By Max J. Castro                                                                   Read Spanish Version
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It is time for truth and justice. A country of laws cannot allow a heinous crime like torture to go unpunished. One instance of torture would have been too many. Now, thanks to newly declassified Justice Department memos, we know that there was not one, or two, or three applications of torture. There were hundreds.

Waterboarding alone, a torture technique with a long and sorry history dating to the Spanish Inquisition, was practiced a total of 266 times on two detainees. One was waterboarded 183 times in one month, an average of six times a day! A third detainee was waterboarded an unknown number of times. And there were many other techniques, from slamming the head against a wall to painful stress positions to sleep deprivation for days that were practiced in combination against an unknown number of detainees.

Defenders of these practices, most notably Dick Cheney, claim they produced invaluable intelligence. From the legal and moral standpoint, the argument is irrelevant. But, in fact, if these practices were so effective how come they had to be repeated dozens of times? The bulk of the evidence is that torture is not only illegal but also ineffective.

The practices that have come to light are illegal under international and U.S. laws regardless of the memos concocted by Bush’s legal minions. By now, thanks to numerous investigations, including a recently leaked report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (available on the web site of the New York Review of Books,) we know a lot about the numerous things that were done and under whose authorization. But we are still missing some pieces of the puzzle. More than that, we are missing a parceling out of responsibilities and the meting out of appropriate punishment for the lawlessness.

It is not a question of retribution but of simple justice. At a minimum, we need a criminal investigation by an independent prosecutor and a Congressional inquiry. President Obama has done a great service by releasing the torture memos and banning illegal interrogations. He is being savaged by members of the last administration and by the right-wing media for doing it. They are poised to blame Obama should there be another attack against the United States. And, given the enormous problems the country faces, it’s understandable that he would want to move ahead rather than to open a Pandora’s Box. But respect for the rule of law and for the Constitution trumps political expediency and requires accountability.

Impunity invites repetition, and only truth and justice can cleanse the reputation of the United States and ensure that it never happens again. Impunity was a hallmark of the Bush administration. Obama cannot afford to follow in such footsteps. So far, statements by the president and his aides seem to imply that no one will be held accountable for what former Vice President Dick Cheney euphemistically calls “the program.” To give the torturers and their bosses a pass would set a terrible precedent that could haunt this country for decades to come.