the Federal Courthouse (5th & I Streets).

The ACLU is expected to note that Congress passed and the President signed – in the waning hours of the 2006 session – the Military Commissions Act (McA), which has eliminated habeas corpus protection for some in the U.S.

According to the ACLU, the MCA eliminates constitutional rights not only for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, but elsewhere. It also gives the President – not a judge or jury - the power to declare who is an "enemy combatant," what torture is and how long someone can be "detained" without charges being filed.

"Our Constitution is what distinguishes America from other countries. It's what makes us Americans. To do away with its protections makes us more like those we are fighting against," the ACLU said in a statement.

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Time: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 9:30am PST
Length: :20