国际英语新闻：Obama leaves it possible to prosecute officials related to harsh interrogation

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday softened his tone on the possibility to prosecute officials who were behind harsh interrogation tactics.

    Obama has been put under pressure lately since he vowed not to prosecute any Central Intelligence Agency's interrogators who employed harsh tactics authorized by Bush administration's memos.

    However, when talking to reporters after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, Obama did not rule out possibility to charge against those who wrote the opinions justifying the methods used on terrorist suspects that were accused as torture.

    "With respect to those who formulated those legal decisions, I would say that is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws, and I don't want to prejudge that," Obama said.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks in Washington D.C. on April 21, 2009

    "I think that there are a host of very complicated issues involved there," he added.

    Last week, Obama ordered the release of four memos that were authored by lawyers for Bush's Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel, saying that the interrogation tactics, which have been widely denounced as torture, "undermine our moral authority and do not make us safer."

    According to the memos, interrogators were authorized to keep detainees naked, in painful standing positions and in cold cells for long periods of time. Other techniques included depriving them of solid food, slapping them, depriving their sleep, prolonging their shackling and threatening their family.

    Human right activist groups and some lawmakers urged the Obama administration to allow public investigations into the memos and prosecutions under anti-torture laws, to effectively prevent future abuses and hold people accountable.