Posted on 02/02/2005 12:02:12 AM PST by Stoat
Rumsfeld considers war crime prosecution riskConcern that US leaders and military personnel risk prosecution in Germany for alleged war crimes has become a factor in deciding whether US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will attend an international security conference in Munich, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. US defence secretaries have rarely missed the Munich conference, an annual gathering of the world's top defence and national security officials and experts for two days of frank debate on major issues of war and peace. Mr Rumsfeld has announced no plans to attend this year's meeting from February 11-13 even though he will be attending a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Nice, France just before it. Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said it remains to be determined whether Mr Rumsfeld will attend the Munich meeting. The meeting's organiser, Horst Teltschik, said last month Mr Rumsfeld was not going. Mr Rumsfeld was among 10 high-ranking US civilian and military officials named in a criminal complaint filed November 30 with a German federal prosecutor by a US legal rights group seeking an investigation into the Americans' role in the torture and abuse of detainees in Iraq. Under Germany's Code of Crimes Against International Law, which was introduced in 2002, German courts have universal jurisdiction in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Acknowledging US concern about the German law, Mr DiRita told AFP, "It's a factor in the decision" on whether Rumsfeld attends the Munich conference. "It's not just a question of the secretary's travel. We have many thousands of US forces stationed there, some of which are named in this brief. So it's a big, big problem," he said. He said the issue was being "worked on a government-wide basis". "My impression is the German Government understands the gravity of this matter, but there are some unique aspects that will take time to address," he said. A Berlin newspaper reported last week that the German federal prosecutor opted not to take legal action against Mr Rumsfeld because no German citizen was a victim of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison. The New York-based Centre For Constitution Rights, which filed the initial complaint, said on Friday it has filed new documents in the case, contending that attorney-general nominee Alberto Gonzalez had implicated himself in war crimes in Iraq, including torture at Abu Ghraib, in his Senate confirmation testimony. |
I don't think these people are stupid enough to try it.
But...
Germany? Are they still in business?
1. Annex the country.
2. Repeal the law by executive order.
3. Free Rummy legally.
It's not official until the lib media says it is.
I did read quite carefully, thank you very much. It's irrelevant who filed the complaint; what's relevant is that the German courts accept the complaint and claim jurisdiction.
Any twit can file a complaint; the worry arises when it's taken seriously.
sounds good to me
their lib media or ours?
bump
1938?
1939?
1940?
1941?
1942?
1943?
1944?
Stop me if I get close.
"Tens of thousands of US troops go on a mission to spring Rummy from a German prison."
No. Just a few guys (and gals) in their "Urban Assault Vehicle" ala the movie STRIPES.
2002...
goodnight
someone, loan me $5 till next year?
shores? From the shores of Germany? I think they have one shore...
No, they have two. One on the North Sea, and the other on the Baltic. I've been to both... windy and cold.
Why do you use such a light hard to read font?
Operation Rumsfield!
But between the UN and EU crapweasel laws, I wonder if even in FRANCE would Rummy be 'safe' from the grubby mitts of the ICC wannabe prosecutors--extradition tricks from FR to Germany....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.