Attorney General Holder May Assign Prosecutor To Investigate Torture

Enforcing The Law Would Be Right Move, Says ACLU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – According to news reports, Attorney General Eric Holder is considering assigning a prosecutor to investigate torture committed under the Bush administration. Attorney General Holder has reportedly been influenced by the contents of a still-secret report written by the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General. The ACLU obtained a heavily redacted version of the report through litigation under the Freedom of Information Act, but the ACLU is pressing the CIA to release a less-redacted version of the report immediately.

The following can be attributed to Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project:

“We’re encouraged by the reports that Attorney General Holder may appoint a prosecutor to investigate the torture of prisoners in CIA custody. A criminal investigation is clearly warranted. Torture is prohibited under both domestic and international law, yet the publicly available evidence shows that senior Bush administration officials authorized torture and that Justice Department lawyers endeavored to supply a legal basis for it. It is time to finally confront the gross human rights abuses of the last administration. Initiating a criminal investigation is a crucial step towards restoring the moral authority of the United States abroad and restoring the rule of law at home.”