Bybee Says CIA Broke Torture Rules

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Jay Bybee, the co-author along with John Yoo of the infamous Justice Department memos approving torture on terrorist suspects, now says that the CIA went far beyond the guidelines the two of them set out:

For example, Bybee said, his memo, co-written with lawyer John C. Yoo, authorized waterboarding only if there were no “substantial repetitions.”

….Among the other techniques reportedly used on CIA detainees that were not approved by the Justice Department, Bybee testified, were diapering a detainee, forcing a detainee to defecate on himself, forcing a detainee to wear blackout goggles, extended solitary confinement or isolation, hanging a detainee from ceiling hooks, daily beatings, spraying cold water on a detainee, and subjecting a detainee to high-volume music or noise.

“So if these things occurred, dousing with cold water, subjecting to loud music to keep people from falling asleep, if that occurred, that means they were done without specific [Justice Department] authorization?” Bybee was asked by the committee.

“That’s right,” Bybee replied.

This is from the just released transcript of a House Judiciary Committee hearing held on May 26. The full transcript is here. Marcy Wheeler has a few followups at her place.

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