The senior officials answered the following questions EXCEPT [br] [originaltext

In this second appearance before the U.N. Committee Against Torture, the senior officials answered [24]a number of questions about Washington’s alleged use of torture, about U.S. detainee operations in Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq and about the treatment of terror suspects. [25]The head of the U.S. delegation and legal adviser of the Department of State, John Bellinger, told the panel’s 10 independent experts that all U.S. officials and government agencies are prohibited from engaging in torture at all times and in all places. He said this is the case even in situations where the law of armed conflict applies. In an effort to silence critics of U.S. interrogation methods, Bellinger said the United States believes everyone is entitled to humane treatment. He said freedom from torture is an inalienable right.