The special rapporteur added that he welcomes the publication of the report and that the US administration is "to be commended for resisting domestic pressure to suppress these important findings."
Emmerson also said that the summary of the "report, which was released this afternoon, confirms what the international community has long believed — that there was a clear policy orchestrated at a high level within the Bush administration, which allowed to commit systematic crimes and gross violations of international human rights law.”
Raising the possibility of former US officials being arrested when they travel, Emmerson concluded that “torture is a crime of universal jurisdiction. The perpetrators may be prosecuted by any other country they may travel to. However, the primary responsibility for bringing them to justice rests with the US Department of Justice and the Attorney General.”
The full comprehensive report contains a 6,300-page description of CIA interrogation techniques used against detainees including waterboarding, threats of sexual assault, forced nudity, prolonged sleep deprivation, use of stress positions, mock executions, threats against children and family, use of power drills and many other torture practices carried out in CIA detention centers around the world.
A full probe into the interrogation practices was commissioned by the Intelligence Committee back in 2009. The investigation, resulting in a roughly 6,300-page report, was finalized and authorized in December 2012, despite disagreements between Republicans and Democrats within the committee.
