News

The Charity and Security Network monitors U.S. and foreign government activities and a wide range of news sources to identify developments in national security policy that impact American charities and foundations. We collect and disseminate this information - with a focus on its impact on civil society and nonprofit organizations.

 

News

Sen. Franken Supports Restoration of Money Transfers To Somalia

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February 1, 2012

A small number of Minneapolis-area Somali money transfer shops have reopened amid heightened scrutiny from banks, reports the Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan. 25, 2012. Though the amount transferable is limited to $500, the services are the only means many Somali-Americans have available to send remittances to family living in Somalia, a country lacking a functioning government or banking system, and plagued by drought and civil strife for almost 20 years. The inability of nearly 70,000 Somalis that live in the state to send money home had drawn strong criticism from Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and other Minnesota legislators. At the end of December, the state's 14 Somali money transfer shops were shut down after the last Minnesota bank to wire money to Somalia closed their accounts.

State Department Announces Reorganization Changes

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January 26, 2012

On Jan. 5, 2012 the Department of State held a briefing on the establishment of the Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.  It was held one day after State announced that the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism is being upgraded to become the Bureau of Counterterrorism. The realignment is designed to increase coordination and cooperation among the different offices at State. The changes were called for by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2010 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).

Federal Register Notice Seeks Comments about Partner Vetting System to OMB by Feb. 17, 2012

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January 19, 2012

On Feb.18, 2012 the Department of State posted a new Federal Register Notice on the Partner Vetting System (PVS).  It seeks the Office of Management and Budget's approval for the State Department to collect personal information about its grantees' "key personnel" to be screened against government intelligence databases. The notice is the next step in State's process for launching a pilot PVS this year. 

Backlash Over Somali Money Transfer Refusal in Minnesota

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January 17, 2012
Nearly 100 Somali-Americans rallied outside a Minneapolis area bank on Jan. 13, 2012, protesting the bank's refusal to deal with Somali wire transfer businesses that send money to Africa. The money wire outfits, also known as hawalas, are the primary, and sometimes only, means of transferring money to people living in the Horn of Africa, where widespread insecurity and famine have left millions of people in need. More than a dozen Somali money transfer businesses were forced to stop doing business in late 2011 after banks began refusing service, fearing they might inadvertently violate anti-terror laws. 

Holy Land Foundation and its Leaders Petition for Re-hearing on Dismissal of their Appeal

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January 17, 2012

The Holy Land Foundation (HLF) and its leaders have both filed petitions for re-hearing of their appeals from criminal convictions for material support of terrorism and other charges. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed their appeals in December 2011. The petitions argue that the court should grant a re-hearing because the case involves legal questions of exceptional importance. The court generally rules on petitions for re-hearing within 30 days. 

KindHearts, Government To Settle Case Challenging Process to Shutter Charity

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January 16, 2012

In late December 2011 an Ohio based charity whose assets were frozen by the Treasury Department in 2006 "pending investigation" into possible ties to terrorism  announced it is dissolving, the Associated Press reports. KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development (KindHearts) successfully challenged the constitutionality of Treasury's process in shutting it down and the court ordered further proceedings to decide on a remedy. According to a Dec. 31, 2011 court filing, KindHearts and the government have reached a settlement that “provides for a number of preliminary steps prior to dismissal of this case. The parties anticipate completing those steps by July 1, 2012.” No other details of the agreement have been made public.

Former Islamic American Relief Agency (Missouri) Officials Sentenced

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January 16, 2012

On Jan. 11, 2012, U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey sentenced former officials of the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) for violating Iraq economic sanctions and illegally acting as an unregistered foreign agent. None of the men charged in the criminal case, first filed in 2007, were alleged to have provided support to terrorists. In addition, a former congressman and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was sentenced to one year in prison for obstructing justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of IARA. IARA was shut down in October 2004 after being designated a terrorist entity by the Department of Treasury.

Nonprofits Tell State Dept., USAID Proposed Vetting System Harmful

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January 14, 2012

Ineffective and problematic is how several nonprofits and experts describe USAID’s proposed Partner Vetting System (PVS) in comments filed at the Department of State in December 2011 and at USAID in January 2012. Nonprofits are actively objecting this burdensome and unwarranted program in which thousands of nonprofit workers and local partners would have to be screened against secret government databases. In September 2011, the agencies presented parts of a proposed pilot program for NGOs in five countries, but has not yet announced further details. If implemented, the pilot would create hazards for aid workers, prevent some potential grantees from applying for funds, and will hamper the efforts of others to deliver services and programs that serve the interests of the United States.

USAID Requests Comments on Partner Vetting System (PVS)

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Date: 
December 20, 2011

In the Dec. 7, 2011 Federal Register USAID announced a proposed information collection burden for its grantees that will apply to a pilot Partner Vetting System. It gave the public 30 days to submit comments.  

The notice says, “USAID intends to collect information from approximately 10,000 individuals and/or officers of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who apply for USAID contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, other funding from USAID, or who apply for registration with USAID as Private and Voluntary Organizations (PVO). Collection of personally identifiable information from these individuals is specifically used to conduct screening to ensure that neither USAID funds nor USAID-funded activities inadvertently provide support to entities or individuals associated with terrorism.” 

This notice comes just weeks after a similar notice from the State Dept.  Comments on the USAID notice are due no later than Jan. 5, 2012.

Click here for instructions on how to file comments, talking points, sample comments and more.

Court Denies Appeal of Holy Land Foundation and Leaders

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December 20, 2011

The 2008 convictions of the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) and five of its leaders were upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 7, 2011. Because HLF was unrepresented the trial judge appointed an attorney to represent it on appeal. The appeals court dismissed HLF's appeal for lack of jurisdiction, saying it "was unauthorized and thus invalid, thereby depriving us of jurisdiction." The court ruled against the individual leaders on most issues, but also ruled that although in some cases the trail court erred on the law, the error was harmless because there was sufficient other evidence to sustain a conviction.