US torture - when can the prosecutions start?
Jonathan Power; 18/4/08
If the US prosecution system weren’t so generally competent, I would advocate referring the US to the International Criminal Court so that senior figures in the Bush administration could be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity, in particular the use of torture. But it is competent, although it has been hamstrung by the clever legal footwork of the Bush administration, plus the use of the presidential veto - as with the recent veto of legislation that would have required the CIA and all intelligence services to abide by the restrictions contained in the US Army Field Manual on holding and interrogating prisoners. We all know that the US practices torture against terrorist suspects - water boarding or simulated drowning is clearly that - and we all know that when a new president is elected, given the clear statements of the remaining three candidates, the practice will stop. What we don’t know is if a new president will have the guts to open the windows in the Justice Department and allow the fresh air of the rule of law to blow into every corner.