House Passes Ban on CIA Waterboarding

The House of Representatives today approved a bill that would forbid the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods, including waterboarding, Reuters reports. The measure follows revelations that the agency destroyed tapes showing al Qaeda suspects subjected to simulated drowning. But the bill still has to pass the Senate, and has already incurred the promise of a presidential veto.

The legislation directs US intelligence officials to abide by the Army Field Manual in interrogation procedures, a document in line with the Geneva Conventions on the fair treatment of prisoners of war. "This would mean no more torture," one Democrat told Bloomberg. But President Bush still claims the US does not torture, though he refuses to disclose what techniques are used. (More CIA videotapes stories.)