ABA president seeks new US review of alleged CIA mistreatment of detainees
ABA President William C. Hubbard is asking Attorney General Loretta Lynch to conduct a new review of alleged CIA mistreatment of detainees held at overseas locations.
Hubbard noted ABA policy condemning the use of torture in his letter (PDF) to Lynch, according to an ABA press release. Hubbard’s letter called for a new, comprehensive review of all available evidence and, if warranted, “appropriate proceedings” against law breakers.
The Justice Department conducted a preliminary investigation of alleged CIA mistreatment of detainees in 2009, but determined the evidence was insufficient for a torture prosecution, Hubbard said. Since then, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has collected extensive documentation on the CIA interrogation program that calls into question the 2009 conclusions, Hubbard wrote.
Hubbard also cited questions raised by the U.N. Committee Against Torture about whether a complete and impartial investigation had been conducted.
Hubbard’s letter praised the Senate’s approval last week of an amendment that would require government interrogators, when acting outside of a law enforcement context, to abide by the Army Field Manual on Interrogations. According to the New York Times, the amendment to the defense authorization bill would have the effect of banning harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding.
Enacting the amendment, Hubbard said, would be a “vital and important step” in clarifying U.S. policy and restoring the country’s reputation as a leader in the international rule of law.
“But more still needs to be done,” Hubbard said. “The ABA remains concerned that the United States has not fulfilled its obligation to ensure full accountability for those alleged to be responsible for conducting and authorizing illegal and inhumane interrogations.”
