US must now recover moral high ground – UN expert

　

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49578#.VItB0Uc76rU

11 December 2014 – The United States' use of torture when interrogating prisoners captured in its “War on Terror” has damaged the country's moral high ground and created a set-back in the global fight against the condemnable practice, a United Nations human rights expert has declared.
“The example set by the United States on the use of torture has been a big draw-back in the fight against such practice in many other countries throughout the world,” Juan Mendez, the UN's Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said in a news release today.
As a Special Rapporteur with a mandate to visit numerous countries across the globe, he added that now Member States were either implicitly or explicitly telling him “Why look at us? If the US tortures, why can't we do it?”
“We have lost a little bit of the moral high ground,” he continued. “But it can be regained and it should be regained.”
Mr. Mendez's comments follow the long-awaited release of the US Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA interrogation techniques which concluded that US high officials promoted, encouraged and allowed the use of torture after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and during President George W. Bush's administration. The practice, known as “enhanced interrogation techniques,” was terminated by President Barack Obama.
The Special Rapporteur commended the “thorough and frank” report, particularly as it managed to break through a wall of silence put into place by the former administration which, he said, had “aggressively and repeatedly rejected the principles of transparency and accountability and maintains the pattern of denial and defense.”
“It is the Government's responsibility to let the US people know what happened during the years when extraordinary rendition, secret detention, and so-called enhanced interrogation techniques were practiced, and to ensure accountability and transparency to the fullest extent possible.”
Mr. Mendez noted that despite the United States' continued use of torture in interrogating prisoners suspected of affiliations with terrorist groups, the practice was not an effective means of acquiring intelligence or gaining cooperation from detainees. Instead, he added, the torture programmes had made the matter of terrorism worse and provided “a breeding ground for more terrorism.”
“As a nation that has publicly affirmed its belief that respect for truth advances respect for the rule of law, and as a nation that frequently calls for transparency and accountability in other countries, the United States must rise to meet the standards it has set both for itself and for others.” 

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http://news.creaders.net/world/2014/12/11/1465460.html 

联合国酷刑问题特别报告员门德斯(Juan Méndez)对德国之声表示，美国参议院公布酷刑报告值得赞许，但令人遗憾的是，报告遭到大幅编辑。他要求相关人员受到法律制裁，同时希望俄罗斯、中国和伊朗公布本国报告。

　　德国之声：在上个月发表的一封公开信中，您和其他一些联合国专家呼吁美国公开参议院酷刑报告。奥巴马政府在面临巨大反对压力的情况下确实 发表了这份报告，您对此是否感到满意？

　　门德斯：（公开这份报告的）并非奥巴马政府，而是参议院情报委员会。不过，这还是对的，参议院也是在国际社会上代表美国的一份子。我更希望报告删减的内容不要那么多。我也希望今后能公布完整报告，而不是简要综述。我知道，数千页的文件不容易公布，但至少为了历史，为了后代子孙，应该将之公诸于世。

　　尽管如此，我必须说，就对这样一个非常艰难的话题进行调查而言，这份报告是一个非常好的样板。非常全面，涉及事件所有可能的角度。这是一幅可怕的场景，但参议院情报委员会应该得到赞赏，他们澄清了一段不容易讲述的历史。

　　德国之声：你在此过程中得到的最重要的领悟是什么？

　　门德斯：最重要的事情是，我们对于全球反恐战争起初几年里酷刑使用之普遍及其残酷性和破坏性的担忧得到了证实。但是，报告同时显示，美国国会和公众受到了多少愚弄蒙骗。但是，我确实希望每个人都将这视为第一步，美国虽然公布了报告，但尚未完全尽到义务。因为根据《反酷刑公约》，美国必须对每一个应该对此负责的人进行调查、起诉和惩处。

　　德国之声：您是否预计美国会这么做呢？

　　门德斯：不，我并不认为，但坚持这一点是很重要的。我并不期待近期内会实现，但这并不意味着今后也不会发生。我认为其他国家的经验显示了，目前看上去无法实现的事情，也许会在未来成为可能。对这些可能性继续保持期待是很重要的，以便未来能够真正实现。

　　德国之声：中国、俄罗斯、伊朗和其他那些依然存在严重人权问题的国家利用这份报告严厉谴责华盛顿政府。你认为，他们是否有资格这么做？

　　门德斯：他们想说什么都行。他们也必须履行自己的义务，而我们联合国将会继续尝试让他们尽到义务。很不幸，在这些国家里都有不少真相仍待揭开。当然 ，同时他们有权发表观点。他们加入其他一些高度民主国家对报告内容表示关注，并同时称赞报告得以公布，这也是正确的。

　　德国之声：您会呼吁中国、俄罗斯和伊朗也公布他们自己的酷刑和人权报告吗？

　　门德斯：当然。我们呼吁所有国家（公布报告），甚至对很久以前的虐待事件也是如此。我认为，调查、起诉和惩处的义务中包括进行调查工作并将结果向大众公布，这也是国际法的惯例。甚至对于那些没有签署和批准《反酷刑公约》的那些国家同样适用。所有国家都必须这样做，他们对于数十年前的酷刑案例也应该如此对待。在这一点上，巴西真相委员会公布的一份有关军事独裁期间所发生事情的批评性报告就是一个值得赞许的例子，正如美国参议院情报委员会这次公布的报告。