Media & Communications Law
Appeals Court Cites Detainees’ Privacy Rights in Barring Abuse Disclosure
Posted Jan 6, 2009, 11:05 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A federal appeals court has ruled the government does not have to disclose the identities of Guantanamo Bay detainees who claim they were abused in custody.
The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the detainees and their family members have a privacy interest in their identifying information, and it is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
The court ruled on a request by the Associated Press, the wire service reports. It had sought the identities of detainees who claimed they were abused by the U.S. military or who were accused of abusing others, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
The Reporters Committee posted the ruling (PDF).