A federal grand jury has indicted the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor on torture charges. Charles McArther Emmanuel, also known as Charles Taylor Jr., is accused of torturing an opponent of his father’s government during an interrogation in July 2002. Assistant Attorney Alice Fisher announced the charges Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Alice Fisher: “As alleged in the indictment, during this interrogation, Charles Taylor Jr. and his co-conspirator committed torture by repeatedly burning the victim with a hot iron on various parts of his body, causing burning and scarring; by pouring scalding hot water on to the victim; by holding a gun pointed at the victim while forcing the victim to hold scalding water in his hands; by repeatedly electrically shocking the victim’s genital area and other parts of his body, and then by rubbing salt in the victim’s wounds. These crimes are heinous, and they are torture as alleged in the indictment today.”

The case against Charles Taylor Jr. marks the first use of the 12-year-old anti-torture law that allows prosecution for abuses committed overseas. The Bush administration has been criticized for not invoking the law in cases of torture of prisoners in U.S. custody. In a statement, Elise Keppler of Human Rights Watch praised Taylor’s indictment and added: “Enforcement of federal laws on torture committed abroad is long overdue. The question is now whether the federal authorities are willing to apply the law against others.”