27 March 2012 - A Polish investigation into CIA black sites has made a meaningful step towards accountability for torture. Zbigniew Siematkowski, former chief of Polish intelligence services, has reportedly been charged with "unlawful deprivation of liberty" and "corporal punishment" against prisoners of war for facilitating the CIA's torture of terror suspects in Poland. Jameel Jaffer, ACLU Deputy Legal Director, had this reaction:
This is an important and welcome development. Every state that has signed the Convention Against Torture has an obligation not just to prevent torture but to hold accountable officials who authorize or facilitate it. As a signatory to the Convention, the United States has this obligation, too. By shirking this obligation, we undermine our ability to promote human rights abroad and erode the rule of law here at home.The ACLU has been at the forefront of exposing the U.S. government's torture policy. ACLU litigation under the Freedom of Information Act has resulted in the release of more than 100,000 pages of government documents relating to the Bush administration's torture program, including information on the CIA's secret prisons. read more>>>
No comments:
Post a Comment