Spanish Judge Gives Go-Ahead on Torture Investigation

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


This just came over the AP wire:

Spain’s top investigative magistrate has opened an investigation into the Bush administration over alleged torture of terror suspects at the Guantanamo prison.

The new investigation by Judge Baltasar Garzon (whom Mother Jones profiled in 2004 and discussed again this January) comes after he was instructed earlier not to open an inquiry into six former Bush administration officials, including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Garzon’s latest ruling does not name specific individuals, but will “investigate both those who carried out torture and those who ordered or cooperated with it,” according to Reuters. When David Corn, Mother Jones’ Washington bureau chief, asked White House press secretary Robert Gibbs about Garzon’s plans two weeks ago, Gibbs joked about it. David pointed out that “If an investigation proceeds, Obama could well have to decide whether or not to comply with Spanish requests for US government documents–that is, to help or hinder the investigation.” Now that Garzon is going forward with an investigation—this time without the names—will the Obama administration take it seriously, or keep kidding around?

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate