World leaders and international organizations have condemned the extreme interrogation techniques used by the CIA in its Detention and Interrogation Program following the release of a detailed report on the agencys torture program.MOSCOW, December 10 (Sputnik) Reactions fromworld leaders and international organizations have been pouring infollowing the release ofa summary ofwhat the media has labeled the CIA torture report.
The review was produced bythe US Senate Intelligence Committee aftera thorough investigation ofCIAs Detention and Interrogation Program. The program authorized CIA officers touse extreme interrogation techniques, including sleep deprivation, waterboarding, painful stress positions, dietary manipulation, walling, 'rectal rehydration' or rectal feeding, etc. All ofthem amount tonothing less thantorture, according tothe US Senate Intelligence Committee.
The UN welcomed the release ofthe report onthe CIA's torture program. The Administration is tobe commended forresisting domestic pressure tosuppress these important findings, said Ben Emmerson, UN special rapporteur oncounter terrorism and human rights.
It is now time totake action. The individuals responsible forthe criminal conspiracy revealed intodays report must be brought tojustice, and must face criminal penalties commensurate withthe gravity oftheir crimes, he added inastatement publishedbythe Office ofthe High Commissioner forHuman Rights.
International law prohibits the granting ofimmunities topublic officials who have engaged inacts oftorture. This applies not only tothe actual perpetrators butalso tothose senior officials withinthe US Government who devised, planned and authorised these crimes. As a matter ofinternational law, the US is legally obliged tobring those responsible tojustice, he added.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, commented onthe report, stating that torture is wrong. Torture is always wrong. Those ofus who want tosee a safer, more secure world, who want tosee this extremism defeated, we wont succeed if we lose our moral authority, if we lose the things that make our systems work and our countries successful,he saidata joint press conference withAhmet Davutoglu, Turkeys prime minister.
A Twitter account believed tobe run bythe office ofIrans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted a series oftweets using hashtag #TortureReport condemning the practice. One ofthe tweets said that the US is a symbol oftyranny, adding that even Americans face violence athome. The sentiment was repeatedly expressed inother tweets.
Khamenei.ir@khamenei_irFollow
#TortureReport #Ferguson http://goo.gl/cP2snz
4:26 PM - 10 Dec 2014
Khamenei.ir@khamenei_ir
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They claim they've a prideful nation; US govts. debased & misguided their ppl who aren't aware of many realities.#TortureReport 10/31/12
3:36 PM - 10 Dec 2014
Khamenei.ir@khamenei_ir
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Today,US govt. is symbol of tyranny against humanity;even American ppl are faced w cruelty #ToutureReport #HumanRightsDay #Ferguson 7/28/07
3:20 PM - 10 Dec 2014
The report onthe interrogation techniques, used bythe CIA, confirms the systematic use oftorture againstterror suspects, Russian Foreign Ministry's human rights ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov said. "US Senate's report confirms the systematic use oftorture inCIA prisons inviolation ofinternational obligations ofthe United States. It is a well-known fact," Dolgov tweeted onTuesday.
Anatoly Kucherena, a Russian lawyer representing Edward Snowden, said that torture is unacceptable underany circumstances. However one tries tojustify torture, it curtails basic human rights. Physically no one can survive abuse. Anyone can admit toanything underpressure, he said.
"China has consistently opposed torture," said Hong Lei, a spokesman forChinas Foreign Ministry, asreported byBloomberg. "We think the U.S. should reflect onthat and correct related practices, toearnestly abide byand honor the regulations ofinternational conventions," he added.
The US seems tobe using human rights issues asa political tool, Chinas state news agency Xinhua said inan opinion piece onthe report. The US is neither a suitable role model nor a qualified judge onhuman rights issues inother countries, asit pertains tobe. Yet, despitethis, people rarely hear the U.S. talking aboutits own problems, preferring tobe vocal onthe issues it sees inother countries, including China, it stated.
Amnesty International called the release ofthe report a wake-up call forthe US urging the government torelease the full inquiry, the NGO said ina press release. The declassified information contained inthe summary, while limited, is a reminder tothe world ofthe utter failure ofthe USA toend the impunity enjoyed bythose who authorized and used torture and other ill-treatment. This is a wake-up call tothe USA, they must disclose the full truth aboutthe human rights violations, hold perpetrators accountable and ensure justice forthe victims. This is not a policy nicety, it is a requirement underinternational law, said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director ofAmnesty International.
Marine Le Pen, the leader ofthe far-right Front National, sparked controversy withher remarks onthe CIA report and the interrogation techniques the agency employed. The politician initially said she did not condemn torture. Of course [torture] can be used. Its been used throughouthistory, Le Pen stated onWednesday, asquoted byFrance 24. I believe that the people responsible forgetting information outof terror suspects that can savecivilian lives do a responsible job, she added.
Le Pen later said her comments were misinterpreted ina post onTwitter. When dealing withterrorism we cant behave likeangels, she tweeted. But by any means means withinthe law, so obviously not torture, she clarified.
Marine Le Pen?@MLP_officiel
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Interprtation malveillante. Face au terrorisme, pas d'anglisme. "Les moyens qu'on peut" : les moyens de la loi, videmment pas la torture.
1:04 PM - 10 Dec 2014
By Sputnik News
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