WASHINGTON, DC -- Six months after the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released a comprehensive report on the CIA’s detention and “enhanced interrogation” of suspected terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators led by Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), as well as senior members of the Intelligence Committee, Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), are teaming up to ensure torture is not part of U.S. national security policy.

This week, the senators offered a bipartisan anti-torture amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would strengthen the legal prohibition against torture and codify certain aspects of a 2009 executive order signed by President Obama, effectively barring all U.S. government officials from using interrogation techniques that are not authorized by and listed in the U.S. Army Field Manual.

“The use of torture is abhorrent and stands in stark contrast to our Constitution and values.  It is not an effective tool to obtain reliable intelligence.  As we continue to confront the threat of terrorism at home and abroad, we are reminded that we are stronger as a nation when we remain true to our democratic principles,” stated Reed.  “I commend Chairman McCain for speaking out and taking action to prohibit the use of torture.  Senator McCain reminds us that we must adhere to our highest ideals and that the lives and health of our own soldiers are at stake here.  We cannot expect our forces to be treated according to the conventions and laws that govern civilized society if we depart from them.  That is a powerful message.  It is no surprise coming from someone like Senator McCain whose personal experience and courage lends incredible credibility and support to these efforts.”

The amendment would also require that the Army Field Manual be reviewed every three years, with possible relevant revisions by agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Justice, Director of National Intelligence, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and that it be used as the standard for all government interrogations.  The measure seeks to increase transparency and improve oversight and ensure the U.S. lives up to its international human rights commitments by mandating the International Committee of the Red Cross is notified of, and given timely access to, individuals detained in U.S. custody.

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