WASHINGTON—In a letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the President to ensure that the U.S. strongly and proactively articulates its policy of neither condoning nor practicing torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances.
The letter, sent ahead of the meeting of the UN Committee against Torture that opens today in Geneva, reads in part: “I urge you to ensure that the United States sends a clear, unequivocal message that torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and is prohibited in all times and in all places, by all U.S. personnel, in all capacities…the United States’ ability to combat torture around the globe is directly related to our own credibility on this issue.”
The full text of the letter can be found below.
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October 31, 2014
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In mid-November, the United States will participate in a meeting of the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva and discuss the most recent U.S. report submitted under the UN Convention Against Torture. I urge you to ensure that the United States sends a clear and unequivocal message that torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is prohibited in all times and in all places, by all U.S. personnel, in all capacities.
As a legislator, I understand the complex challenges of drafting, interpreting, and implementing laws that relate to conduct in both civilian law enforcement and military operations. As Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I am also acutely aware that the United States’ ability to combat torture around the globe is directly related to our own credibility on this issue.
I am concerned that technical legal debates in Geneva on technical issues such as the source of legal norms (e.g., the Geneva Conventions, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, or the Torture Convention) may obscure what should be a crystal-clear message: the United States does not condone and will not practice torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. I urge you to ensure that the United States position is clear.
Sincerely,
Benjamin L. Cardin, U.S.S.
Chairman
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
