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In-Depth Interview: Reporter Jason Leopold Cheers Release of Shaker Aamer, Expresses Outrage Over Sneaky New FOIA Process, Talks About ex-CIA Officer Sabrina DeSousa

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VICE reporter Jason Leopold returns on the day Shaker Aamer is released from Gitmo; we also talk about new barriers for FOIA and an upcoming VICE video report on former CIA officer Sabrina DeSousa.Leopold has covered Guantanamo for years, and visited many times.  Read his article on Shaker Aamer’s release here.

Noting that this is the highest-profile prisoner released from Gitmo to date, Leopold recaps the history of almost 14 years in US custody, and the toll it has likely taken on Aamer.  British authorities say they will monitor Aamer, but he will not be in custody, and we mention that American officials had tried to send Aamer to his native Saudi Arabia, but were rebuffed.

Then we talk about the new CISA bill that passed the Senate, and its malicious attack on the Freedom of Information Act, which Leopold uses frequently to disgorge government documents.  The new law would allow agencies resisting disclosure to appeal the the Senate Intelligence Committee, where it would almost certainly be denied.

And we talk about the CIA’s bungled kidnap and rendition of Abu Omar from Milan in 2003, and the fate of one of more than 20 CIA personnel who were involved–and later convicted in absentia by Italian courts.  VICE has a video report with Sabrina DeSousa that will be released soon; she is now stranded in Portugal, where her passport has been seized and Italy is pressing for her extradition.  The CIA has abandoned her.  You can watch a promo video about the report here.