Letter to the Editor: Past Torture Abuses Should be Investigated

Allegations of torture carried out by U.S. officials may sound like a broken record, but the recent report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reveals shocking new details.

The ICRC reports that prisoners held by U.S. government officials in secret CIA prisons were forced to stand for days in painful positions and denied of solid food for just as long. CIA officials wrapped prisoners in plastic, covered them with cold water and smashed them headfirst into walls.

Torture is criminal. These tactics violate U.S. and international law. Thankfully,
President Obama has moved to ensure that torture doesn’t happen again and that Guantanamo is closed. But it is hard for the United States to take steps forward when it keeps tripping over new revelations of past abuse.

The U.S. government shouldn’t have to wait until a well-respected, impartial
organization accuses it of torture to investigate human rights violations. But now that it has, the Obama administration and Congress must seek out a full accounting of past abuses through an independent commission of inquiry. It’s time to expose and finally close this dark chapter in the nation’s history.

Nehal Amer
President, Amnesty International: MSU Chapter

Letter to the Editor
November 17, 2009

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