geneva u.n. human right expert voice alarm friday u.s. president donald trump might allow torture interrogations warn lay gauntlet countries follow suit trump say late january felt absolutely practice waterboarding form simulate drown work intelligence-gathering tool also say would defer issue defense secretary jim mattis disagree usefulness u.n. special rapporteur protect human right ben emmerson tell u.n. human right council hear trump extol torture weapon terrorism shortly inauguration enough make blood run cold make final public comment six years independent post emmerson late tell reporters trump first democratically-elected head state positively advocate torture state affairs lay gauntlet lay precedent emmerson british barrister international criminal justice expert say trump comment show stagger level ill-preparedness govern emmerson also tell reporters rescind former president barack obama executive order close u.s. detention facility guantanamo bay cuba would grave retrograde step center legal black hole security suspect custody without charge say u.s. delegation 47-member state forum geneva take floor respond emmerson also say senior officials george w. bush administration prosecute allow torture emmerson add officials responsible secret detention rendition torture program run cia include senior position bush say gina haspel veteran clandestine central intelligence agency cia service officer run one agency black site prisons set 9/11 attack name deputy director u.s. spy agency concern also raise trump nominee director national intelligence former republican senator dan coat record previous u.s. use so-called enhance interrogation techniques waterboarding widely see torture one powerful nations world permanent member security council prepare abandon collective value pretext defend one leave wonder whether anything achieve last 15 years emmerson say trump torture remark 'lay gauntlet state u.n. expert