(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The Senate Intelligence committee released what has been called the "torture report" Tuesday and cited deep criticisms of Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) use of "enhanced intelligence techniques" post-9/11 under Bush Administration and deemed it ineffective and torturous.
The report describes interrogation practices to include slaps, slamming detainees against the wall, sleep deprivation up to 180 hours, nudity, and water-boarding.
The CIA is also accused of misrepresenting its techniques to policy makers and other executive offices. The CIA is quoted claiming its practices as "an open, non-threatening approach" and the "least coercive technique possible." As a result of these activites detainees were reported with psychological and behavioral issues such as hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia and attempted self-mutilation.
At the COBALT detention center detainees were "subjected to what was described as a 'rough takedown,' in which approximately five CIA officers would scream at a detainee, drag him outside of his cell, cut his clothes off, and secure him with Mylar tape. The detainee would then be hooded and dragged up and down a long corridor while being slapped and punched." The CIA is then accused of impeding Congressional and White House oversight and decision-making. The operation and management of the program, "complicated, and in some cases impeded, the national security missions of other Executive Branch agencies." This including blocking the State Department from accessing information, "crucial to foreign policy decision-making and diplomatic activities." Within the CIA's program itself, the Senate report indicated that there was no comprehensive or accurate accounting of the number of individuals detained within its facilities. Personnel were rarely held accountable and ignored internal critiques as well.
The program then ended in 2006 because of, "unauthorized press disclosures, reduced cooperation from other nations, and legal concerns." The Senate thus found further costs to the US' standing in the world, monetarily and non-monetarily. It cited millions of dollars in funding for detention facilities abroad that were never used due to political concerns in host countries.
The release of this report was pushed primarily by Senate Democrats who are soon to lose their political majority in Congress in the start of 2015. Since the report was completed in 2012, Democratic Senator and Chair of the Intelligence Committee Dianne Feinstein has worked for the release of the report.
In remarks she gave to the Senate floor today she said, "there may never be the right time to release this report. But this report is too important to shelve indefinitely." She also noted that she is "confident in the accuracy of the report", which was trimmed down from 6,000 to 500 pages for public release.
After Feinstein's remarks, Republican Senator John McCain, who was a prisoner of war for five and a half years, stressed to the floor that the practices in the report, "stained our national honor." Yesterday, before the report was released, Former Vice President Dick Cheney said in an interview with The New York Times that, "They (CIA) deserve a lot of praise. As far as I'm concerned they ought to be decorated, not criticized." On the notion that the CIA was working out of bounds, Cheney stressed, "I think that's all a bunch of hooey. The program was authorized." In advance of the release of this report, the US military put thousands of troops on high alert to protect Americans and US facilities abraod.
"There are some indications that ... the release of the report could lead to a greater risk that is posed to US facilities and individuals all around the world," said White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest to reporters Monday.
"The administration has taken the prudent steps to ensure that the proper security precautions are in place at US facilities around the globe," he added.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.