Friday, October 26, 2007

European and American rights groups file torture complaint against Rumsfeld

I truly hope that complaints filed against Rumsfeld - and hopefully the Chimperator once he is out of office - will go forward. These individuals basically said who cares about international law (or US law for that matter) and authorized illegal conduct. Nothing would make me happier than to see them be convicted. Only then will America has regained some of its lost moral standing. Here are some highlights from the International Herald Tribune (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/26/europe/EU-GEN-France-Rumsfeld-Torture-Complaint.php):


American and European rights groups filed a legal complaint in France accusing former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of responsibility for torture in Iraq and at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, the groups said Friday. The complaint was filed with the Paris prosecutor's office as Rumsfeld arrived in France for a visit, according to the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and two Paris-based groups, the International Federation of Human Rights and the League of Human Rights.

The rights groups say their complaint could go forward because people suspected of torture can be prosecuted in France if they are on French soil. The complaint will now be examined by French prosecutors, who will decide whether it is well-founded and should be pursued or whether it should be rejected. The Paris prosecutor's office said on Friday night that it was checking whether Rumsfeld is protected by any sort of diplomatic immunity and whether he was still in France. The complaint says Rumsfeld, in his former position as defense secretary, "authorized and ordered crimes of torture to be carried out ... as well as other war crimes."

"We know that we can't get him into prison right now, but it would be great to make sure that he couldn't safely leave the U.S. anymore," said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

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