WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, applauded the inclusion of his anti-torture provision in the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, H.R. 3222, which is expected to pass the House late this evening or tomorrow. Language drafted by Rep. Markey barring the expenditure of money in contravention of U.S. and international human rights law has been included in previous spending bills and was enacted into law most recently as part of the Defense Supplemental funding bill in May.

“The inclusion of my language barring the use of funds in the DOD spending bill in contravention of the United Nations Convention Against Torture is yet another Congressional condemnation of President Bush’s continued willingness to ignore our obligations under international and domestic law to protect the basic human rights of detainees for years. Chairman John Murtha deserves high praise for his effort to end this Administration’s practice of outsourcing torture, and I am proud to partner with him,” said Rep. Markey.

“I have attached this spending restriction to successive spending bills over the past several years, and I will continue to do so until we can legislatively restrain this and every future president from intentionally misinterpreting America’s obligations to respect the fundamental human rights of all people.”

Rep. Markey’s provision, in Section 8104 of the bill, states that none of the funds in the Defense Appropriations bill may be used in contravention of the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Rep. Markey is the author of H.R. 1352, the Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act, to close the legal loopholes which President Bush has exploited to send prisoners to countries where the United States knows the detainees would face the threat of torture.