Prosecuting those who commit torture is not optional despite suggestions to the contrary by many in this newspaper ("Release of CIA torture report is an outrage," Dec. 10). Article 7 of the Convention Against Torture signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1994 requires the United States to prosecute those found within our borders who commit torture. President Reagan highlighted this legal obligation when he transmitted the treaty to the Senate for ratification.
The foundation of our democratic system is one of laws. If we regard those laws — be they the laws prohibiting torture or the laws mandating prosecution — as optional, that foundation is eviscerated. The Senate report released this week paints a clear picture of the depravity that thrives when our basic laws are ignored.
Jeffrey Davis, Baltimore