Episode 42: Reflecting on 20 years of the “War on Terror” at home: federal prosecutions
As we look back on the past 20 years since 9/11, certain issues come to the forefront – the toll of the war in Afghanistan; the torture of detainees in CIA custody; the worldwide drone program; the ongoing 19-year detention of detainees at Guantanamo. The list goes on. Less visible and examined are the hundreds of “terrorism” prosecutions brought in federal courts since 9/11 and their associated harms: the preying on vulnerable defendants by aggressive government informants to concoct charges; the criminalization of First Amendment activity as “material support” for terrorism; the denials of fair criminal process despite the promise of due process; the cruelty of special conditions of confinement disproportionately used in these cases; the impact on the communities, families, and individuals targeted, many of whom are still in prison. We dedicate this month’s podcast to surfacing this slice of the “war on terror,” with our staff attorney Pardiss Kebriaei interviewing three guests who have been at the forefront of advocacy, organizing, and reporting on these cases for more than a decade – Faisal Hashmi, Jeanne Theoharis, professor of political science at Brooklyn College, and Murtaza Hussain, reporter at The Intercept.