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DOJ Memo Allowed Severe, But Short-Term, Mental Pain in Interrogations
Newly released documents confirm that a secret Justice Department memo authorized waterboarding by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2002, according to a press release by the American Civil Liberties Union. The memo allowed harsh interrogation techniques causing severe mental pain that is not long-lasting.
The August 2002 Justice Department memo (PDF) was released as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The previously undisclosed document concludes U.S. law permits interrogation methods that cause severe mental pain as long as they do not cause “harm lasting months or even years after the acts were inflicted upon the prisoners.” The memo was signed by then-Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, now a federal appeals judge.
The memo… Continue reading...
