ABA Prez Denounces Torture

ABA President William H. Neukom is calling on Congress to override government actions “that make torture legal in everything but name.”

In an editorial offered for publication, Neukom criticizes two formerly secret Justice Department memos justifying harsh interrogation techniques in terrorism cases and a July 2007 White House executive order that appears to allow some coercive techniques.

“The executive branch has publicly pledged that our government is complying with the Geneva Conventions, but covert opinions that allow mistreatment of captured enemies inevitably create doubts and uncertainty,” he wrote. “Congress must eliminate any exceptions or loopholes that violate our nation’s values. There must be an absolute ban on torture.”

Former President Jimmy Carter also weighed in on the issue recently, telling CNN that President Bush appears to be making up his own definition of human rights. "Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights," he said.