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Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 9 December 2014

US torture, Syria, ICC, children's rights, Uganda, China, Israel, Qatar, 2014 in photos

The US Senate finally released its summary of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program in the aftermath of 9/11. The 499 page summary of a 6,000 page report describes horrific cases of torture, some even more egregious than previously thought, that took place over years in hidden sites around the world. Anyone who reads the notorious “torture memos” readily sees them as strained, intellectually dishonest attempts to justify the unjustifiable that was exposed for all to see today. Contrary to statements by numerous US officials, the report shows that torture produced little if any intelligence of value.
The UN has called for the prosecution of the CIA staff and US government officials involved. President Obama still has two years to prosecute the officials who authorized the torture.
The report also reveals that the CIA's program was aided by many countries throughout the world.
In the last year, the Kremlin successfully pressed Damascus to permit cross-border humanitarian aid. That has helped medical treatment, food, and shelter to reach Syrian civilians in rebel-held areas. If Russia wants to further demonstrate positive leadership in Syria, it should also insist on an end to the indefensible barrel-bombing of civilians.
As a major international donor, the US has invested in many programs to help women raped during war. But a decades-old policy on “family planning” keeps it from providing care after the woman has been raped. This policy should not apply to victims of sexual violence and President Obama should unblock funding to allow for that care.
From this morning: Exactly one year after their abduction there is still no news on the fate of four Syrian human rights defenders. Razan Zaitouneh, Samira al-Khalil, Wael Hamada and Nazem Hammadi – known as the 'Douma Four' – remain missing 12 months after they were taken from Douma, a city near Damascus under the control of armed opposition groups.

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