Most Americans and a majority of people in Britain, France and South Korea say torturing terrorism suspects is justified at least on rare occasions, according to a poll conducted in the United States and eight U.S.-allied countries.
Only in Italy and Spain do most people oppose torture under any circumstances, the AP-Ipsos survey found, while in Canada, Mexico and Germany there is a nearly even split.
However, majorities in every country except the United States said they did not want Americans conducting secret interrogations of terror suspects on their soil, reflecting concern about reports of secret prisons run by the CIA in Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, an Internet video once again threw the spotlight on al Qaeda’s architects of terror. The group’s deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri said today its leader, Osama bin Laden, is still alive and leading the holy war against the West, Reuters news agency reported.
“Al Qaeda for holy war is still, thanks to God, a base for jihad [holy war]. Its prince, Sheik Osama bin Laden, may God protect him, is still leading its jihad,” al-Zawahri said in a video posted on a Web site frequently used by militants.
“I bring a message of joy to all Muslims and mujahedeen that al Qaeda, thanks to God, is spreading and expanding and strengthening,” he said.
In the poll, about two-thirds of those living in Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Spain said they would oppose allowing the United States to secretly interrogate terror suspects in their countries.
Almost that many in Britain, France, Germany and Italy said they feel the same way. Almost two-thirds in the United States support such interrogations on U.S. territory by their own government.
Officials with the European Union and in at least a half-dozen European countries are investigating reports of secret U.S. interrogations in Eastern Europe. The EU has threatened to revoke voting rights of any nation in the federation that was host to a clandestine detention center.
On the issue of torture, 61 percent of Americans refused to rule it out. About one in 10 — 11 percent — said it could be justified often, while 27 percent said sometimes and 23 percent said rarely. Almost four in 10 — 36 percent — said it could never be justified; another 3 percent were unsure.
Majorities in Britain, France and South Korea felt similarly, with South Koreans most willing to countenance it as a routine practice. In that country, 53 percent said it is sometimes or often justified, while only 10 percent said it should never be used.
Only in Italy and Spain do majorities oppose torture under any circumstances. The strongest opposition came in Italy, where six in 10 said it is never justified, while 54 percent of Spaniards took that position.
The Bush administration says it does not condone or practice torture, but it has taken the position that some terrorism suspects are “enemy combatants” not protected by the Geneva Conventions, which spell out the rights of prisoners of war.
Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, is pushing to ban the use of torture as well as “cruel and inhumane treatment,” and said this week on NBC-TV that he will accept no compromise.
The polls of about 1,000 adults in each of the nine countries were conducted between Nov. 15 and Nov. 28. Each poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
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