USA: Vote to declassify summary of CIA detention report is a positive step, but falls short of what’s needed

© Amnesty International

The important question is not whether torture “worked”; torture is illegal and always prohibited, regardless of its efficacy. The question is whether President Obama will do enough to ensure that the CIA never uses torture again

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
MEDIA ADVISORY

USA: Vote to declassify summary of CIA detention report is a positive step, but falls short of what’s needed

(03 April 2014) The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) has voted today in favour of declassifying the summary and findings of its review of the secret detention programme, authorised by former President George W. Bush in September 2001 and ended by President Barack Obama in 2009.

"Today, the Senate began peeling back the veil of secrecy which has been covering the truth about the CIA’s interrogation practices for more than a decade. The public has a right to know the full story of the CIA’s programme,” said Steven Hawkins, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA.

"The important question is not whether torture “worked”; torture is illegal and always prohibited, regardless of its efficacy. The question is whether President Obama will do enough to ensure that the CIA never uses torture again,” he added.

"For a start, the President should ensure quick declassification and prevent the CIA from alone deciding what is made public. Furthermore, he should take the initiative and declassify the full report, as well as the CIA’s rendition, detention and interrogation programme itself," he concluded.

Amnesty International has released a public statement in reaction to the SCCI’s vote. You can read it here. 

Zeke Johnson, Director of Amnesty International USA's Security & Human Rights Program, is available for interviews on this issue. You can reach him on [email protected] and on the phone: +1 646.853.9779.