Today, Obama violated the Convention Against Torture
Today, Obama absolved CIA agents who tortured on the grounds that they were under orders. In other words, he tells us they are innocent of any crime.
So it is clear that two kinds of people will need to be prosecuted:
1-) Those who tortured (CIA Agents), and
2-) Those who told them to torture.
"In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution," the president said.
This violates the Convention Against Torture, to which we are bound, which states in Article 2:
1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political in stability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.
3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm
Why did we sign that shit if we were not going to respect it?
CIA agents must not torture prisoners, even if a guy named Yoo, Bush or The Pope instructs them to do so.
Update: In addition to Article 2, Article 146 of the same Convention Against Torture states:
"Each High Contracting Party shall be under the obligation to search for persons alleged to have committed , or to have ordered to be committed, such grave breaches, and shall bring such persons, regardless of their nationality, before its own courts."
So it is clear that two kinds of people will need to be prosecuted:
1-) Those who tortured (CIA Agents), and
2-) Those who told them to torture.
