National Religious Campaign Against Torture Urges Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate CIA Interrogation Tapes
Monday, December 10, 2007
(Washington) -- The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a campaign of over 130 religious organizations working together to abolish U.S.-sponsored torture, sent the following letter today to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, urging him to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate allegations regarding the CIA's destruction of videotapes and its use of "harsh" interrogation techniques.
December 10, 2007
The Honorable Michael Mukasey
Attorney General
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Attorney General Mukasey:
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), a campaign of over 130 religious organizations working together to abolish U.S.-sponsored torture, requests that you appoint a Special Counsel to investigate the destruction of the CIA videotapes that document the use of "harsh" interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists and whether these techniques violated U.S. and international law.
According to a New York Times article of December 7, 2007, several officials have said that "the tapes were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that video showing harsh interrogation methods could expose agency officials to legal risks." Furthermore, there appears to be credible evidence that requests for the tapes by a federal court at the time such video tapes were intact may have been ignored by the CIA. These two allegations, if true, would be evidence of the use of illegal interrogation tactics by U.S. personnel and an effort to cover-up that fact.
These allegations raise serious concerns that must be fully and fairly addressed in order to retain the trust and confidence of the American people in our intelligence and justice systems.
A key point of controversy during your confirmation process involved your statement that one particular "harsh" interrogation technique (namely, waterboarding) was not necessarily torture. Also, it is possible that top Justice Department officials may have been involved in counseling the CIA about both the techniques used and the handling of the tapes. For these reasons, we believe it is necessary for you to appoint a Special Counsel, independent of the normal Justice Department chain of command, to conduct this investigation. We believe a Special Counsel is critical to achieve the confidence of the American people in the outcome of such an investigation.
NRCAT believes that torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved - policy-makers, perpetrators and victims - and it contradicts our nation's most cherished values. We believe that any policies that permit torture and inhuman treatment are shocking and morally intolerable.
We urge you to use your good offices to ensure that the public learns the truth behind these allegations and has confidence in the final outcome. We believe the appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to accomplish that task.
Sincerely,
Linda Gustitus, President
Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director
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www.tortureisamoralissue.org
CONTACT: Rev. Richard Killmer, 202-547-1920 or rkillmer@nrcat.org
