Subject: Use of torture and inhumane treatment of terrorist suspects in the USA

The measures used to combat terrorism in the USA have already resulted in many cases in the violation of the fundamental rights of detainees. A number of reports by human rights organisations have noted that people arrested on suspicion of engaging in terrorist acts did not have access to a lawyer and were also deprived of the right to communicate with relatives. In some cases, moreover, according to the Secretary-General of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, suspects are being tortured on the pretext of non-cooperation with the investigative authorities.

What is the position of the European Union on the violation of the principles of international law on human rights, and the International Convention against Torture, which the USA has ratified and which prohibits the use of torture or inhumane treatment to extract confessions from detainees, and how will the Commission respond to the risk of a similar state of affairs arising in the Member States of the EU?