Recommended

Senate Report Reveals CIA Used Nudity, Cold Water Dousing on Detainees; Minority Report Argues Methods 'Saved Lives'

The lobby of the CIA Headquarters building in McLean, Virginia, is shown in this August 14, 2008 file photo. The Senate Intelligence Committee is preparing to release a report on the CIA's anti-terrorism tactics December 9, 2014 and U.S. Officials moved to shore up security at American facilities around the world as a precaution.
The lobby of the CIA Headquarters building in McLean, Virginia, is shown in this August 14, 2008 file photo. The Senate Intelligence Committee is preparing to release a report on the CIA's anti-terrorism tactics December 9, 2014 and U.S. Officials moved to shore up security at American facilities around the world as a precaution. | (Photo: REUTERS/Larry Downing)

A major report by the Senate Intelligence Committee on the CIA's advanced interrogation techniques in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. revealed that the agency used methods on detainees including nudity, cold water dousing, and abdominal hits. While the head of the intelligence panel admitted that some of the cases amounted to "torture," a rebuttal report argued that the methods "saved lives."

"Prior to mid-2004, the CIA routinely subjected detainees to nudity and dietary manipulation. The CIA also used abdominal slaps and cold water dousing on several detainees during that period," the report states.

"None of these techniques had been approved by the Department of Justice. At least 17 detainees were subjected to CIA enhanced interrogation techniques without authorization from CIA Headquarters. Additionally, multiple detainees were subjected to techniques that were applied in ways that diverged from the specific authorization, or were subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques by interrogators who had not been authorized to use them."

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the head of the intelligence panel who wrote the forward in the report, said that some of these cases amounted to "torture."

"History will judge us by our commitment to a just society governed by law and the willingness to face an ugly truth and say 'never again'," she told the Senate floor on Tuesday. "There may never be the right time to release this report. ... But this report is too important to shelve indefinitely."

President Barack Obama's administration reportedly placed 6,000 U.S. marines overseas on high alert as several U.S. officials expressed concern that the revelations could spark hostile reactions.

Mike Rogers, Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that the publication of the report was a "terrible idea" and that "foreign leaders have approached the government and said, 'You do this, this will cause violence and deaths.'"

BBC News added that the U.N. and several human rights groups have called for prosecution of U.S. officials who have been involved in the unapproved interrogation methods outlined in the report.

A minority report released by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence countered the claims that the methods were ineffective, however, and argued that the CIA's enhanced interrogation program "saved lives."

"We have no doubt the CIA's detention program saved lives and played a vital role in weakening al-Qa'ida while the Program was in operation," said the report, written by Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia; Richard Burr, R-North Carolina; James Risch, R-Idaho; Dan Coats, R-Indiana; Marco Rubio, R-Florida; and Tom Coburn, R- Oklahoma.

The minority report added about a specific case: "Our review of the documentary record revealed that Abu Zubaydah provided actionable intelligence after he was subjected to 'aggressive' interrogation in April and August 2002 that helped lead to the capture of Ramzi bin al-Shibh and other al Qa'ida associates during the Karachi safe house raids conducted on September 10-11, 2002."

The findings in the majority report are also being disputed by the recently launched "CIA Saved Lives" website, which argued that it is "marred by errors of facts and interpretation and is completely at odds with the reality that the leaders and officers of the Central Intelligence Agency lived through."

It added that the report "represents the single worst example of Congressional oversight in our many years of government service."

Obama has called some of the tactics detailed in the Senate report "brutal", "wrong" and "counterproductive", and said that they are "inconsistent with our values as a nation."

"One of the things that sets us apart from other countries is that when we make mistakes, we admit them," Obama continued, and said that he hopes such techniques will be left "in the past."

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles