Delahunt vs. Torture

Of more than local interest: via Yglesias, US Rep. William Delahunt is drumming up support in Congress for a bill prohibiting United States agencies from using torture. Amazing that it has to be said, but that's the world we live in these days. The statement is about as strong as it could be, which is satisfying to see:

We urge you to join us in cosponsoring “The American Anti-Torture Act of 2007” to ensure a uniform, minimum standard for interrogations of detainees by the U.S. government. The American Anti-Torture Act ensures that individuals in U.S. custody are not tortured, a core standard already embodied in the Army Field Manual. In doing so, it reasserts basic American values as a basis for government action.

Congress took an essential step toward prohibiting torture by American personnel with the adoption of the McCain Amendment, the first part of which requires the Department of Defense to adhere to the Army Field Manual when interrogating detainees[1]. The Amendment had overwhelming bipartisan support. It was passed by a Republican-controlled Congress, winning the votes of 46 Republicans and 44 Democrats in the Senate and 107 Republicans and 200 Democrats in the House. The American Anti-Torture Act simply extends this first part of the McCain Amendment to all U.S. agencies.

The American Anti-Torture Act would thus ensure a single, uniform, baseline standard for all interrogations conducted on persons in the custody of, or under the effective control of, the U.S. Government. The bill would clarify that interrogation techniques that are prohibited for use by the military’s own field manual on interrogations are similarly prohibited if used by the CIA or other government agencies. Like the McCain Amendment, the bill would not apply to individuals in custody under a criminal or immigration law of the United States.

Torture is inconsistent with democratic principles of freedom and is a violation of the right to be free from cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment at the hands of the government, a core protection embodied by the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Moreover, torture has never proven to be more effective than other methods of interrogation. Indeed, many critics – including former CIA agents – worry that torture yields unreliable information and that the U.S. government’s apparent willingness to bend its own prohibitions on torture undermines our standing in the world. It aides our enemies’ propaganda against us.

Torture is abhorrent to American moral values and inconsistent with our deep adherence and respect for the rule of law. We should not make ourselves vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy, nor expose our troops to potential mistreatment by adhering to anything less than the standards of a civilized nation. By once and for all outlawing torture, we will be demonstrating our commitment to that standard. 

 But … how will Jack Bauer save us?

Please share widely!

0

0