• Press Release

Hiding Torture Report Opens the Door to Repeating History

June 2, 2017

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The Trump Administration is returning copies of the Senate’s 2014 full report on the CIA’s secret detention and torture program to the Senate Intelligence Committee, effectively keeping it buried indefinitely. Elizabeth Beavers, senior campaigner with Amnesty International USA, made the following statement in reaction:

“This could be the Trump administration’s first step in a plan to reinstate a policy of torture. By burying the history of torture, the Trump administration risks repeating it. The details of this report must be brought to light. Those responsible for the actions described in the report must be held accountable.

“If this report is hidden from public view, it will be a massive step backward to a time when the U.S. refused to admit to conducting torture. Top cabinet officials committed to reading the Senate report during their confirmation hearings, and still must keep that promise. The report must be made public.”

Amnesty International detailed the U.S. government’s inaction following the release of the report in a 2015 briefing: Crimes and Impunity