Days after U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) took the helm as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee early this year, he moved to bury his committee’s 6,900-page report on the CIA torture program.
In his first major act as the nation’s top watchdog over the spy agency, Burr chose to protect the CIA by demanding that the White House return every copy of the full report shared with the executive branch by the previous Congress.
Tell Sen. Burr to stop hiding the truth from us. The people of North Carolina and the U.S. want an Intelligence Chair who will serve the public interest, not one who covers up for spy agencies.
The summary of the Senate report revealed appalling details of the U.S. government’s systematic use of torture. It catalogued numerous grave and plainly illegal abuses, many of which were authorized by the highest officials in the George W. Bush administration. It also described the CIA’s evasions and misrepresentations about its torture program to Congress, the White House, the media, and the American public.
However, the 525-page summary does not contain the entire story of CIA torture. The full 6,900-page report may shed light on the role of front companies and contractors in the torture program – for example, Aero Contractors, which provided aircraft and flight crews to launch rendition flights from a state-owned facility in Kinston, N.C. and the company’s headquarters in Johnston County, N.C.
As an elected official of the state, Sen. Burr has a particular responsibility to let the people of North Carolina know what crimes were conducted in their name.
Contact Sen. Burr on Feb. 6!
Send an email here or call him at:
Winston-Salem — Phone: (800) 685-8916 or (336) 631-5125
Washington, DC — Phone: (202) 224-3154
- The full 6,900-page Senate torture report and the CIA’s own internal review of the torture program (the so-called “Panetta Review”) must be released promptly.
- Sen. Burr must call for a complete accounting of the other victims of torture and rendition who are not mentioned in the 525-page summary.
- North Carolina citizens must have complete information about the state’s role in abetting torture by hosting CIA flights, including the names of all victims on these flights.
- The U.S. must respect its obligations under international law to ensure accountability for torture. International law requires governments to carry out independent and impartial investigations, and that anyone found responsible is brought to justice.