U.S. Death Penalty Stops Spain Extraditing Suspects(accused of involvement in the 911 hijack Attack)

REUTERS ^ | 11/22/2001 | REUTERS

[TLBSHOW]

U.S. Death Penalty Stops Spain Extraditing Suspects

MADRID (Reuters) -

Spain cannot extradite suspected Islamic extremists to the United States while the death penalty is in force there, judicial sources said on Thursday.

Eight suspected members of a radical Spanish Islamic group were detained in Spain last week, accused of involvement in the September 11 hijacked aircraft attacks on the United States.

High Court Judge Baltasar Garzon said in a committal order that the men, mostly Spanish citizens of Arab origin, had links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group.

The United States accuses bin Laden of masterminding the attacks on New York and Washington that killed thousands.

The arrested men have denied the charges, judicial sources said.

At an informal meeting in Madrid on Wednesday involving a representative of the U.S. ambassador, two officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and two Spanish justice officials, the U.S. was told that extradition was not possible, the sources said.

``The U.S. officials came away from the meeting with the clear message that under Spanish law Spain could not extradite suspects to a country which enforces the death penalty,'' they said.

The death penalty was abolished in Spain with the introduction of the constitution in 1978 three years after the death of dictator General Francisco Franco.

A total of 85 people were executed in the U.S. last year and more than 60 have been executed so far this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

[Joe 6-pack]

You are with us, or you're against us...

Shouldn't be too hard to translate into Espanol.

[bribriagain]

It seems to me that this is a clear case of "are you with us or against us". Ready aim, etc.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

What did president Bush say about countries that harbor terrorists???

[KantianBurke]

damn. u beat me :>

[July 4th]

Usted está con nosotros, o usted está contra nosotros.

[Jim Noble]

So we go get 'em.

Who's gonna stop us?

[Senator Pardek]

I gotta laugh at these Spaniards. They don't care if children are killed by bombs in Afghanistan, but they care about the lives of non-human entities.

What did Bush say about any nation that harbours terrorists, again?

[onyx]

Military Tribunal? No, guess not.

[habs4ever]

It's this grandstander Garzon again.

[Joe 6-pack]

I could've done that!...One would think a nation experienced with dealing with the Basque extremists would have far less sympathy for terros than Spain appears to have.

[July 4th]

Oh, Spain thinks they're so wonderful because they don't have the death penalty.

The death penalty was abolished in Spain with the introduction of the constitution in 1978 three years after the death of dictator General Francisco Franco.

But isn't it funny that just over 20 years ago they had a dictator?

[TLBSHOW]

Ok I see what you mean now.

[livius]

I just posted this on another thread, so excuse the repetition.

The reason that Spain has never been able to stop ETA is that they have no death penalty, and a penal system so lax that criminals, even those condemned for blood crimes such as murder, are allowed to go home on weekends. They've had a center-right government for several years now, and while that government has been able to make significant economic changes, the penal system remains so feeble that terrorists merely scoff at it. All of the ETA terrorists went on strike awhile ago, in fact, because they complained that they were being held in prisons too far away from home. Mommy couldn't visit.

Spain is irrational on this. There's no way they will ever stop their own terrorism unless they get serious about punishing terrorists.

[Mulder]

It looks like Spain has chosen the "against us" path. So be it. We Americans can handle a bunch of worthless Marxists with one hand tied behind our backs.

Spain hasn't been good for much anyway.... always straddling the fence during the Cold War, and electing socialist (at best) polticians.

[mrsmith]

"under Spanish law Spain could not extradite suspects to a country which enforces the death penalty"

Ask for them anyway- there are their treaties with us and with NATO to be considered.

[Tai_Chung]

We've been told this is an unconventional war. It would certainly be unconventional to have the CIA kill these terrorists inside Spain.

[lowbridge]

Spain, you got 2 choices. You can either turn them over now, OR you can turn them over now.

I don't want to even talk about your third choice. Don't give us any trouble. We're not in the mood for your garbage.

[sarasmom]

How many more times do the various countries of the world have to be told that the USA is seriously waging war, not politics as usual?Clinton is gone-political correct died on 911."we will not falter". Spain-dont make me go back on active duty.............................................