UN Officials Urge Prosecutions Over Interrogation Methods

Top U.N. officials are talking about prosecution for U.S. officials and CIA agents who authorized or carried out torture of terror suspects in the years that followed the 9/11 attacks.

But it's not clear just how the prosecutions would take place -- since the Justice Department has declined to prosecute, and the U.S. is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
 
The U.N.'s high commissioner for human rights says it's "crystal clear'' under international law that the U.S. is obligated to hold people responsible -- since it ratified an international treaty against torture 20 years ago.
 
A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the U.N. chief hopes yesterday's Senate report on the harsh interrogation practices is the "start of a process'' toward prosecutions, because the ban against torture is "absolute.''
 
But a Justice Department official says the department doesn't plan to reconsider its decision not to prosecute anyone for the interrogation methods.

The official said the department had reviewed the committee's report and did not find any new information that would cause the investigation to be reopened.