Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Justice Memos Endorse Torture

Officials gave green light for array of painful interrogation techniques

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 4, 2007 9:56 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – The Justice Department under Alberto Gonzales secretly endorsed the use of torture techniques during interrogation by the CIA, the New York Times reports. A classified 2005 legal memorandum authorized the harshest  techniques ever used by the CIA, the Times says, including a combination of head-slapping, waterboarding, sleep deprivation, freezing, loud noises and other forms of physical pain.

While the White House had publicly abandoned the right to deploy such techniques in 2004, and dissent over their use had roiled the Justice Department, Gonzales approved a memo declaring them legal when he became AG, and they remain in effect, the Times says, despite congressional and Supreme Court efforts to impose limits. Interrogations have been conducted "lawfully, with great care and close review” and have  "helped our country disrupt terrorist plots and save innocent lives," said a CIA spokesman.

Jade Lai holds a sign as she listens to speakers at a rally protesting the American Psychological Association participating in military interrogations at Guantanamo Bay in San Francisco, Friday, Aug. 17, 2007. Psychologists will consider a measure banning members of their profession from working with interrogators at U.S. military...
Jade Lai holds a sign as she listens to speakers at a rally protesting the American Psychological Association participating in military interrogations at Guantanamo Bay in San Francisco, Friday, Aug....   (Associated Press)
A detainee is moved by military guards at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba in this May 1, 2007 file photo. Critics have long complained that military panels at Guantanamo Bay recommend continued detention of inmates based on little evidence. Documents obtained by The Associated Press may...
A detainee is moved by military guards at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba in this May 1, 2007 file photo. Critics have long complained that military panels at Guantanamo Bay recommend...   (Associated Press)
A detainee shields his face as he peers out through the so-called bean hole which is used to pass food and other items into cells, within the detention compound at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba, in this Dec. 4, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a U.S. Dept...
A detainee shields his face as he peers out through the so-called "bean hole" which is used to pass food and other items into cells, within the detention compound at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba,...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

The Torture Dilemma

Graphic describes how Executive evolved its views on torture
New York Times

How torture issue will impact confirmation of new Attorney General
New York Times

World • Politics • US

 
Congress • CIA • torture • Alberto Gonzales • Department of Justice • Guantanamo Bay • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed • terrorist • black sites • interogation • head slapping • waterboarding • freezing temperatures • US Supreme Court

More Newser Stories

Waterboarding Isn't Easier 2nd Time, or 183rd

CIA Waterboarded Gitmo Detainee 183 Times in a Month

Waterboarding Is Illegal: Justice Dept.

CIA Acknowledges Waterboarding 3 Suspects

Torture Played ‘Small Role’ in bin Laden Hunt
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne