NEW YORK — President Barack Obama should investigate allegations that American military forces have been involved in human rights abuses in Iraq. Manfred Novak, the United Nations' chief investigator on torture, says the failure to investigate would amount to a failure by the Obama administration to recognize its obligations under international law.
Nowak's demands follow WikiLeaks' massive release of military documents that detail torture, summary executions and war crimes.
According to Nowak, if the files released through WikiLeaks indicate a clear violation of the U.N. Convention Against Torture, the Obama administration has a clear obligation to investigate them. He added that U.N. human rights agreements oblige states to criminalize every form of torture, conducted either directly or indirectly, and to investigate any allegations of abuse.