No: 387, 11 December 2014

The comprehensive report prepared by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on the interrogation of suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) following September 11, 2001 was released to the public. The preparation and release of this controversial report by the US authorities is a positive step in terms of transparency.

The first assessments of the report indicate that grave violations of human rights were perpetrated by US official authorities in the period concerned.

The protection of fundamental rights and freedoms is one of the most basic responsibilities of contemporary democracies. Therefore, the practices enumerated in the report cannot be condoned in any way. Torture and other brutal, inhuman or degrading treatments or punishments are unacceptable under any circumstance. Besides being a humanitarian and legal responsibility, the protection of human rights is also extremely important in obtaining results in combating terrorism.

To avoid the repetition of such acts, it is necessary to bring to justice those who, as stated in the report, violated laws and democratic practices by completely ignoring established universal norms.

After the perusal of the report, our would-be assessments may be shared with the public.