December 22, 2004
A document released for the first time today by the American Civil
Liberties Union suggests that President Bush issued an Executive Order
authorizing the use of inhumane interrogation methods against detainees
in Iraq. ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said the documents
raised grave questions about who was to blame for widespread
detainee abuse. "Top government officials can no longer hide from
public scrutiny by pointing the finger at a few low-ranking soldiers,"
he said. The documents were obtained after the ACLU and other public
interest organizations filed a lawsuit against the government for
failing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request. The
American Civil Liberties Union brought the case to determine whether
the US was mistreating prisoners. The two-page e-mail that references
an Executive Order states that the President directly authorized
interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation, stress positions,
the use of military dogs, and "sensory deprivation through the use of
hoods, etc." The ACLU is urging the White House to confirm or deny the
existence of such an order and immediately to release the order if it
exists. The White House was quick to respond to this
allegation, saying: "What the FBI agent wrote in the e-mail is wrong.
There is no executive order on interrogation techniques." [more] and [more] and [more]