Me too! 
Posted on 11/04/2009 9:08:18 AM PST by OldDeckHand
MILAN - An Italian judge says he has convicted 23 Americans of the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric from a Milan street in a CIA extraordinary rendition.
Citing diplomatic immunity, Judge Oscar Magi told the Milan courtroom Wednesday that he was acquitting three other Americans.
Twenty-two of the convicted Americans were immediately sentenced to five years in jail at the end of the nearly three-year trial. The other convicted American, Milan CIA station chief Robert Seldon Lady, was given the stiffest sentence, eight years in prison. Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here
All of the Americans were tried in absentia
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Now let’s see how global Obama really is. If he walks the walk he will arrest them here and deport them.
Nothing less and he is a fraud . . . oh, we knew that already!!
If they were tried in absentia, can they serve their time the same way?
Now let’s see how global Obama really is. If he walks the walk he will arrest them here and deport them.
I do not think even Obama is that stupid-—but he might fool me.
Sounds like a Declaration of War. We took out Italy before. We should start carpet bombing Milan immediately.
I agree. Obambi needs to do one of two things IMMEDIATELY.
1. Round up these agents and hand them over to Italy.
OR
2.State PUBLICALLY they were doing a job fighting an enemy of the United States, will NOT be turned over and in fact have the full support and will be afforded all the necessary protection of the United States of America.
Ok, but do you think we could stay away from the cookie factory? I REALLY like those Milano thingies.
It’s ugly, to be sure. But if CIA decides to do this kind of thing “rogue”, ignoring Italian sovereignty, and they get caught . . . they have to expect this to happen. You know we’d feel the same way if the shoe were on the other foot.
Judge Oscar Magi?
Wow, the CIA was just lucky they weren’t tried by Judge Academy Award Djinn or Judge Golden Globe Wizard.
I don't necessarily disagree. But, this also underscores the reasons why the US can't be signatories to the International Criminal Court, as Obama has promised to do. This is one crazy judge in a provincial Italian court. His "conviction" won't have any practical problems for these CIA officers. But, if these same men were to be tried in a ICC - as many in Europe wish to do - then that would mean real and devastating results.
Me too!
I have to disagree. If Italy wants to come here in the dead of night and steal away several Islomo clerics...........I'd be OK with that.
“They are considered fugitives from Italian justice.”
These means they cannot go anywhere in Europe, or anywhere else that has an extradition treaty with Italy, without facing possible arrest and extradition to Italy.
Not quite yet. This judge has already asked the Italian state government to issue an extradition request for all these men. So far, the Italian state government has denied this request. Until Interpol receives either a request for extradition, or a request for provisional arrest from the Italian government, no arrest will be made in the European Union, per the European extradition treaty.
Of course, that wouldn't keep another non-European country from arresting them if they could. So, clearly these men have to be careful where and when they travel abroad.
We ought to pass a law. Prosecutors, complaintants, and judges, that try to punish American soldiers, diplomats, and intelligence officers acting within thier official capacities would be subject to extradition, trial, and the same sentence they seek to impose on Americans. With a 20-year, no parole minimum,
That would soon put a stop to liberal kangaroo courts such as this.
How did LE get the names of the CIA dudes?
They shoulda sent in the Dawg. Uh, no, he got caught, too.
Armando Spataro, the counter-terrorism prosecutor who brought the case, said he was considering asking the Italian government for an international arrest warrant for the fugitive Americans.
*Snort* In the meantime, they don't even know who to arrest? Court-appointed lawyers for several of the American defendants claim that prosecutors never adequately established their clients’ identities.
Cloak-and-dagger follies. Also, see how the Italian judge brushes off THEIR Constitution:
In May, Mr. Magi ruled that there was enough evidence to proceed with the case even after Italy’s Constitutional Court ruled in March that all evidence of coordination between the Italian secret services and the C.I.A. violated state secrecy rules and was therefore inadmissible in the trial.
While it pales beside the ICC potential, if you were one of them, would you risk travelling anywhere outside the US, never knowing when you might be seized for extradition?
It depends. I know that was the advice giving by the CIA, but until the Italian federal government registers these "convictions" with Interpol and the EU, they won't be arrested or extradited by any European country - theoretically. But, as I said earlier, there are probably plenty of other non-EU countries that would be happy to arrest a CIA officer. Suffice to say, it's a mess and it doesn't do anyone any good with both Obama and Hilary staying mum on the subject.
Quite right, but don’t forget that the registration can be done quite subtly as was done with some of the Spanish requests over the last decade, My point is that if I were one of these folk, I would be very very cautious about travelling further than....America.
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