Overseas Detentions to Continue

The practice of sending suspected terrorists overseas for detention and interrogation, which drew criticism during the Bush administration, will continue during Barack Obama’s tenure in office, The New York Times reports. Obama is instituting a new interrogation unit, positioned within the Federal Bureau of Investigation and known as the High-Value Interrogation Group, to oversee questioning of terror suspects. This move takes power away from the Central Intelligence Agency, which has been criticized for its harsh interrogation methods like those detailed in a report declassified Monday. An administration official said that the power granted to the State Department will increase: “the emphasis will be on insuring that individuals will not face torture if they are sent over overseas.” Human-rights groups, however, criticized the decision. “It is extremely disappointing that the Obama administration is continuing the Bush administration practice of relying on diplomatic assurances, which have been proven completely ineffective in preventing torture,” said Amrit Singh of the American Civil Liberties Union.