By DPA
Washington : The question of who knew what and when about the CIA’s destruction of video tapes of harsh interrogation techniques sent Washington scrambling this weekend, with the announcement of a joint investigation and reports that Congress members from both parties were briefed on the practices.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Mike Hayden revealed Friday that in 2005 it destroyed video tapes of officers subjecting two Al Qaeda terrorist suspects to harsh interrogation techniques.
Responding to a request for a criminal probe by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the CIA and the US Justice Department said Saturday they would conduct a joint investigation into the destruction. The White House has said it will help with the probe.
“I welcome this inquiry, and the CIA will cooperate fully,” Hayden said in a statement quoted by Bloomberg news. “I welcome it as an opportunity to address questions that have arisen over the destruction back in 2005 of videotapes.”
The Washington Post, quoting unnamed officials, reported Sunday that at least four members of Congress were briefed about controversial techniques such as water-boarding as early as 2002. With the 2001 terrorist attacks fresh in mind, several of them even approved of the approach. The group included current Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Post reported, but it was not clear if she had condoned the methods.
Saturday, the New York Times reported that White House and Justice Department officials advised the CIA against plans to destroy hundreds of hours of the tapes. The CIA’s top lawyer, John Rizzo, was not consulted on the decision, which was reportedly taken by the head of the CIA’s clandestine service, the Times wrote, quoting unnamed officials.
At least two tapes, made in 2002, documented the interrogations of Abu Zubaydah, an associate of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and another high-level, unidentified Al Qaeda member.
The Washington Post reported that Zubaydah had been subjected to water-boarding, a controversial practice which simulates drowning, though it was unclear whether the video tapes specifically showed that technique.
The method has been condemned as torture by human rights organisations. Republican Senator John McCain, a one-time victim of torture as a prisoner of war held for years in Vietnam, successfully led efforts to get Congress to specifically ban its use by US security officials.
Hayden made the announcement Friday after being tipped off that US media were about to publish articles on the tapes. He said the CIA disposed of the tapes after ensuring they were not the focus of any legislative or judicial inquiries and that videotaping stopped in 2002.
Hayden said the tapes were destroyed because they no longer contained valuable intelligence and posed a security risk to the agents involved if they ever became public.
The American Civil Liberties Union, a US human rights group has accused the CIA of destroying the tapes to protect the operatives from legal consequences.