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No Confidence In Bush Administration’s Ban on Torture Techniques

by American Civil Liberties Union - 07/23/07 4:46 PM ET

Late Friday July 20, the Bush Administration put out an executive order on CIA interrogation techniques. The order takes some steps in the right direction, particularly where it explicitly bans CIA practices such as induced hypothermia and prohibits specific acts of humiliation. It also includes broader bans on torture and cruel and inhuman treatment, as defined in the War Crimes Act. But of course, the Executive Order is only as good as the people applying it. If any of the recent past presidents, Republican or Democrat, were applying this order, we wouldn’t have any doubt that it means an end to torture and abuse by the CIA. However, with President Bush’s record of playing word games with anti-torture laws, we do not have the same confidence that the torture and abuse has stopped and will not start up again.

What is disturbing is that there is a classified guidance that was also issued with this executive order, and we have no idea what is in that or if it is in compliance with the Geneva Conventions.

The administration put the order out as a result of a request from Congress in the Military Commissions Act.