The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, with the support of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, recently released a new Portrait in Oversight describing two in-depth Senate investigations into the torture and mistreatment of individuals in U.S. custody during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both oversight investigations—the first by the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2004 to 2009, and the second by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 2007 to 2014—collected evidence exposing the role of senior U.S. defense and intelligence officials in devising, approving, and directing the use of brutal interrogation methods on Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay detainees.
Both Senate investigations also led to enactment of new laws to prohibit the future abuse of individuals in U.S. custody.
“The explosive release of 2004 photos showing prisoners being tortured at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq shocked the American public and led to worldwide condemnation of U.S. brutality,” said Jim Townsend, director of the Levin Center. “This new Portrait in Oversight demonstrates how Congress exposed government misconduct, held U.S. military and intelligence officials accountable for what they did, and paved the way for laws to prevent this shameful history from repeating itself.”
“Checks and balances are the foundation of the American governmental system," said Jane L. Campbell, President & CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. "It's therefore vital to the health of our democracy that Congress continues to exert its power of oversight on our co-equal branches of government. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society thus commends the work of the Levin Center to inform Americans of the history of this vital process, including the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.”
The portrait was released in observance of the 16th anniversary of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s action on November 20, 2008, approving a 265-page report detailing how senior U.S. Department of Defense officials ordered abusive interrogation methods to be used on U.S. detainees. Six years later, on December 9, 2014, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released to the public a 700-page executive summary of its still classified report on the role of the Central Intelligence Agency in the misconduct.
To read “Portraits in Oversight: Congress Investigates the Torture and Mistreatment of War Detainees,” visit https://levin-center.org/what-is-oversight/portraits/torture-investigation.
Portraits in Oversight is a series of profiles developed by the Levin Center of past congressional investigations and key figures in the history of legislative oversight. Together, the portraits explore congressional oversight from 1792 to the modern era. To access previous Portraits, visit https://levin-center.org/oversightscholars/portraits.
The Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy was established in 2015 to carry on the legislative oversight legacy and vision of Senator Carl Levin, Michigan’s longest serving Senator. For additional information, visit https://levin-center.org.
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