The Obama administration will not act against the CIA agents who interrogated suspected terrorists, but it could take legal proceedings against members of the previous administration who provided the legal argument to defend the methods of torture. Answering questions from reporters at the White House, Obama on Tuesday did not rule out future charges against senior executives of George W. Bush that produced the defense of the procedures used to obtain information after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

“As to who made these legal decisions, I would say that this will be a decision of the Attorney General within the limits of several laws, and I do not want to prejudge. I think there’s a lot of very difficult issues involved.” However, the president reiterated his belief that “in general, we must look forward and not backward.”

The government revealed last Thursday the classified documents detailing a program that included interrogation techniques like sleep deprivation to suspected terrorists and ‘waterboarding’ (simulated drowning). The disclosure of these reports has opened a debate in the U.S. on the need to take legal action against the officials involved.

Several lawmakers of the Democratic Party have called for a public inquiry into this interrogation program and have urged the president not to dismiss such lawsuits. For its part, human rights organizations believe that the charges are necessary to prevent future abuses and ensure responsibilities.

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Via guardian.co.uk