Human Rights Group Renews Appeal for Torture Memo Report

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Human Rights Group Renews Appeal for Torture Memo Report
By Ryan J. Reilly | February 16, 2010

Tuesday marked one year since Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sent a letter to the Justice Department asking about the status of DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility’s investigation into the conduct of Justice Department lawyers who authorized the so-called “torture memos,” writes Human Rights First, which describes itself as a nonpartisan international human rights organization.

The report has not been officially released, but there have been news stories about its purported contents that have not pleased a number of organizations. They have expressed disappointment over the reported outcome of the OPR report, which, according to Newsweek, says the lawyers did not violate their professional obligations as lawyers. The DOJ reviewer of the report, career veteran David Margolis, downgraded an earlier draft of the report to say they showed “poor judgment,” sources told Newsweek.

Most recently, a Justice Department spokeswoman told Main Justice that the report would be released “soon,” but declined to offer a time frame or comment on the Newsweek report.

“ year to the day after Senators Durbin and Whitehouse sent their , we still have no idea when the OPR report will be released, or what is now holding it up,” writes Daphne Eviatar, of Human Rights First.

more:http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/02/16/human-rights-group-renews-appeal-for-torture-memo-report/