Possible good news.
The Obama administration is close to appointing a special criminal prosecutor to investigate alleged abuses by the CIA of prisoners held at detention centres around the world.
Eric Holder, the US attorney general, is tilting towards prosecution after reviewing Bush-era memos detailing individual cases relating to the treatment of prisoners. He is said to have been “sickened” by what he read. One of the memos, written in 2003, is due to be published, at least in part, later this month.
The US approach contrasts with that of the UK, where the foreign secretary, David Miliband, and the home secretary, Alan Johnson, yesterday continued to resist pressure over the torture and abuse of detainees abroad, saying it was not possible to eradicate the risk of mistreatment,
A US criminal investigation would focus on CIA agents and others alleged to have gone beyond guidelines laid down by senior figures in the Bush administration.
[Click to continue reading Obama administration close to investigating alleged abuses by CIA | World news | The Guardian]
I’d be a lot more happy if the Bush Cheney gang of thugs were included in an indictment instead of low-level employees who were just Sergeant Schultz, following orders.