Dear ACLU Supporter,
In response to an ACLU lawsuit, the Justice Department just released four memos that provided the basis for the Bush administration's illegal torture program.
We'll have more to say about the horrific content of these memos in the days ahead, but in the meantime we commend the Obama administration for making good on its commitment to transparency. We also commend concerned citizens like you who have supported and fought alongside the ACLU’s legal team in the long struggle to get these crucial memos released.
But exposing the truth is only the first step. It’s now imperative that the Justice Department investigate issues of criminal responsibility for the crimes that took place in the CIA’s secret prisons.
The ACLU has been fighting for the truth about torture and detainee abuse for more than five years. This is a major breakthrough, but we must continue to demand a thorough criminal investigation.
The torture memos should never have been written -- the actions they justified violated domestic and international law and damaged America’s reputation in the world. They authorized interrogators to use the most barbaric interrogation methods, including methods that the U.S. once prosecuted as war crimes. It’s now the Justice Department’s responsibility to make sure that the architects of the torture program are held accountable. Senior officials who authorized torture should not be shielded from investigation.
We are hopeful that by releasing these memos, the Obama administration has begun to turn the page on an era in which the Justice Department became complicit in some of the most egregious crimes.
Sincerely,
Jameel Jaffer
Director, National Security Project
ACLU
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