us abusive to the world

US accused of torture policy
Wednesday 18 January 2006
aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/64E74D9A-72DE-4525-9883-926B2A9BE47E.htm

The report says the US is undermining human rights worldwide
The report accuses Bush of seeking to justify torture

The United States has a deliberate strategy of abusing terror suspects during interrogation, Human Rights Watch has said in its annual report on abuses in more than 70 countries. ...

In recent years, Human Rights Watch has emphasised its conviction that abuses in the name of fighting terror are unjustified and counterproductive.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of the group, said he remained worried over Bush assertion that he retained "commander in chief authority" to order abusive interrogations.

The report said that last March CIA Director Porter Goss justified a torture technique called water-boarding, in which the victim is made to believe that he is about to drown.

In addition the report noted that in Senate testimony last August Timothy Flanigan, a former deputy White House counsel, said the administration would not rule out the use of mock executions in interrogation situations.

It went on to add that evidence shows abusive interrogation has been a conscious policy choice by senior US government officials and cannot be reduced to the misdeeds of a few low-ranking soldiers. ....