It’s a major news day here at the ACLU of Massachusetts – we just found out that Attorney General Eric Holder going to go forward with the previously reported CIA prisoner abuse cases, and he’s already appointed a prosecutor.
John Durham, a 25-year veteran of the Justice Department, will head the investigation into the approximately 12 cases of alleged prisoner abuse.
That’s not all. On the heels of this announcement, the Obama administration revealed that an entirely new office will be created to handle all future interrogations.
From an NPR news post:
“The High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group will be managed by the FBI, although it will continue to draw upon interrogation experts at the CIA, the Defense Department and other agencies. A director for the office has yet to be named, but the number two official will come from a U.S. intelligence agency.
Under new rules, U.S. interrogators will be required to adhere to the Army Field Manual’s regulations on interrogations. This will limit the use of some harsher techniques, including sleep deprivation, while other controversial techniques – including waterboarding – have already been banned.”
We applaud the leadership involved with these decisions . Both measures are set to increase accountability of intelligence gathering agencies and place limitations on interrogation practices, sorely needed measures in the face of alleged widespread abuse.
