On Monday, the Justice Department under President Obama stated that it would attempt to bar victims of torture from seeking justice in US courts by continued use of the "state secrets" privilege in Mohamed et al vs Jeppeson Dataplan, Inc. This is a key case for ending the practice of extraordinary rendition - the policy of outsourcing torture.

In Mohamed v. Jeppeson, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, five victims of extraordinary rendition, including current Guantánamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, filed suit against Jeppeson, a flight-planning company & subsidiary of Boeing, that allegedly served as the CIA's contractor for its program of extraordinary rendition in which victims were flown to be tortured at secret sites abroad.

At "torture sites" in Afghanistan, Pakistan & Morocco, Mr Mohamed was subject to torture, including horrific beatings that resulted in unconsciousness & broken bones. He was sliced on different parts of his body, including his genitals & hot liquids were then poured on his wounds. He was threatened with rape, electrocution & death. Mr Mohamed has not been charged with any crime, but remains detained Guantanamo to this day.

In its first trial case, the government continued to argue that the case be thrown out because revealing evidence of torture would reveal "state secrets." The Obama administration has chosen to follow the last administration's policy of secrecy rather than the pursuit of justice.

The Bushit administration invoked the state secrets privilege more frequently than any other administration in history in order to keep cases demonstrating US human rights violations in the dark & out of court.

Obama has become his willing accessory.