Reply #12: link- it's not torture if we pretend they were never in US custody

[maddezmom]

Justice Memos Explained How to Skip Prisoner Rights
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Another memorandum from the Justice Department advises officials to create a situation in which they could plausibly claim that abused prisoners were never in United States custody.

That memorandum, whose existence was acknowledged by two former officials, noted that it would be hard to ward off an allegation of torture or inhuman treatment if the prisoner had been transferred to another country from American custody. International law prohibits the "rendition" of prisoners to countries if the possibility of mistreatment can be anticipated.

The former officials said that memorandum was explicit in advising that if someone were involved in interrogating detainees in a manner that could cross the line into torture or other prohibited treatment, that person could claim immunity only if he or she contended that the prisoner was never in United States custody.

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=571318&mesg_id=571318