Americans' torture support disturbing

More disturbing, however, is a Pew Center survey released on Dec 15, because 51 percent of the respondents have justified the torture methods used by the CIA. Only 29 percent of the respondents opposed the EITs, with the rest not having any opinion. About 56 percent said they believed EITs helped elicit intelligence from suspects, which, in turn, helped prevent terrorist attacks. And just 28 percent said they did not succeed in getting the right information.

The survey results pose a direct challenge to what Obama and Feinstein have renounced. They could even send the wrong message to and embolden the CIA to continue using the inhuman techniques.

And shockingly, people who should be held responsible for using EITs were given a lot of airtime on US mainstream media in the past week to defend themselves. Former CIA director Michael Hayden probably talked more than any other invitee on TV the past week. Their arrogance on screen is a slap in the face of justice. Former US vice-president Dick Cheney even declared on TV: "I will do it again."

Most people cannot remember the last time when the US mainstream media gave so much airtime to foreigners accused by the US of violating human rights and other international laws.

So unless the US takes serious action to truly proscribe EITs and educate the public, inhuman torture of terrorism suspects and prisoners will not stop anytime soon.

The author, based in Washington, is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 12/20/2014 page6)