As Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's pick to head the CIA, continues to face intense scrutiny over her "central" role in the Bush administration's torture regime ahead of her May 9 Senate hearing, more than 40 national human rights and civil liberties organizations sent a letter (pdf) to every U.S. senator on Thursday demanding that they refuse to confirm an author of "one of the darkest chapters in American history."

"Senators who are truly committed to turning the page on one of the darkest chapters in American history should refuse to reward one of that chapter's authors."

"Ms. Haspel chose to embrace a program that, as she knew better than most, was brutally dismantling other human beings both physically and psychologically," observes the coalition of groups, which includes CodePink, the Arab American Institute, and Peace Action.

"If the Trump White House is going to tell the next CIA director to bring back 'enhanced interrogation,' such orders are most likely to issue in the wake of another national crisis, and again be accompanied by purported legal justification. In those circumstances, why would members expect Ms. Haspel to choose differently?" the groups add.

The letter goes on to note that Trump "has openly advocated for torture on multiple occasions," signalling his willingness to resurrect the CIA program, which remains shrouded in secrecy years after it was officially shut down.

Despite this secrecy, extensive reporting and accounts from former CIA officials indicate that, as an intelligence officer, Haspel played a key role in the torture program and later destruction of evidence.

"To the best of my understanding, she ran the interrogation program," one former CIA official told The Daily Beast. "Her becoming director absolutely terrifies me. Once I heard her name, I immediately thought, 'Oh, God.'"

Haspel's role in the torture program was potentially even bigger than anyone realizes (and she destroyed the evidence). We can not let her be confirmed as Trump's head of CIA. #BlockHaspel https://t.co/MbQJTSj98C — Indivisible Guide (@IndivisibleTeam) April 19, 2018

In their letter on Thursday, the coalition of rights groups noted that it "remains undisputed that Ms. Haspel was deeply involved in the CIA's now-defunct torture program" and argued "a vote to confirm her is incompatible with a meaningful commitment to the prohibition on torture."

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"This is a defining moment," the letter concludes. "We urge you to oppose Gina Haspel’s nomination for CIA director."

Read the groups' full letter: