Inquiry into destroyed CIA tapes

The CIA said the tapes no longer had any "intelligence value" The US justice department and the CIA are launching a joint inquiry into the CIA's destruction of two videotapes of interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects. CIA chief General Mike Hayden said the agency would co-operate fully with the inquiry, which will decide whether a full investigation is necessary. Democrats have accused the CIA of a cover-up to hide evidence of possible torture and abuse of detainees. The CIA says it destroyed the tapes to protect the identity of its agents. Justice Department officials, lawyers from the CIA general counsel's office and the CIA inspector general are expected to begin their inquiry early this week. The past six years, the Bush administration has run roughshod over our ideals and the rule of law Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy In a statement, Gen Hayden welcomed the move, describing it as "an opportunity to address questions that have arisen over the destruction back in 2005 of videotapes". The White House had no immediate comment on the decision. In an earlier internal memo to CIA employees, Gen Hayden said the CIA had begun taping interrogations as an internal check in 2002 and decided to delete the videos because they no longer had "intelligence value" and posed a security risk. President George W Bush has said he has "no recollection" of the tapes' existence and was not aware of the plan to destroy them. Obstructing justice The inquiry follows angry calls by leading Democrats for a criminal investigation into the CIA's actions. 'CIA ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES' Water boarding: prisoner bound to a board with feet raised, and cellophane wrapped round his head. Water is poured onto his face and is said to produce a fear of drowning Cold cell: prisoner made to stand naked in a cold, though not freezing, cell and doused with water Standing: Prisoners stand for 40 hours and more, shackled to the floor Belly slap: a hard slap to the stomach with an open hand. This is designed to be painful but not to cause injury Source: Described to ABC News by un-named CIA agents in 2005 CIA boss faces credibility test Senator Dick Durbin, the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, called on the US attorney general to investigate whether CIA officials had violated the law. Others accused the CIA of a cover-up and described the CIA's explanation as "a pathetic excuse". "The past six years, the Bush administration has run roughshod over our ideals and the rule of law," said veteran Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. "Now, when the new Democratic Congress is demanding answers, the administration is feverishly covering up its tracks," he said. The House and Senate Intelligence Committee are beginning their own inquiries. New questions The CIA revelation has also drawn criticism from civil liberties and human rights groups. Michael Hayden wrote to all CIA employees about the tapes The Human Rights Watch said the wiping of the tapes was "destruction of evidence", and described the reasons given by the CIA as "disingenuous". The American Civil Liberties Union accused the agency of showing an utter disregard for the law. Correspondents say the news is likely to trigger more questions about the interrogation techniques used by the CIA and whether they amount to torture. The techniques are alleged to have included water-boarding, a method in which a suspect is made to feel he is drowning. Human rights groups say that water-boarding - and other techniques allegedly used by the CIA - can be defined as torture under various international treaties to which the US is a signatory. The Bush administration has always maintained that it does not allow the use of torture. The tapes are thought to have shown the interrogation in 2002 of a number of terror suspects, including Abu Zubaydah, who had been a chief recruiter for the al-Qaeda network.

미 중앙정보국 동영상 파기사건 파문 확산 (E)
12/08/2007

미 중앙정보국이 2002년 당시 테러용의자를 심문하는 장면이 담긴 동영상을 파기한 것으로 발표한 이후 파문이 확산되고 있습니다.

미국 언론들은 한 백악관 당국자가 중앙정보국에 이 동영상을 파기 하지 말것을 조언했다고 보도했습니다.

중앙정보국이 2005년에 동영상을 파기하기 전에 이를 보존할 것을 백악관 법률보좌관이었던 헤리엇 마이어스 씨 및 미국 법무부 당국자들 그리고 의원들이 조언했다고 미국의 유력 일간지인 뉴욕 타임즈가 보도했습니다.

그러나 2005년 당시 중앙정보국의 비밀업무 책임자였던 호세 로드리게즈 씨가 심문 동영상을 파기할 것을 명령했고, 이러한 지시에 대해 중앙정보국의 법률 자문관과 상의하지도 않았다고 뉴욕 타임즈는 보도했습니다.

이 사건에 대해 민주당 의원들은 분노하고 있으며 관련 청문회를 열 계획입니다.

U.S. news agencies say the CIA was advised by a former senior White House official not to destroy videotaped interrogations of terror suspects.

The reports say former counsel Harriet Miers urged the intelligence agency to preserve the tapes before they were destroyed in 2005. "The New York Times" says officials in the Justice Department, along with some senior members of Congress, also advised the CIA to keep the tapes.

The videotapes were ordered destroyed by Jose Rodriguez, who was then in charge of the CIA's covert operations division. The "Times" says he did so without informing the CIA's legal counsel.

The incident has angered Democratic Party lawmakers, who have promised to hold hearings on the matter. The Senate's second-ranked Democrat, Richard Durbin (of Illinois), is asking Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate whether the CIA obstructed justice.(미국의 소리)