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 The American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch said in
a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder that the recent Senate
Intelligence Committee report on the CIA included significant new
information about the nature of tactics, the decisions that led to
their use and the number of prisoners involved.
Administration officials have said the Justice Department has no
plans to reopen its investigation into the conduct of CIA
interrogators toward detainees captured after the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks on the United States.
But the groups said the report's findings warranted a fresh criminal
investigation.
 "We believe the failure to conduct a comprehensive criminal
investigation would contribute to the notion that torture remains a
permissible policy option for future administrations; undermine the
ability of the United States to advocate for human rights abroad;
and compromise Americans' faith in the rule of law at home," the
groups wrote.
Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi said authorities had
already conducted two criminal investigations but that the
Department had declined to prosecute anyone on the grounds of
insufficient admissible evidence.
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He said investigators had reviewed the Senate committee's report but
found no "new information" that they had "not previously
considered."
International human rights monitors and politicians, including
United Nations figures, have also called for criminal investigations
of U.S. officials implicated in the CIA's harsh interrogations.
(Reporting by Alina Selyukh and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Karey Van
Hall and Richard Chang)
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