Posted on 12/06/2004 3:57:38 PM PST by AMBIVILANCEkilledTHEcat
Alleging responsibility for war crimes and torture at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, a human rights group has filed a criminal complaint in Germany against US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top US officials.
The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and Berlin's Republican Lawyers' Association said they and five Iraqi citizens mistreated by US soldiers were seeking a probe by German federal prosecutors of leading US policymakers.
They said they had chosen Germany because of its Code of Crimes Against International Law, introduced in 2002, which grants German courts universal jurisdiction in cases involving war crimes or crimes against humanity.
It also makes military or civilian commanders who fail to prevent their subordinates from committing such acts liable.
"No other place to go"
"We filed these cases here because there is simply no other place to go," CCR vice president Peter Weiss said in a statement, adding that the US Congress had "failed" to seriously investigate the abuses. "It is clear that the US government is not willing to open an investigation into these allegations against these officials."
The Center for Constitutional Rights noted that while several US soldiers were facing court martial for the abuse and sexual humiliation of prisoners at the US-run Abu Ghraib detention center in Iraq, their superiors looked set to escape discipline.
The complaint names Rumsfeld, former CIA director George Tenet, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Steven Cambone, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, Brigadier General Janis L. Karpinski and other military officers who served in Iraq.
Five victims part of the case
"From Donald Rumsfeld on down, the political and military leaders in charge of Iraq policy must be investigated and held accountable," CCR president Michael Ratner said in a statement issued in Frankfurt, Germany.
The CCR said that the five Iraqis it was representing had been victims of mistreatment including electric shock, severe beatings, sleep and food deprivation and sexual abuse.
It noted that Sanchez and other officers involved in the case were based in Germany. Germany's federal prosecutor now has to decide whether the case warrants further investigation.
DW staff/AFP (win)
Wow, that's rich. The Germans have granted themselves universal jurisdiction over that which they most famously perpetrated upon humanity.
What's next? Will the Japanese grant themselves universal jurisdiction over sneak attacks on foreign ports?
"then why are they trying Rumsfeld?"
they aren't actually trying Rumsfeld; a couple nutcases filed suit asking them to . . . like frivolous law suits.
YAWN.
According to my Brother In Law, a career Navy man stationed many years in germany, at least 50% of young germans deny the Holocast, and another quarter of the older population think it was perfectly justified.
So this aledged hyper sensitivity seems mostly oriented outward.
Rate-a-Troll
Criterion | Your Score (1-10) | Comments |
"Supporting" the troops while denigrating their chain of command | 0 | No "support" at all. Hose 'em! |
Bush/Cheney as Illuminati conspiracy/cabal | 2 | Only a hint of conspiracy |
Amount of work on a post we'll just ridicule | 2 | Likely copied verbatim, but may have been translated |
Pretending to be conservative or a long-time FReeper | 0 | Self-loathing upper-class white male won't do |
Class warfare | 8 | Oh yeah! |
Waiting long enough after sign-up to post | 10 | Excellent! A whole week! |
Naderite corporation-bashing | 0 | Not a smidgen |
Number of times "administration" is used | 0 | presidency, regime, but no joy here |
Exclamation points | 1 | Sad, no real passion at all. Just empty cynicism |
Misspelled words | 1 | And even it's borderline |
Condescension while educating the ignorant evangelicals | 4 | More insult than condescension |
Total: 28
Pretty much a waste of your time, not even in the top ten. Next post, try something from France, they're generally more strident.
I heard Ellen RATner say last week, that her brother was one of the folks behind this crap. I'll never begin to understand idiots such as these
And if you can find the technology to harness the methane that it produces you have a renewable and tasty energy source. :)
A 28!?!
Pretty LAME !
See post #107 for troll rating system. As you can see, it's a totally different system than the one we use for regulars on vanities. This is quite advanced, though I don't believe we could handle such intricacies and complications. We're a simple people.....
If your name is Thomas R. Pochari II, and you are the worst of all creatures, an alleged "conservative" who has used your supposed pedigree to infiltrate the GOP, RNCC, The Fed, and Silicon Valley businesses, then you need to know this. You are now outed. You have been reported. You will go down, as will all those you have recruited. Patriot 2 has your name on it, and you can take that to the bank. You are the enemy within, and a 5th columnist of the worst sort. See my tag line, I am your worst nightmare.
[Others on CC, Freepmail me for details ]
Yep. Out of 110. Very weak.
You used more exclamation points in your reply than he/she/it used in the whole post. We're sure getting some B-list trolls these days.
There will be an even worse place in hell for those who support these devils like this poster.
Dang! Fiddlestix beat me to it! : )
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