Amnesty Intl responds to Bush's executive order on treatment of detainees

Yesterday, in an apparent PR move, George W. Bush signed an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees in the "war on terror".

Apparently he felt this was necessary even though he keeps telling us that "we do not torture."

Is this a reason for hope? Is this country finally taking a much-needed step towards restoring a respect for human rights and the rule of law? Does Bush suddenly have a moral conscience?

Probably not, unfortunately.

Below is a statement by Jumana Musa, Amnesty International USA's advocacy director for domestic human rights and international justice, in response to yesterday's executive order:

-----

"Today's executive order is noteworthy for what it does not say as much as for what is does state. Although the order prohibits sexual assault or abuse, sexual humiliation and denigration of religion, the deafening silence on other techniques that the CIA may have used, such as waterboarding, the cold room technique and sleep deprivation, speaks volumes. The United States can no longer hide behind the specter of national security and providing so-called 'too much information' to Al Qaeda to avoid an outright rejection of such patently unlawful techniques.

"The broader problem with this executive order is that it works off the mistaken contention that there is a global war that extends the law of war framework to every corner of the world. This misappropriation of humanitarian law has been used by the administration to avoid human rights law and assert ultimate executive authority over detention and interrogation of anyone President Bush designates an 'unlawful enemy combatant.'

"Also, this order is designed to determine the lawfulness of interrogation techniques that can be used in the CIA's 'program of detention' -- widely known as an illegal program of 'disappearances' and secret prisons. A legitimate interrogation regime cannot cure the illegality of this despicable practice and does not bring this nation in line with its treaty obligations.

"The fact that President Bush continues to assert the authority to engage in secret detentions and applies that authority to a broad range of people who can picked up anywhere around the world indicates an unrepentant administration that seeks to minimize the rule of the law."

-----