Remembering Michael Ratner

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, remembers human rights lawyer and activist Michael Ratner, who passed away today:

“To understand Michael Ratner’s courage and bone-deep belief in human rights, all you need to know is that he was the first lawyer to challenge the Bush administration’s policy of indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay. But Michael’s principled stances against government overreach and abuse at home and abroad span the decades, from fighting stop and frisk in New York City to helping to prosecute war criminals in Haiti. He also helped build the Center for Constitutional Rights into one of the most effective and impactful human rights organizations in the world — with an established ability to always punch above its weight. Michael has been a mentor, friend, and inspiration to multitudes of lawyers, activists, students, and writers, including many here at the ACLU. America lost one of its most loved and most effective human rights lawyers today, and the world lost a global citizen of conscience. Our hearts and condolences go out to his family and his colleagues at the Center for Constitutional Rights.”