Secret CIA torture memo released

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Bush administration told the CIA in 2002 that its interrogators working abroad would not violate U.S. prohibitions against torture unless they "have the specific intent to inflict severe pain or suffering," according to a previously secret Justice Department memo released Thursday.

"Because specific intent is an element of the offense, the absence of specific intent negates the charge of torture," Jay Bybee, then the assistant attorney general, wrote in the memo.

The memos were made public by the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained the three CIA-related documents under Freedom of Information Act requests. It called them "further evidence, if any were needed, that the Justice Department authorized the CIA to torture prisoners in its custody."

The 18-page memo is heavily redacted, with 10 of its 18 pages completely blacked out and only a few paragraphs legible on the others. It was made public by the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained it and two other CIA-related documents under Freedom of Information Act requests.