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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Ex-CIA agent alleges waterboarding took place before authorization memos

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

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[JURIST] A former CIA counter-terrorism agent alleges that top al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded prior to the issuance of legal memos justifying the practice, the BBC reported Monday. John Kiriakou, who was part of the CIA team that captured Zubaydah in Pakistan, said that the detainee was subject to the controversial interrogation technique prior to the August 2002 issuance of legal guidance from the Office of Legal Counsel. Kiriakou claims that former US President George W. Bush had approved the technique in writing before the memos were authored. Kiriakou transferred out of the counter-terrorism section in July 2002. The use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" became a contentious issue following allegations of mistreatment made by Kiriakou and others. Last week, it was reported that US Attorney General Eric Holder is still considering appointing a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture during the Bush administration. In April, members of the US House Judiciary Committee urged Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations of torture against Bush administration officials. Earlier in April, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) reiterated his calls for a non-partisan truth commission to investigate authorization of enhanced interrogation techniques. Calls for an independent investigation of Bush administration interrogation policies intensified after the Obama administration released four top secret memos outlining the legal rationale behind controversial techniques. In January, outgoing Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Michael Hayden defended the use of controversial interrogation techniques.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 14, 2009 (boomark / email).