US Senate Outlaws Abusive Interrogation Techniques

On February 13 the US Senate passed legislation barring the CIA and other intelligence officials from using waterboarding, or mock drowning, and other cruel interrogation techniques. In passing the Intelligence Authorization Act, the Senate mandated that all interrogators abide by the same interrogation rules already used by the US military-rules that explicitly prohibit abusive interrogations. Human Rights Watch has strongly advocated for a single standard of interrogation, and worked closely with lawmakers to include this in the recently passed legislation. Waterboarding has long been considered a war crime under the laws of war and is, like other abusive interrogation techniques, already illegal under any reasonable interpretation of US and international law. The bill is now being considered by President Bush, who has historically supported the CIA's use of unlawfully harsh interrogation techniques, and is now threatening a veto, in defiance of Congress.