Defendants' Motion to Compel Cia Depositions No. 16-Mc

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Defendants' Motion to Compel Cia Depositions No. 16-Mc Case 2:16-mc-00036-JLQ Document 64 Filed 02/14/17 1 Christopher W. Tompkins, WSBA #11686 2 [email protected] Betts Patterson & Mines, P.S. 3 One Convention Place, Suite 1400 4 701 Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 5 6 James T. Smith (admitted pro hac vice) [email protected] 7 Brian S. Paszamant (admitted pro hac vice) 8 [email protected] Blank Rome LLP 9 One Logan Square, 130 N. 18th Street 10 Philadelphia, PA 19103 11 Attorneys for Petitioners Mitchell and Jessen 12 13 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 14 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SPOKANE 15 JAMES ELMER MITCHELL and 16 NO. 16-MC-0036-JLQ JOHN “BRUCE” JESSEN, 17 Petitioners, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO 18 COMPEL CIA DEPOSITIONS vs. 19 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, March 16, 2017 20 Oral Argument Requested Expedited Hearing Requested 21 Respondent. 22 Related Case: NO. CV-15-0286-JLQ 23 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, et 24 al., Plaintiffs, 25 vs. 26 Betts Patterson DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO Mines One Convention Place COMPEL CIA DEPOSITIONS - i - Suite 1400 NO. 16-MC-0036-JLQ 701 Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 (206) 292-9988 1116881.docx/021417 1247/8360-0001 Case 2:16-mc-00036-JLQ Document 64 Filed 02/14/17 1 2 JAMES E. MITCHELL and JOHN JESSEN, 3 Defendants. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Betts Patterson DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO Mines One Convention Place COMPEL CIA DEPOSITIONS - ii - Suite 1400 NO. 16-MC-0036-JLQ 701 Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 (206) 292-9988 1116881.docx/021417 1247/8360-0001 Case 2:16-mc-00036-JLQ Document 64 Filed 02/14/17 1 I. INTRODUCTION 2 Petitioners James Elmer Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen (collectively, 3 “Defendants”) hereby move this Court to compel non-party the United States 4 (“Government”) to produce for deposition Ms. Gina Haspel and John/Jane “Doe.” 5 On December 1, 2016, Defendants served subpoenas via a Touhy request on 6 the Government, specifically upon the Central Intelligence Agency (“CIA”) 7 directed to: (1) CIA employee, Gina Haspel (who, at the time, was identified as 8 Gina “Doe” in recognition of her status as a covert CIA employee); and (2) 9 John/Jane “Doe” (who likewise was identified in this way in recognition of his 10 status as a covert CIA employee) in compliance with the parties’ and this Court’s 11 agreed-upon procedures. Since then, the Government has willfully delayed 12 responding to these subpoenas almost to the point of nullifying the request, with 13 the apparent hope that the discovery clock will simply run out before these noticed 14 depositions can occur. Indeed, Defendants reached out to the Government’s 15 designated discovery point-of-contact, Andrew Warden, multiple times since 16 serving the Touhy request. But only yesterday, February 13, 2017, did the 17 Government finally inform Defendants it will “not authorize” these depositions. 18 Nor did the Government ever object to the subpoenas prior to the date for 19 compliance—as it did with other CIA deponents—thereby resulting in a waiver 20 with respect to these. With the deadline for the close of discovery rapidly 21 approaching, Defendants seek to compel compliance with their Touhy request. 22 As shown, Ms. Haspel was centrally involved in the events alleged in 23 Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdulla Salim, Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, and Obaid Ullah, 24 on behalf of Gul Rahman’s (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) suit against Defendants for 25 actions they purportedly took while contractors for the CIA. In fact, recent articles 26 Betts Patterson DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO Mines One Convention Place COMPEL CIA DEPOSITIONS - 1 - Suite 1400 NO. 16-MC-0036-JLQ 701 Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 (206) 292-9988 1116881.docx/021417 1247/8360-0001 Case 2:16-mc-00036-JLQ Document 64 Filed 02/14/17 1 identify Ms. Haspel as the person running the black site where Abu Zubaydah and 2 Abd al-Rahmin al-Nishiri—both of whom Defendants interrogated at the direction 3 and under the control of the CIA—were detained. It is similarly believed 4 John/Jane “Doe”—whose true identity remains concealed—was the former Chief 5 of Special Missions for the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center (CTC), and was also 6 the immediate successor to CIA employee Mr. Jim Cotsana. 7 Defendants do not seek to delay this case or pursue unnecessary motions. 8 But as this Court’s Order Re: Case Management Procedures provides, discovery 9 concerning Plaintiffs’ claims that Defendants designed, promoted, and 10 implemented the methods alleged in the Complaint shall focus in part on “whether 11 Defendants merely acted at the direction of the US, within the scope of their 12 authority, and that such authority was legally and validly conferred[.]” (ECF No. 13 51 at 3.) That information, unlike information upon which Plaintiffs rely, is not in 14 the public record and is vital to their defenses. Thus, Defendants request this Court 15 compel the Government’s compliance with their Touhy request. 16 II. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND 17 Plaintiffs have sued Defendants for actions they purportedly took while 18 contractors for the CIA. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege Defendants designed, 19 implemented, and participated in the CIA’s former detention and interrogation 20 program. According to Plaintiffs, they were subjected to this program when they 21 were detained by the CIA in connection with the United States’ War on Terror in 22 the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Plaintiffs claim Defendants’ actions 23 violated the law of nations, and thus, they can be held personally liable under the 24 Alien Tort Statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1350, for compensatory and punitive damages. 25 26 Betts Patterson DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO Mines One Convention Place COMPEL CIA DEPOSITIONS - 2 - Suite 1400 NO. 16-MC-0036-JLQ 701 Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 (206) 292-9988 1116881.docx/021417 1247/8360-0001 Case 2:16-mc-00036-JLQ Document 64 Filed 02/14/17 1 To defend against these claims, on December 1, 2016, Defendants issued 2 subpoenas, via a Touhy request to the CIA (the “Touhy Request”), for testimony 3 from its employee, “Gina Doe, former Chief of Staff to Jose Rodriguez when he 4 served as the Chief of the CIA’s Clandestine Service and former Deputy to Jose 5 Rodriguez when he served as the Director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center.” 6 (Decl. of Brian S. Paszamant in Support of Motion to Compel [hereinafter 7 “Paszamant Decl.”] ¶ 3, Exhibit A at 44.) Defendants simultaneously sought 8 testimony from CIA employee, “John/Jane Doe, former Chief of Special Missions 9 for the CIA’s CTC and immediate successor to Jim Cotsana in that position and 10 who also served as the Chief of the CIA’s CTC Renditions Group.” (Id. at 47.) 11 Per the accompanying Affidavit of Brian S. Paszamant In Connection With 12 Subpoenas For Depositions Of Gina Doe and John/Jane Doe, Defendants further 13 explained that “[t]he depositions that are requested pursuant to the enclosed 14 subpoenas are critical to the defense of Plaintiffs’ allegations because, among other 15 things, it will enable Defendants to demonstrate the following”: 16 a. Defendants’ role in the CIA’s detention and interrogation program, 17 framework and implementation. 18 b. That Defendants’ actions/inactions were within the scope of legally 19 and validly conferred authority. 20 c. That even assuming, arguendo, that Defendants’ actions/inactions 21 somehow fell outside the scope of legally and validly conferred authority, their actions/inactions were nevertheless known to and 22 approved by individuals possessing higher authority. 23 d. That whatever improper actions/inactions, if any, were taken (or not 24 taken) vis-à-vis one or more Plaintiffs is not capable of being attributable to Defendants’ direct involvement. 25 26 Betts Patterson DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO Mines One Convention Place COMPEL CIA DEPOSITIONS - 3 - Suite 1400 NO. 16-MC-0036-JLQ 701 Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 (206) 292-9988 1116881.docx/021417 1247/8360-0001 Case 2:16-mc-00036-JLQ Document 64 Filed 02/14/17 1 e. That Defendants were not present for any interrogation of two of the three Plaintiffs and had only minor involvement with regard to Gul 2 Rahman, whose executor is the third Plaintiff. 3 f. That Defendants’ actions/inactions did not cause, directly or 4 indirectly, Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries. 5 (Ex. A at 4-5.) The Touhy Request set January 4 as the proposed deposition date 6 for Gina “Doe,” and January 5 for John/Jane “Doe”; it also identified counsel’s 7 Washington, D.C. office as the proposed deposition location. (Id. at 44, 47.) 8 The Touhy Request was served on the Government, specifically the CIA, via 9 email on December 1, 2016, and by regular mail. (Exhibit B.) Two weeks later, 10 on December 14, Mr. Warden responded to the email as follows: 11 I am in receipt of your Touhy request and attendant subpoenas for 12 depositions of Gina Doe and John/Jane Doe. In accordance with 13 paragraph 6 of the discovery stipulation, I accept service of the Touhy request on behalf of the CIA and I have passed the request 14 on to the appropriate officials at CIA for a decision.1 I am not 15 authorized to accept service of the subpoena on behalf of the two Doe witnesses at this time and will not be authorized to do so, at a 16 minimum, while the Touhy request remains under consideration with 17 the CIA.
Recommended publications
  • Assessing Non-Consensual Human Experimentation During the War on Terror
    ACEVES_FINAL(DO NOT DELETE) 11/26/2018 9:05 AM INTERROGATION OR EXPERIMENTATION? ASSESSING NON-CONSENSUAL HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION DURING THE WAR ON TERROR WILLIAM J. ACEVES* The prohibition against non-consensual human experimentation has long been considered sacrosanct. It traces its legal roots to the Nuremberg trials although the ethical foundations dig much deeper. It prohibits all forms of medical and scientific experimentation on non-consenting individuals. The prohibition against non-consensual human experimentation is now well established in both national and international law. Despite its status as a fundamental and non-derogable norm, the prohibition against non-consensual human experimentation was called into question during the War on Terror by the CIA’s treatment of “high-value detainees.” Seeking to acquire actionable intelligence, the CIA tested the “theory of learned helplessness” on these detainees by subjecting them to a series of enhanced interrogation techniques. This Article revisits the prohibition against non-consensual human experimentation to determine whether the CIA’s treatment of detainees violated international law. It examines the historical record that gave rise to the prohibition and its eventual codification in international law. It then considers the application of this norm to the CIA’s treatment of high-value detainees by examining Salim v. Mitchell, a lawsuit brought by detainees who were subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques. This Article concludes that the CIA breached the prohibition against non-consensual human experimentation when it conducted systematic studies on these detainees to validate the theory of learned helplessness. Copyright © 2018 William J. Aceves *Dean Steven R. Smith Professor of Law at California Western School of Law.
    [Show full text]
  • United States District Court Eastern District Of
    Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ ECF No. 40 filed 04/28/16 PageID.<pageID> Page 1 of 19 1 2 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 3 EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 4 5 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, et al., ) ) 6 ) No. CV-15-0286-JLQ Plaintiffs, ) 7 ) MEMORANDUM OPINION ) AND ORDER DENYING 8 vs. ) MOTION TO DISMISS ) 9 ) JAMES E. MITCHELL and JOHN ) 10 JESSEN, ) ) 11 Defendants. ) ___________________________________ ) 12 BEFORE THE COURT is Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 27), which 13 seeks dismissal of the action with prejudice. Response and Reply briefs have been filed 14 and considered. Oral argument was held on April 22, 2016. James Smith, Henry 15 Schuelke, III, and Christopher Tompkins appeared for Defendants James Mitchell and 16 John Jessen, with Mr. Smith taking the lead on argument. Hina Shamsi, La Rond Baker, 17 Steven Watt, and Dror Ladin appeared for Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdullah Salim, Mohamed 18 Ahmed Ben Soud, and Obaid Ullah, with Mr. Ladin taking the lead on argument. The 19 court issued its oral ruling denying the Motion to Dismiss. This Opinion memorializes 20 and supplements the court’s oral ruling. 21 I. Introduction and Factual Background 22 The Complaint in this matter alleges Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdullah Salim (“Salim”), 23 Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud (“Soud”), and Obaid Ullah (“Ullah”)1(collectively herein 24 25 1Ullah is the personal representative of the Estate of Gul Rahman who allegedly “died as a result 26 of hypothermia caused by his exposure to extreme cold, exacerbated by dehydration, lack of food, and 27 his immobility in a stress position.” (Complaint ¶ 3).
    [Show full text]
  • In CIA Torture Case
    افغانستان آزاد – آزاد افغانستان AA-AA چو کشور نباشـد تن من مبـــــــاد بدین بوم وبر زنده یک تن مــــباد همه سر به سر تن به کشتن دهیم از آن به که کشور به دشمن دهیم www.afgazad.com [email protected] زبان های اروپائی European Languages http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/03/11/tort-m11.html Trump administration invokes “state secrets” in CIA torture case By Barry Grey 11 March 2017 On Wednesday, the Trump administration filed a brief invoking the "state secrets" privilege in an attempt to block current and former Central Intelligence Agency officials from testifying in a civil suit brought by former detainees who were subjected to torture at a secret CIA interrogation center, or "black site," in Afghanistan. The motion, filed by the Trump Justice Department based on an affidavit by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, also seeks to quash the release of portions of 172 internal CIA documents. Among the CIA officials the government is seeking to shield from being forced to testify is Gina Haspel, named by President Trump to the post of deputy CIA director and confirmed by the US Senate. Haspel, a 32-year veteran of the agency, ran a CIA torture site in Thailand in 2002, during the Bush administration, where she oversaw the torture of Abu Zubaydah and Abd al- Rahim al-Nashiri, both of whom were repeatedly waterboarded. She also gave the order in 2005 to destroy videotapes of the interrogation sessions at the Thai site. The administration, headed by a man who boasts of his enthusiasm for torture, including waterboarding, intervened in the case of Salim v.
    [Show full text]
  • Suleiman Complaint
    1 La Rond Baker, WSBA No. 43610 2 [email protected] AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION 3 901 Fifth Avenue, Suite 630 4 Seattle, WA 98164 Phone: 206-624-2184 5 6 Steven M. Watt (pro hac vice pending) Dror Ladin (pro hac vice pending) 7 Hina Shamsi (pro hac vice pending) 8 Jameel Jaffer (pro hac vice pending) AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 9 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor 10 New York, New York 10004 11 Paul Hoffman (pro hac vice pending) 12 Schonbrun Seplow Harris & Hoffman, LLP 723 Ocean Front Walk, Suite 100 13 Venice, CA 90291 14 Attorneys for Plaintiffs 15 16 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 17 18 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD, OBAID 19 ULLAH (AS PERSONAL 20 REPRESENTATIVE OF GUL RAHMAN), Civil Action No. 21 Plaintiffs, 22 v. COMPLAINT AND 23 DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL 24 JAMES ELMER MITCHELL and JOHN “BRUCE” JESSEN 25 26 Defendants. 27 COMPLAINT AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES Page | 1 UNION OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION 901 Fifth Ave, Suite 630 Seattle, WA 98164 (206) 624-2184 1 I. INTRODUCTION 2 1. Defendants James Elmer Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen are 3 4 psychologists who designed, implemented, and personally 5 administered an experimental torture program for the U.S. Central 6 Intelligence Agency (“CIA”). 7 8 2. To create a torture program with a scientific veneer, Defendants drew 9 on experiments from the 1960s in which researchers taught dogs 10 “helplessness” by subjecting them to uncontrollable pain. Defendants 11 12 theorized that if human beings were subjected to systematic abuse, the 13 victims would become helpless and unable to resist an interrogator’s 14 demand for information.
    [Show full text]
  • How Procedure Defeats Civil Liberties in the “War on Terror”
    Ab(ju)dication: How Procedure Defeats Civil Liberties in the “War on Terror” Susan N. Herman* Terrorism poses many kinds of challenges. One of the most wrenching is the question of how far we are willing to go in our quest for security. Will we sacrifice our ideals? What should we accept as the moral, constitutional, and international limitations on practices like detention, interrogation, and mass surveillance? An equally compelling question under our constitutional structure is who will make these society-defining decisions. What should be the relative involvement of Congress, the President, and the courts? In a series of historic cases, the Supreme Court undertook providing a check against antiterrorism detention policies designed by the executive branch to avoid judicial oversight. Many of these cases involved non-U.S. citizens held at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp.1 The petitioner in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld2 was a U.S. citizen detained within the United States.3 In the course of the decision, finding that Yaser Hamdi had a right to due process in connection with his detention, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor observed: In so holding, we necessarily reject the Government’s assertion that separation of powers principles mandate a heavily circumscribed role for the courts in such circumstances. Whatever power the United States Constitution envisions for the Executive in its exchanges with other nations or with enemy organizations in times of conflict, it most assuredly envisions a role for all three branches when individual liberties are at stake.4 Even a state of war, O’Connor said, would not be a “blank check for the President when it comes to the rights of the Nation’s citizens.”5 While the cases involving Guantánamo detainees did not declare that those detainees enjoyed all the constitutional rights of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Torture Flights : North Carolina’S Role in the Cia Rendition and Torture Program the Commission the Commission
    TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 LIST OF COMMISSIONERS 4 FOREWORD Alberto Mora, Former General Counsel, Department of the Navy 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Summary of the investigation into North Carolina’s involvement in torture and rendition by the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT) 8 FINDINGS 12 RECOMMENDATIONS CHAPTER ONE 14 CHAPTER SIX 39 The U.S. Government’s Rendition, Detention, Ongoing Challenges for Survivors and Interrogation (RDI) Program CHAPTER SEVEN 44 CHAPTER TWO 21 Costs and Consequences of the North Carolina’s Role in Torture: CIA’s Torture and Rendition Program Hosting Aero Contractors, Ltd. CHAPTER EIGHT 50 CHAPTER THREE 26 North Carolina Public Opposition to Other North Carolina Connections the RDI Program, and Officials’ Responses to Post-9/11 U.S. Torture CHAPTER NINE 57 CHAPTER FOUR 28 North Carolina’s Obligations under Who Were Those Rendered Domestic and International Law, the Basis by Aero Contractors? for Federal and State Investigation, and the Need for Accountability CHAPTER FIVE 34 Rendition as Torture CONCLUSION 64 ENDNOTES 66 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 78 APPENDICES 80 1 WWW.NCTORTUREREPORT.ORG TORTURE FLIGHTS : NORTH CAROLINA’S ROLE IN THE CIA RENDITION AND TORTURE PROGRAM THE COMMISSION THE COMMISSION THE COMMISSION THE COMMISSION FRANK GOLDSMITH (CO-CHAIR) JAMES E. COLEMAN, JR. PATRICIA MCGAFFAGAN DR. ANNIE SPARROW MBBS, MRCP, FRACP, MPH, MD Frank Goldsmith is a mediator, arbitrator and former civil James E. Coleman, Jr. is the John S. Bradway Professor Patricia McGaffagan worked as a psychologist for twenty rights lawyer in the Asheville, NC area. Goldsmith has of the Practice of Law, Director of the Center for five years at the Johnston County, NC Mental Health Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • 2:15-CV-286-JLQ 21 Plaintiffs, 22 V
    Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ Document 1 Filed 10/13/15 1 La Rond Baker, WSBA No. 43610 2 [email protected] AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION 3 901 Fifth Avenue, Suite 630 4 Seattle, WA 98164 Phone: 206-624-2184 5 6 Steven M. Watt (pro hac vice pending) Dror Ladin (pro hac vice pending) 7 Hina Shamsi (pro hac vice pending) 8 Jameel Jaffer (pro hac vice pending) AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 9 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor 10 New York, New York 10004 11 Paul Hoffman (pro hac vice pending) 12 Schonbrun Seplow Harris & Hoffman, LLP 723 Ocean Front Walk, Suite 100 13 Venice, CA 90291 14 Attorneys for Plaintiffs 15 16 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 17 18 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD, OBAID 19 ULLAH (AS PERSONAL 20 REPRESENTATIVE OF GUL RAHMAN), Civil Action No. 2:15-CV-286-JLQ 21 Plaintiffs, 22 v. COMPLAINT AND 23 DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL 24 JAMES ELMER MITCHELL and JOHN “BRUCE” JESSEN 25 26 Defendants. 27 COMPLAINT AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES Page | 1 UNION OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION 901 Fifth Ave, Suite 630 Seattle, WA 98164 (206) 624-2184 Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ Document 1 Filed 10/13/15 1 I. INTRODUCTION 2 1. Defendants James Elmer Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen are 3 4 psychologists who designed, implemented, and personally 5 administered an experimental torture program for the U.S. Central 6 Intelligence Agency (“CIA”). 7 8 2. To create a torture program with a scientific veneer, Defendants drew 9 on experiments from the 1960s in which researchers taught dogs 10 “helplessness” by subjecting them to uncontrollable pain.
    [Show full text]
  • Suleiman Abdullah Salim
    Page 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD, OBAID ULLAH (as Personal Representative of GUL RAHMAN), Plaintiffs, Civil Action No. vs. 2:15-CV-286-JLQ JAMES ELMER MITCHELL and JOHN "BRUCE" JESSEN, Defendants. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x VIDEOTAPED DEPOSITION OF SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM VOLUME I March 14, 2017 Reported by: Jane M. Borrowman, RPR, CSR Job no: 18303 TransPerfect Legal Solutions 212-400-8845 [email protected] ACLU-RDI 6812 p.1 Page 2 1 2 DEPOSITION OF: SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM 3 LOCATION: Hogan Lovells 22 Fredman Drive 4 Sandton, Johananesburg, South Africa 5 DATE: March 14, 2017 6 TIME: 10:08 a.m. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 TransPerfect Legal Solutions 212-400-8845 [email protected] ACLU-RDI 6812 p.2 Page 3 1 APPEARANCES: 2 ON BEHALF OF THE PLAINTIFFS: 3 Paul L. Hoffman, Esq. 4 SCHONBRUN SEPLOW HARRIS & HOFFMAN, LLP 5 200 Pier Avenue 6 Hermosa Beach, California 90254 7 310-396-0731 8 [email protected] 9 - and - 10 Steven M. Watt, Esq. 11 AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 12 125 Broad Street - 18th Floor 13 New York, New York 10004 14 212-284-7321 15 [email protected] 16 17 ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANTS: 18 James T. Smith, Esq. 19 Charrise L. Alexander, Esq. 20 BLANK ROME, LLP 21 1825 Eye Street NW 22 Washington, DC 20006-5403 23 [email protected] 24 [email protected] TransPerfect Legal Solutions 212-400-8845 [email protected] ACLU-RDI 6812 p.3 Page 4 1 ALSO PRESENT: 2 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Swahili Interpreter 3 Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, Obaid
    Page 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD, OBAID ULLAH (as Personal Representative of GUL RAHMAN), Plaintiffs, Civil Action No. vs. 2:15-CV-286-JLQ JAMES ELMER MITCHELL and JOHN "BRUCE" JESSEN, Defendants. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x DEPOSITION OF MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD VOLUME I January 31, 2017 Reported by: Jane M. Borrowman, RPR, CSR Job no: 17957 TransPerfect Legal Solutions 212-400-8845 - [email protected] Page 2 1 2 3 4 DEPOSITION OF: MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD 5 LOCATION: Held at the Fort Young Hotel Victoria Street 6 Roseau, Dominica, West Indies 7 DATE: January 31, 2017 8 TIME: 9:33 a.m. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 TransPerfect Legal Solutions 212-400-8845 - [email protected] Page 3 1 APPEARANCES: 2 ON BEHALF OF THE PLAINTIFFS: 3 Hina Shamsi, Esq. 4 Steven M. Watt, Esq. 5 AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 6 125 Broad Street - 18th Floor 7 New York, New York 10004 8 212-284-7321 9 [email protected] 10 - and - 11 Avram D. Frey, Esq. 12 GIBBONS, P.C. 13 One Gateway Center 14 Newark, New Jersey 07102-5310 15 [email protected] 16 17 ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANTS: 18 James T. Smith, Esq. 19 Charrise L. Alexander, Esq. 20 BLANK ROME, LLP 21 1825 Eye Street NW 22 Washington, DC 20006-5403 23 [email protected] 24 [email protected] TransPerfect Legal Solutions 212-400-8845 - [email protected] Page 4 1 ALSO PRESENT: 2 Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Folks’: Pursuing Justice for Victims of Torture Through Traditional Grounds of Jurisdiction
    REDRESS FOR ‘SOME FOLKS’: PURSUING JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE THROUGH TRADITIONAL GROUNDS OF JURISDICTION Karen Hoffmann, Esq.* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 98 II. THE NEED FOR REDRESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY ........................... 104 III. POSSIBLE VENUES FOR PROSECUTION ............................................ 107 A. United States ............................................................................ 107 B. International Courts ................................................................. 112 C. The Unbearable Lightness of Universal Jurisdiction ............... 114 D. Alternatives: ‘Traditional’ Grounds of Jurisdiction ................ 123 IV. CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 127 * ALDEA — The People’s Justice Center, Reading, PA, USA – [email protected]. 97 98 GA. J. INT’L & COMP. L. [Vol. 46:97 I. INTRODUCTION This is not C.I.A.’s program. This is not the President’s program. This is America’s program. –Former CIA Director Michael Hayden1 After learning the news [of the Senate Torture Report], Mr. Bashmilah pressed Ms. Satterthwaite, who heads the global justice program at New York University Law School, to tell him what might follow from the Senate’s recognition. Would there be an apology? Would there be some kind of compensation?2 It has now been nearly three years since the release of the summary of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on CIA
    [Show full text]
  • Salim V. Mitchell
    Case: 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ As of: 03/28/2019 01:14 PM PDT 1 of 25 CLOSED,JURY,LC01,PROTO Eastern District of Washington U.S. District Court (Spokane) CIVIL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 2:15−cv−00286−JLQ Salim et al v. Mitchell et al Date Filed: 10/13/2015 Assigned to: Senior Judge Justin L. Quackenbush Date Terminated: 08/17/2017 Case in other court: District of Columbia, Jury Demand: Plaintiff 1:16−MC−1799−KBJ Nature of Suit: 890 Other Statutory Cause: 28:1350 Alien Tort Statute Actions Jurisdiction: Federal Question Plaintiff Suleiman Abdullah Salim represented by Anthony P DiCaprio Law Office of Anthony DiCaprio 64 Purchase Street Rye, NY 10580 917−439−5166 Email: [email protected] LEAD ATTORNEY PRO HAC VICE ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED Avram D Frey Gibbons PC One Gateway Center Newark, NJ 07102 973−596−4415 Fax: 973−639−6358 Email: [email protected] LEAD ATTORNEY PRO HAC VICE ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED Daniel J McGrady Gibbons PC One Gateway Center Newark, NJ 07102 973−596−4500 Fax: 973−639−6465 Email: [email protected] LEAD ATTORNEY PRO HAC VICE ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED Dror Ladin American Civil Liberties Union Foundation 125 Broad St, 17th Floor New York, NY 10004 212−284−7303 Email: [email protected] LEAD ATTORNEY PRO HAC VICE ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED Hina Shamsi American Civil Liberties Union Foundation 125 Broad St, 17th Floor New York, NY 10004 212−284−7321 Email: [email protected] Case: 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ As of: 03/28/2019 01:14 PM PDT 2 of 25 LEAD ATTORNEY PRO HAC VICE ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED Jeffry Keith Finer Finer & Winn PS 421 W Riverside
    [Show full text]
  • Betts, Patterson & Mines Ps
    Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ Document 191 Filed 06/12/17 1 BETTS, PATTERSON & MINES P.S. 2 Christopher W. Tompkins (WSBA #11686) [email protected] 3 701 Pike Street, Suite 1400 4 Seattle, WA 98101-3927 5 BLANK ROME LLP 6 Henry F. Schuelke III (admitted pro hac vice) [email protected] 7 1825 Eye St. NW 8 Washington, DC 20006 9 James T. Smith (admitted pro hac vice) 10 [email protected] Brian S. Paszamant (admitted pro hac vice) 11 [email protected] 12 One Logan Square, 130 N. 18th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 13 14 Attorneys for Defendants 15 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 16 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SPOKANE 17 18 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, NO. 2:15-CV-286-JLQ MOHAMED AHMED BEN SOUD, 19 OBAID ULLAH (as personal DECLARATION OF BRIAN S. PASZAMANT IN SUPPORT OF 20 representative of GUL RAHMAN), DEFENDANTS’ RESPONSE IN 21 Plaintiffs, OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR PARTIAL 22 vs. SUMMARY JUDGMENT 23 JAMES ELMER MITCHELL and 24 JOHN "BRUCE" JESSEN, 25 Defendants. DECLARATION OF BRIAN S. Betts Patterson PASZAMANT IN SUPPORT OF Mines DEFENDANTS’ RESPONSE IN - 1 - One Convention Place Suite 1400 OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION 701 Pike Street FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT Seattle, Washington 98101-3927 (206) 292-9988 139114.00602/105793971v.1 Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ Document 191 Filed 06/12/17 1 I, Brian S. Paszamant, hereby certify under penalty of perjury, that the 2 following is true and correct and within my personal knowledge: 3 I am over the age of 18, have personal knowledge of all facts 4 contained in this declaration, and am competent to testify as a witness to those 5 6 facts.
    [Show full text]