U.S. national intelligence chief Mike McConnell has said the interrogation technique of water-boarding "would be torture" if he were subjected to it. He also said there would be a "huge penalty" for anyone using it if it was ever determined to be torture. CIA officials have been quoted as saying that water-boarding has been used on three prisoners since 2001, including al-Qaeda recruiter Abu Zubaydah, but on nobody since 2003.
The U.S. Attorney-General has declined to rule on whether the method is torture. However, Michael Mukasey said during his Senate confirmation hearing that water-boarding was "repugnant to me" and that he would institute a review.
In December, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation techniques such as water-boarding. George Bush has threatened to veto the bill (which would require the agency to follow the rules adopted by the US Army and abide by the Geneva Conventions) if the Senate passes it.
No comments:
Post a Comment