Recent letters written by the Justice Department were reportedly sent to Congress alleging that American intelligence operatives can legally use interrogation methods that might otherwise be prohibited under international law if the operatives are attempting to thwart terrorist attacks — translation: the Justice Department is effectively continuing to redefine the meaning of justice, showing how highly politicized it has become and using delusional ‘legal rationale’ to obstruct justice while helping the Bush administration keep their illicit activities covered up.
The legal interpretation outlined in the letters sheds new light on rules for interrogations by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)…which still remain secret. The Bush administration argues that boundaries for interrogations should be subject to some latitude, even under an executive order issued last summer that President Bush said meant that the CIA would comply with international strictures against harsh treatment of detainees.
Geneva Conventions Common Article 3 prohibits “outrages upon personal dignity.” A March 5 letter sent to Congress by the Justice Department makes clear that the Bush administration has not drawn a precise line in deciding which interrogation methods would violate that standard and is reserving the right to make case-by-case judgments.
Some legal experts are critical of the Justice Department interpretation — and that’s all it is — that seems to be arguing that the prospect of thwarting a terror attack could be used to justify interrogation methods that would otherwise be illegal. The Justice Department says that the purpose of the interrogation would be just one among many factors weighed in determining whether or not a specific procedure could be used.