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On October 21, 1994, the United States ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Convention compels states to prevent torture domestically and forbids them to return individuals to a state if there are substantial grounds for believing they might be subjected to torture. The treaty defines one form of torture as: "Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession."

The United States is also a signatory to the Geneva Conventions relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which protects people not taking an active part in hostilities (captured, injured etc.) by outlawing both: "Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture" and, "Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment."

In an interview with the New York Times on January 27, 2005, US President George W Bush stated that "Torture is never acceptable," adding, "nor do we hand over people to countries that do torture."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added to these remarks in December, 2005: "The United States has not transported anyone, and will not transport anyone, to a country when we believe he will be tortured. Where appropriate, the United States seeks assurances that transferred persons will not be tortured we're operating under our laws, we're operating under our international obligations, we're respecting the sovereignty of the countries with which we are cooperating, and that's all I can say."

The US Army's own field manual states that torture is a "poor technique that yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say what he thinks the interrogator wants to hear.

Despite such clear public assurances, ratified treaties, domestic and international laws; the US is known to have tortured or aided the torture of suspects in its War on Terror'. The current Bush Administration has done this by circumventing laws, changing definitions and shrouding operations under secrecy in the name of national security. It has been criticised for turning a blind eye to abuse and even deaths in prison camps such as Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Bagram in Afghanistan; for its indefinite detention of over 800 prisoners in Guantnamo Bay; its legalised version

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