The 6,300-page Senate report on CIA “enhanced interrogations” remains officially classified, but that hasn’t stopped CIA officials from repeatedly and loudly condemning the report publicly, insisting it is filled with unspecified errors.
There seems to be only one way to get the CIA to shut up about that report, and that’s to ask them about it in a Congressional hearing, which is what Senate Intelligence Committee officials tried to do today, pushing for more details about CIA conduct.
CIA Chief John Brennan would only say he “disagrees” in general terms with what the Senators are saying, and that he believes the conversation shouldn’t take place during public hearings.
Committee chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D – CA), ever a close friend to intelligence officials looking to cover things up, concurred, and repeatedly interrupted other committee members’ questions to say that they should save them for a future “closed door” hearing that may or may not ever happen.
The Senate report was said to be intensely critical of the CIA’s conduct in the interrogations/torture of detainees, and there is another CIA internal review group report that is also said to be quite critical of the policies, though it is likewise secret and being kept from Congress as well as the public.
Well it would have been more simple to have not TORTURED anyone in the first place that was the law, which the CIA ignored, they KNEW Waterboarding was illegal along with the other methods they used and are probably still using today! As for Congress they themselves are responsible for those War Crimes and for other Grave breaches of Geneva!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is an offence under the 3rd Schedule of Geneva
Article 131
No High Contracting Party shall be allowed to absolve itself or any other High Contracting Party of any liability incurred by itself or by another High Contracting Party in respect of breaches referred to in the preceding Article.
We must remember that it was Geneva which the SCOTUS used to overturn the Bush laws in Hamdin V Rumsfeld, as such Geneva has bearing here as does The anti torture treaty. The above Geneva article relates to.
Article 130
Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the Convention: wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, compelling a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of the hostile Power, or wilfully depriving a prisoner of war of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in this Convention.
Remember those rights include article 3 Prisoners as well as the article 4 prisoners denied their status due to non compliance with Article5!
….And they have violated every last one. This is a failure by the state to meet their obligations to investigate violations and to take appropriate measures by ensuring that those suspected of criminal responsibility are prosecuted.
Why can'r Congress legislate to declassify these reports? It is the secrecy which is preventing accountability. And if Feinstein can't get it right, why is her party not dumping her for someone who can??
Per Executive Order 13526, the originating agency is responsible for declassification. And what makes you think any government agency is likely to be accountable?
and as far as DiFi goes, she gets elected and raises lots of money for the party…
The CIA won't be breaking clean about war crimes. Not now and certainly not anytime in future.
This is what comes of the failure to prosecute the Bush Admin crimes. It all comes back to that. The intelligence community just keeps at it, and will keep doing it until stopped. Bush promoted guys who think like that and pushed it, then Obama didn't stop it, so it goes on forever.