Prime Minister says Australia will never condone torture

[Judi Lynn]

June 11 2004


Prime Minister says Australia will never condone torture


CANBERRA, Australia: Australia would never condone the use of torture in the fight against terrorism, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday as he defended the United States against allegations of systemic abuses of prisoners in Iraq.

Howard said U.S. policy did not allow torture, despite an international human rights group reporting that Washington had ``circumvented'' the Geneva Convention with the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.

Howard, who authorized the deployment of Australian forces in the U.S.-led campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he could not envisage a circumstance in which his government would sanction torture to fight terrorism.

``The view of my government and my own personal view is that torture is not justified; it will never be condoned or supported by the Australian government,'' Howard told Radio 6PR in the west Australian city of Perth. ``We stand for certain things as a civilized country and one of those things we stand for is the humane treatment of people.
(snip/...)

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en67615&F_catID=&f_type=source

[rooboy]

1. Howard govt will NOT condone torture...

unless advised otherwise by the US ambassador.

[Solly Mack]

2. Yes, Howard. We *KNOW* US policy doesn't allow torture

that doesn't seem to have stopped it though...and that's the problem.

You do understand the difference,no?