(New York) – Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union have written to US Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to order a criminal investigation into torture and other serious abuses relating to the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation and detention program.
In a letter sent to Holder, Human Rights Watch and the ACLU said the summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA program released on December 9, 2014, revealed significant new information that points to the commission of serious federal crimes. A special prosecutor should investigate such crimes, including torture, conspiracy, sexual assault, and homicide, and prosecute where appropriate.
“The Senate torture report shows that CIA officials knew their methods were illegal and tried hard to cover them up,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “A full investigation is necessary to show that torture in the name of national security is still a criminal offense.”
