March 8, 2005

The Muslim Public Affairs Council has called for an immediate end to the Bush administration's secret program of sending accused criminals to foreign countries that engage in torture as a commonplace tool for interrogation.

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that between 100 and 150 suspects have been transferred from U.S. custody to foreign countries, including Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan. President Bush signed the directive, which provides broad authority for the CIA to engage in such transfers of suspects, in the days following 9/11. This practice, known as rendition, was previously applied on a specific case-by-case basis, and required approval by several government departments. The secret directive removes this critical layer of accountability.

SEE: "Rule Change Lets CIA Freely Send Suspects Abroad to Jails" (New York Times) 

In the State Department "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" issued on February 28, governments cooperating with the United States through the CIA were yet again shown to act in violation of core human rights practices, including torture. If the Patriot Act and other legislation were designed for communication among federal agencies, one hopes the CIA would read the State Department report. Turning a blind eye to the abuse and torture of Americans overseas violates bedrock principles of customary international law as well as treaties outlining clear human rights standards. Article 2 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture states, "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture."

SEE: "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" (2004 State Department Report)

Prominent human rights groups have criticized the Bush administration for not providing terrorist suspects the full protection of American law, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for endorsing more permissive policies on torture during his tenure as White House counsel. Although the administration publicly declares its intention to win over the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, media reports document numerous incidents of what one official calls "outsourcing torture." This gross double standard represents a shocking disregard for American values and human dignity. Torture does not produce accurate information and reinforces an international perception that the United States suspends law when it acts, thereby providing an opportunity and role model for those governments interested in breaching the rule of law.

Recent cases proceeding through the courts of law and public opinion include those of Ahmad Abu-Ali, an American citizen who says that he was tortured during his yearlong imprisonment in Saudi Arabia, and Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was picked up at JFK airport in New York and sent to Syria where he says he was imprisoned for 12 months and beaten.

SEE: "The Strange Case of Ahmed Omar Abu Ali" (FindLaw)

America's position in the world will be determined not only by its adherence to long-cherished values of individual freedom and dignity, but also by the manner in which our government treats criminal suspects. The presumption of innocence and the fair and humane treatment of all suspects are core threads in the fabric of our legal system.

Defending America starts with protecting those values which make us a great nation. MPAC sees clearly its role in leading an American effort to reshape the image of our nation in the Muslim world. Similarly, we are committed to ensuring that those policies which have crippled our nation in the forum of international public opinion are seen for what they are: a human attempt resulting in counterproductive counterterrorism.