A group of United Nations human rights experts on Wednesday urged U.S. President Barack Obama to support the fullest possible release of the report on Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) interrogation practices conducted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI).

In an open letter released Wednesday, six Special Rapporteur from UN Human Rights system said that Obama's decision on the Senate interrogation report would be closely watched by victims of torture and by other countries and "will have far-reaching consequences for victims of human rights violations everywhere and for the credibility of the United States."

"As a nation that has publicly affirmed its belief that respect for truth advances respect for the rule of law, and as a nation that frequently calls for transparency and accountability in other countries, the United States must rise to meet the standards it has set both for itself and for others," it stressed.

Launched in early 2009, the Senate investigation lasted four years and examined millions of pages of CIA documents and emails. The report was approved by the Senate committee in late 2012 and its release to the public was approved in April 2014 by a large majority. But it has yet to be released, reportedly due to demands by the CIA that material be redacted from the report.

The UN experts urged Obama to release the report in a meaningful form, allowing the public to understand the facts and promoting the right to truth for victims and their families.

The experts stressed that every party to the UN Convention Against Torture has an obligation to thoroughly and promptly investigate credible reports of torture, ensure accountability and provide adequate remedies to victims.

The independent experts similarly called for the recognition of and redress for other violations that took place under the same CIA programs, including secret and arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances, among others.

The experts commended Obama for shutting down the CIA interrogation program when he entered office and for recently acknowledging that the United States had tortured detainees after the Sept. 11 attacks. Endit

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