Watchdog blasts DEA for not reporting waterboarding, torture by Latin American partners
A federal government watchdog is blasting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for failing to timely report human rights violations committed by Latin American law enforcement partners who admitted to torturing crime suspects
MIAMI (AP) — A federal government watchdog is blasting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for failing to timely report human rights violations committed by Latin American law enforcement partners who admitted to waterboarding, suffocating and torturing crime suspects.
The management advisory memorandum published Tuesday by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General centers on the DEA’s obligations under what’s known as the Leahy Act, which prohibits the U.S. from providing foreign assistance to security forces that violate human rights.
Foreign police officers and units working closely with the DEA in the frontlines of the war on drugs must undergo vetting to comply with the law, one of the U.S.’ most important tools to promote respect for human rights among security forces.
The Inspector General, as part of an ongoing audit of the DEA's use of polygraph examinations as part of the vetting process, found five instances in which the DEA failed to notify the State Department of potential violations that it turned up last year.
