George Bush maybe happily relaxing in his ranch in Texas, but I am sure he has one eye in the Spanish human rights court.
Spanish lawyers announced a criminal investigation into the actions of many high level Bush Administration officials including Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales for violating international law against prisoners in Guantanamo Bay Cuba.
The complaint was filed on March 17, is pursued by infamous judge Baltasar Garzon, who ordered the arrest of the former Chilean Dictator Augusta Pinochet. The four lawyers who are spear heading the case is, highly experienced in crimes against humanity. These are the same legal defense team who filed suit against former Israeli defense minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer for his role in the deaths of 14 civilians during the Gaza bombing in 2002.
I believe this bold move by the Spanish Courts finally requires some kind of accountability for the criminal behavior of the Bush administration, namely: Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, Dick Cheney, William J. Haynes, Donald Rumsfeld, Douglas Feith, John Yoo and Jau S. Bybee.
The accused were not only aware of what was happening inside the torture chamber “Gitmo”, but they actually designed and gave orders for low ranking interrogators to torture detainees. They are directly accountable for the horrific and in human treatment of prisoners.
I know it may take months if not years for a concrete verdict by the Spanish Courts but at least it’s a start. One thing I know for sure is, Obama administration will not be so quick to cooperate with the Spanish authorities to bring a quick resolve to the case. I am sure many eyes are rolling right now in the dark corridors of congress.
PLEASE READ THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE!
9 Comments:
Also, Canadian lawyers tried to ban Bush recently from entering Canada when he came to give a talk on the basis that he was a war criminal.
People in the Bush administration, will not be able to leave the US like Kissinger, who faces war crimes charges everywhere.
I am not unhappy about this development. The use of illegal incarceration and torture is, as it should be, beyond any justification. Applying these methods, no matter how practical, makes us no better than the criminals we are attempting to stop. I also suspect that you will see a lot of illegal incarceration that had nothing whatsoever with the so-called "War on Terrorism" and more to do with butt-covering".
I would say, however, that Europe has a pretty well-established hypocrisy in terms of human rights- i.e. a lot of noble chatting and very little enforcement or even action. After all, Bush did not act alone and bringing to court the European heads of state for their role will be hard to imagine. (I am sure each of them are working on their individual case for "plausible deniability"). Memos are being shredded even as we speak.
In any case, I wish the Spanish courts well and it should be very entertaining.
Symbolically this is fine but I can hardly see Rumsfeld and Cheney will be handed over to serve any sentence handed out by the Spanish court...
To cut a long comment short:
I am echoing Jams.
Why would the Bush-administration not have accepted the International Court of Justice, hm?
Waste of time... and 'war crimes' are being committed on a daily basis everywhere...
Maybe we should all spend our energies redefining the meaning of 'war'...
Why should people at 'war,' play by the rules? War is war after all... I am not referring to Bush et al; I am referring to 'armies' fighting other 'armies.' After all, war is not a boxing match with rules, rounds, and time limits...
What do people really expect from 'war'?
That they should kill but in an orderly and humanely manner???
When a group of people commit crimes against humanity, they should be punished, so that the next group of people will not be so quick to do similar acts....
At least that is what international community should strive for... I know humans are stupid and they repeat their inhuman acts over and over again. But we need some kind of a bar for the future generations…
When a third world leader like Bashir is convicted of war crimes and a world leader like Bush roams around with a smirky smile on his face, it pisses off many people.... There should be accountability for all, irrelevant of where the leader comes from, whether the US or Sudan. Monstrous acts should be punished but unfortunately Obama administration will not be cooperative at all… Bush and co will escape their crimes… unlike Hitler’s lynching mob!
Nevin, I also echo Jams' views. These guys are Teflon coated.
:(
Ardent, I totally agree with Jams as well unfortunately....
Post a Comment