Obama exempts CIA 'torture' staff

US President Barack Obama says CIA agents who used harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects during the Bush era will not be prosecuted.Mr Obama banned the use of methods such as sleep deprivation and simulated drowning in his first week in office.He has now released four memos detailing techniques the CIA was able to use under the Bush administration.Rights groups have criticised his decision to protect CIA agents involved in the interrogation procedures.Amnesty International said the Department of Justice appeared to be offering a "get-out-of-jail-free card" to individuals who were involved in acts of torture.The Centre for Constitutional Rights, which has championed the legal rights of the "war on terror" detainees, also expressed its disappointment."It is one of the deepest disappointments of this administration that it appears unwilling to uphold the law where crimes have been committed by former officials," it said in a statement.