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Bush administration admits waterboarding terror suspects

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Democrats in the US Senate have demanded a criminal investigation into waterboarding by government interrogators after the Bush administration admitted for the first time that the tactic was used on three terror suspects.

In a testimony to Congress, CIA director Michael Hayden became the first US official to publicly acknowledge the agency carried out waterboarding interrogation on detainees following 9/11.

Waterboarding has been traced back to the Spanish Inquisition and has been condemned by Amnesty International and nations around the world.

"We used it against these three detainees because of the circumstances at the time," Mr Hayden told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"There was the belief that additional catastrophic attacks against the homeland were inevitable. And we had limited knowledge about al Qaida and its workings. Those two realities have changed."

The Pentagon has banned its employees from using waterboarding and Human Rights Watch, which has been calling on the US government to outlaw waterboarding as a form of illegal torture, called Mr Hayden's testimony "an explicit admission of criminal activity". The above picture depicts a protest against waterboarding.
richjm

8 responses // Bush administration admits waterboarding terror suspects

  • Yes. Only three. I believe that.
    JordanRoth
  • http://current.com/items/76347282_getting_waterboarded
    For anyone who's never seen waterboarding, take a look at this pod that Kaj did for the Vanguard team. Pretty heavy stuff.
    Tori
  • http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WHITE_HOUSE_TORT...
    Not only do they admit having used waterboarding, now the Bush Administration is saying the interrogation method is legal and can and will be authorized again if certain criteria are met.

    Who said they get to pick what's legal and what isn't? I don't remember that being part of the duties of the executive branch.
    Tori
  • Unconscienable. And what is even more unconscienable is the fact that they can more than likely admit it because they know there will be no consequences from it. All we will get are more "investigations" and then it will be forgotten.What a damned disgrace to America these people are. But I tell you, some people I have talked to think it is OK to do it in light of 9.11... that shows you the politics of fear has worked on a segment of Americans who would be willing to throw away their own civil liberties because they were scared into it.
    JanforGore
  • "we used it on only 3 detainees" is the international war criminal's version of the common refrain when an athlete tests positive for steroids - "I only used them for a few weeks to recover from an injury"... surrreee.....
    jogglef
  • http://current.com/items/88818774_okay_okay
    A very clever Viewpoint on this issue...
    joebrilliant
  • Wow, even if it is wrong they could've just told us earlier and not lie to the world and their own American people.
    TheRemedy_181
  • Makes me ashamed of what we have become. They should all be jailed right to the very top. That could be any one of us if the "President" decides we are an enemy combatant. I'm furious that they don't start impeachment against the top two NOW.
    Marilynn_Murray

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