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A UN panel has begun grilling American officials about the country's compliance with an anti-torture treaty.
At the start of a two-day hearing, Alessio Bruni of Italy, one of the panel's chief investigators, raised a list of alleged violations ranging from CIA rendition at so-called 'black sites' to police brutality and Guantanamo Bay conditions. He asked what measures were taken to implement President Barack Obama's "clear" directives against torture.
Mary McLeod, the State Department's acting legal adviser, said the US record since the 9/11 attacks "did not always live up to our own values," including those it is obliged to uphold in the UN Convention Against Torture.
She acknowledged "we crossed the line" but said there are "ongoing efforts to determine why lapses occurred."