Torture Memos To Be Released

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

From the BBC:

The US Justice Department is set to publish four secret memos detailing the legal justification for Bush-era CIA interrogation methods.

The release of the memos stems from a request by civil rights group the ACLU.

The request has sparked fierce debate within the US government, with reports suggesting some in the CIA want parts of the memos to be blacked out.

They fear full disclosure could trigger lawsuits against agents and embarrass allies, the New York Times said.

Critics of the Bush administration's interrogation programme say the memos are likely to provide evidence that many of the methods authorised amount to torture under US and international law.

There has been a rift within the Obama administration about how much of the documents should be made available to the public or how much they should be redacted.

Attorney General Eric Holder and White House Counsel Greg Craig have been vocal supporters of full publication of the memos, according to reports.

But CIA chief Leon Panetta and Deputy Director John Brennan have been calling for portions of the memos to be blacked out, or redacted, the New York Times has reported.