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Calls to reopen CIA abuse cases | Calls to reopen CIA abuse cases |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The US justice department is calling for about a dozen prisoner abuse cases to be reopened, US media say. | |
The recommendation could lead to the prosecution of CIA employees and contractors over the treatment of terrorism suspects, the reports say. | |
The call comes as justice officials are set to disclose previously censored parts of a key report on inmate abuse. | |
President Barack Obama is also now reported to have approved a new elite team to question key terror suspects. | |
Criminal inquiry | Criminal inquiry |
The call for the reopening of the prisoner abuse cases - mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan - was made by the US Department of Justice's ethics office, the New York Times reported. | |
FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE class="" href="http://bbc.co.uk/worldservice/index.shtml">More from BBC World Service | |
The cases account for about half of those that were referred to the justice department by the inspector general of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but which were later closed. | |
The recommendations to review some cases, which would reverse Bush administration policy, have been sent to US Attorney General Eric Holder. | The recommendations to review some cases, which would reverse Bush administration policy, have been sent to US Attorney General Eric Holder. |
He is set to announce soon whether he will appoint a prosecutor to investigate alleged abuse by CIA agents. | He is set to announce soon whether he will appoint a prosecutor to investigate alleged abuse by CIA agents. |
It is expected that he will go ahead with a new criminal inquiry. | It is expected that he will go ahead with a new criminal inquiry. |
Such a decision would pose problems for the CIA. | |
It would also have political ramifications given President Obama's desire to leave questions over the Bush administration's interrogation practices in the past, correspondents say. | |
Harsh methods | |
The department of justice's call came as the CIA inspector general prepared to unveil a fuller version of a key report on the handling of terror suspects. | |
A heavily censored version of the 2004 internal report was released last year, but in an almost meaningless form because so much remained classified, the BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from Washington. | |
Barack Obama has approved a new unit to question terrorism suspects | |
A federal judge ordered more details to be released on Monday, after a legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union (Aclu). | |
According to US media, the report by the inspector general details how a gun and an electric drill were brought into an interrogation session of suspected USS Cole bomber and alleged al-Qaeda commander Rahim al-Nashiri, in a bid to frighten him. | |
In another case, a gun was fired in another room to lead a detainee to think another suspect had been killed. | |
The US has banned harsh interrogation methods, including death threats. | |
Even under the Bush administration's controversial interpretation of the law, causing "severe mental pain" by the "threat of imminent death" was considered illegal. | |
Meanwhile, senior officials told US media on Monday that the new unit to question key terrorism suspects had been approved by President Obama. | |
It will be called the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group. | |
It is to be composed of experts from several intelligence and law enforcement agencies. | |
The group will be housed at the FBI but will be overseen by the national Security Council, giving the White House direct oversight, the Washington Post reported. | |
A US intelligence official told Associated Press news agency the CIA welcomed the move as it did want involvement in long-term detentions. |