– ‘Symbol of tyranny’-
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to Twitter to declare the United States a “symbol of tyranny against humanity” — not just in the CIA torture program but in domestic law enforcement.
The United Nations said the program violated international law and basic human rights, and British-based advocacy group CAGE demanded criminal proceedings.
Around the world, human rights bodies demanded that current US President Barack Obama — who halted the torture but has not gone after the perpetrators – take legal action.
That is unlikely. In Washington, a senior official told reporters that nothing in the Senate Intelligence Committee report would change a decision not to prosecute.
The report, released by Democratic committee chair Dianne Feinstein over the objections of some of her Republican colleagues, said CIA torture had been more brutal than previously acknowledged.
It was also badly supervised and ineffective, it found.
In response to the report, Obama acknowledged that torture had been counterproductive and contrary to American values.
“No nation is perfect,” he said. “But one of the strengths that makes America exceptional is our willingness to openly confront our past, face our imperfections, make changes and do better.”
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