I must agree that this is abysmal reporting. In some contries this guy would probobly be criminaly liable for his statements.
BTW. How come we havent heard more about the convention against torture? It would apear we have signed and ratified it. Unlike the Geneva Convention it has no loopholes intended to allow the strong to overun the week. Part 1, Artical 2, paragraph 2 is pritty clear.
A sample
Part I
Article 1
1. For the purposes of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.
...
Article 2
1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.
2. 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.
3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm