Hmmm...it's all very disturbing, really horrible.

They haven't destroyed all the evidence. it will be on the bodies and in the psychological sequelae in the minds of their victims and in first hand testimony of the witnesses and perpetrators; the latter who will never be able to escape from the horrors of what they have done.

The Americans don't have to pretend they need to need to go to Japanese testimony to confront at the evils of watreboarding, which is clearly illegal under their own domestic laws:

http://www.isthatlegal.org/archives/2007/11/if_it_was_tortu.html

This is almost certainly in violation of Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT), and Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I expect, though can't verify, that the US is a signatory to both these items. In which case, I would also expect (though can't verify) that it exists as US law.

The news article seems to be suggesting that:
The prisoners were tortured while in CIA custody; and
The prisoners were tortured while in one or more Eastern European countries; before
Being rendered to the United States' Guantanemo Bay facility.

I'd be interested to know:
Whether these E. European countries were signatories; and
What the authors of the UNCAT think of this CIA interpretation of:
Article 2. (That torture cannot be inflicted by a nation "in any territory under its jurisdiction.").
Article 3 ("No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture." But of course Guantanemo Bay doesn't count, because they allegedly torture them elsewhere.

But of course all of this looks to be legally moot, as technomist pointed out above.

I'm tempted to write, "With allies like this, who needs enemies?"

I would think it obvious to anyone with even have a moral brain that torture is wrong. And anyone with half an intellectual brain that it's also ineffective. Not to mention when the truth outs it backfires.

C.

yeah, what he said.

seriously though that's the most important point of all - it just acts as a recruitment tools for the people you are fighting against. So it gets messier and messier.

We used to say this about Northern Ireland twenty years ago, the american war machine calls it "the battle for hearts and minds".

this is the battle they are so blatantly loosing, and all the stinger missiles and nukes and robot spy-planes in the world, won't make a bit of difference.

Even just wars, whatever that might be, make us all evil.

Iranian are having a field day with this news shouting "Great Satan" in the street. They say this is true human rights and liberty in US. "Death to America" is regularly chanted as a mantra against US.