Camp XRay and the UN Torture Covention

According to a Reuters report, the Pentagon is considering applying the standards of the UN torture convention to the use of evidence during the trials of those being held at Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay. That would mean any evidence obtained through means deemed torture by the convention would not be admissable.

This is a major development. True, Bush has repeatedly claimed that the US does not, and has not, condoned torture, but applying the international standards of the UN convention would be a major confirmation of the US commitment to international human rights standards. This new policy, if it is put in place, should help restore some of the luster to the tattered US public image.