Back in 2007, former President Bush defended U.S. detention and interrogation practices for supposed terror suspects, saying "this administration does not torture people." The recent release of the U.S. Senate's terror report has revealed how very untrue this statement is.
Revealed in the 600-page CIA Torture Report are hideous, disgusting, and inhumane abuses committed by CIA officials against "terror suspects." This includes what amounts to sexual assault -- detainees were subjected to rectal feeding or what the CIA calls "rectal rehydration." They were held in stress positions, deprived of sleep, and waterboarded. They were held alone in cells and shackled to walls with only a bucket for human waste. CIA officials threatened to rape and kill detainees' mothers. CIA officials held an "intellectually challenged man" captive to use as leverage to get information from his family -- information the family did not have.
Topping it all off: The two psychologists who helped the CIA create the torture techniques were awarded over $81 million of US taxpayer money. The CIA spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the torture program, and it did NOT reveal any information that was useful in catching "terrorists." In fact, the treatment of prisoners may even be fueling terror in the world, not preventing it.
There are few words to express the disgust and disdain the American people feel for the abhorrent acts committed in their name. Please sign this petition to demand the Department of Justice hold senior Bush administration officials, the CIA, and US government officials involved in the creation and implementation of this torture program accountable for these sickening and inhumane crimes so that they may never happen again.
