Rights groups suing FBI to release records.Five civil rights, animal rights, and environmental groups have sued the Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. (FBI) to release records about the monitoring of anti-war and other political activities by federal agents assigned to counterterrorism coun·ter·ter·ror adj. Intended to prevent or counteract terrorism: counterterror measures; counterterror weapons. n. Action or strategy intended to counteract or suppress terrorism. duties. The American Civil Liverties Union (ACLU) said the decision to file a lawsuit May 18 in U.S. District Court in Washington came after the FBI ignored Freedom of Information Act requests for the documents. Other organizations involved are the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is an Arab-American civil rights organization. ADC headquarters are located in Washington, DC. ADC is part of the Arab, Muslim and Sikh Advisory Council, created after the 9/11 attacks in conjunction with the FBI. , Greenpeace, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an international nonprofit organization that supports Animal Rights and has spawned a tremendous amount of conflict and controversy from its inception. , and United for Peace and Justice United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is a coalition of more than 1,300[1] international and U.S.-based organizations opposed to what they describe as "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building. . The groups say they have been subjected to scrutiny by task forces set up to combat terrorism. The FBI has denied singling out individuals or groups for surveillance or investigation based solely on activities protected by the Constitution's guarantees of free speech. Officials have said agents adhere strictly to Justice Department guidelines requiring evidence of criminal activity or indications that a person may know something about a crime. According to the Associated Press, the ACLU has been seeking FBI files on a broad range of individuals and groups that have been interviewed, investigated, or subjected to searches by the task forces. The requests also sought information on how the task forces are funded in order to determine if they are rewarded with government money by labeling high numbers of cases as related to terrorism. The ACLU provided a list of examples, including the Quaker-affiliated American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) affiliated organization which works for social justice, peace and reconciliation, abolition of the death penalty, and human rights, and provides humanitarian relief. that had been monitored by Denver police and was listed as an "active case" by a local terrorism task force. |
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