Document - USA: Former President’s defence of torture highlights need for criminal investigations

Former President George W. Bush’s confirmation that he authorized the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” against detainees held in secret US custody serves to highlight once again the absence of accountability for the crimes under international law of torture and enforced disappearance committed by the USA during what the previous administration called the “war on terror”.

It has long been known that six days after the attacks of 11 September 2001, President Bush authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), among other things, to set up secret detention facilities outside the USA. Multiple human rights violations were committed against detainees held in the CIA’s secret program. Those who authorized and carried out these abuses have not been brought to justice.