Top JAGs challenged definition of torture, interrogation policy News
Top JAGs challenged definition of torture, interrogation policy

[JURIST] At a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing [witness list, statements; JURIST report] Thursday, three top military lawyers said they had lodged complaints about the definition of torture [text] put forth by the US Department of Justice [official website] and its application to the interrogations of enemy combatants held by the US. The testimony marked the first time the JAGs have publicly acknowledged objections to the policy as it was being developed by the Pentagon in 2003. Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) [official website] who chaired the hearing yesterday, expressed concern that the objections might have been ignored, leading to policies that fostered an abusive environment at detention facilities. Graham stated, "If they had listened to you from the outset, we wouldn't have a lot of the problems we've dealt with." The Washington Post has more.