ACLU calls for CIA rendition probe

NEW YORK, July 7 (UPI) -- Washington should broaden its investigation into secret rendition practices and extraordinary interrogation techniques, the ACLU said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Tuesday he was backing an independent probe into allegations that British intelligence officers played a role in extraordinary interrogation tactics used on terrorism suspects in U.S. custody.

Two people represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, Binyam Mohamed and Bisher al-Rawi, accuse the British government of playing a role in the alleged torture during the George W. Bush presidency.

The ACLU said U.S. President Barack Obama has done little to reverse the policies of the previous administration.

"The Obama administration continues to suppress documents that would allow the public to understand the full scope of the Bush administration's torture program," said ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer.

The ACLU clients said they were transferred to CIA "black sites" and tortured while in U.S. custody. The rights advocate said the U.S. government is using the "state secrets" privilege to block developments in the case.

The ACLU called on the Obama administration to follow the leadership displayed by Cameron and reaffirm its commitment to human rights and the rule of law.

The European Court of Human Rights, for its part, said in June it would consider the case of German citizen Khaled el-Masri who was subjected to extraordinary rendition allegedly at the hands of the CIA.