The CIA conducted a torture program that was “far more brutal than people were led to believe” and misled Congress, the White House and the public as to the existence of the program from late 2001 through 2009, according to portions of a Senate report on the program released Tuesday. The approximately 500 pages of Senate findings released Tuesday constituted the most detailed look yet at the US practice of torture in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The individuals responsible for the criminal conspiracy revealed in today’s report must be brought to justice, and must face criminal penalties commensurate with the gravity of their crimes. The fact that the policies revealed in this report were authorised at a high level within the US Government provides no excuse whatsoever. Indeed, it reinforces the need for criminal accountability. International law prohibits the granting of immunities to public officials who have engaged in acts of torture. This applies not only to the actual perpetrators but also to those senior officials within the US Government who devised, planned and authorised these crimes. As a matter of international law, the US is legally obliged to bring those responsible to justice. The UN Convention Against Torture and the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances require States to prosecute acts of torture and enforced disappearance where there is sufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction. States are not free to maintain or permit impunity for these grave crimes.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 19:12:15 +0000
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