UN top torture investigator lashes out at Obama
Published: 20 April, 2009, 13:18
Edited: 17 February, 2010, 17:25
TAGS: Crime, Scandal, UN, Obama, Law
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak has said that it is illegal for Barack Obama’s administration not to prosecute CIA officers who carried out torture sanctioned by the Bush administration.
It follows the release a few weeks back of Bush-era memos showing the sanctioning of interrogation methods like simulated drowning, sleep deprivation and forcing prisoners into stress positions.
Nowak insists that the US must try those who had been carrying out harsh interrogation techniques. He says the US is among the countries who have signed the UN Convention Against Torture and every country that signs this international document has to abide by it. If not, this can be seen as a breach of international law which could have negative consequences for the already tarnished American image.
“The United States, like all other states that are part of the UN Convention Against Torture, is committed to conducting criminal investigations of torture and to bringing all persons against whom there is sound evidence to court,” the expert told the Austrian daily Der Standard.
Now the UN torture investigator has said that the US should be committed to conducting criminal investigations of torture and to bring in all the evidence to court.
It is important, he says, that even though some officers claim they were simply carrying out orders, this should not release them from accountability.
Manfred Nowak has said that an independent investigation should be carried out and the victims should be compensated.
Whether or not these calls will be heard at the White House remains to be seen. Nowak now plans to travel to Washington for a range of meetings with American officials.
American President Barack Obama has said that those CIA officers who were simply carrying out orders of the Bush administration should not be prosecuted and added that nothing would be gained by spending time and energy laying blame for the past.
On the other hand, the media, Internet blogs and human rights organizations have been saying that Barack Obama, during his election campaign, promised transparency and accountability. He has shown transparency when he exposed the Bush memos to the public, but accountability is something the American public has yet to see.
Nowak is not the first to criticise Obama's decision to protect CIA interrogators. Earlier, different human rights groups have voiced their concerns over the decision, saying charges are necessary to prevent future abuses and hold people accountable.
Washington, however, is unlikely to face any legal sanctions for its apparent breach of international law, but “naming and shaming has its impact and usually governments try not to be criticized,” Nowak added.
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The american philosophy is this: you do as I say but not as I do. Not having condemn those CIA murderers is not a surprise. The western nation's type of justice like that phony International Tribunal of The Hague is a shame. Not a single french, english or american officer who has practiced torture has ever been prosecuted... Consequently, Iran, North-Korea or any other country not particularly appreciated by the West; who fear for its safety cannot trust the global institutions manipulated by America. They have the right to possess nuclear arms since Israel has them. Please, tell me: what concret action has that man taken, except a smile to Iran, a pad on the back to Mr Chavez, a good word for Cuba and a hand-shake to Mr Medvedev...How many nuclear weapons has-he destroyed; how many military bases set-up all over the world has-he closed; how many nuclear-submarines has-he retired and when will his missiles defence-shield be scrapped ? Like were his predecessors, that man is a joke; even at à time when his country is in a desperate situation. Sorry Futur Generations ! Sincerely. Jean-Claude Meslin Tel: +33450240275
A wise man once said clean your own house before you look at others. Where was U.N when the prisoners where being tortured. Guess U.N is supposed to keep an eye on the warning nations as to what treatment is met to prisoners.