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U.S. Justice Department to probe two CIA abuse cases

01 July 2011 00:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday that it will conduct a full criminal investigation into the death of two detainees after concluding a preliminary review of possible prisoner abuses of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement that federal prosecutor John Durham had examined whether there was any possible CIA abuses in the interrogation of 101 detainees after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"Mr. Durham has advised me of the results of his investigation, and I have accepted his recommendation to conduct a full criminal investigation regarding the death in custody of two individuals," said Holder. "The Department has determined that an expanded criminal investigation of the remaining matters is not warranted."

The department did not disclose the identities of the two detainees.

The CIA has been under strong criticism for its mistreatment and abuse of prisoners after Sept. 11. Some documents showed that the CIA had employed "enhanced techniques" to varying degrees, including stress positions, extreme temperature changes, sleep deprivation and "waterboarding" in the interrogation of some detainees.

CIA Director Leon Panetta said Thursday "I welcome the news that the broader inquiries are behind us."

"The Agency will, of course, continue to cooperate fully in the remaining investigations," Panetta, who is to head the Pentagon starting next month, said on his last day with CIA.