| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
08 Jul 2006 11:48:30 AM |
| Object: |
When War Criminals Retire. Don't Stray Far From Crawford |
England, France and Belgium are all signatories of the Geneva
Conventions, and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Both of these treaties have articles covering "grave breaches" or
"grievous violations" under which signatory states have a solemn,
affirmative obligation to bring violators into their own court systems
for prosecution, or to turn them over to an international court, as
when Slobodan Milosevic was sent by Serbia to The International War
Crimes Tribunal at The Hague in 2001.
Standing in court is accorded to family members of those who have been
tortured, summarily executed, "disappeared", etc. "Violators" include
both those who actually perpetrated the torture/assassination, etc.
and those who ordered or, by their action or inaction, are deemed
responsible for the violation.
Heads of State and senior government officials are immune from
prosecution, until, that is, they have left office. This process has
become known as "the principle of universal jurisdiction".
For a very long time--decades in the case of the Geneva
Conventions--it was in practice the government of a country directly
involved in a conflict which brought individual violators to justice,
or tried to do so.
In 1999, for example, the Clinton Administration urged Austria to
arrest Izzat Ibrahim Al Douri, Sadam Hussein's second in command, so
he could be tried for his role in the poison gas attack which killed
thousands of Kurds in Halabja in 1988.
Austria didn't move in time, and Al Douri fled back to his own
country, as Kissinger would do in Paris in 2001.
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson may have
best described the concept of universal jurisdiction when she wrote,
in 2001:
"The principle of universal jurisdiction is based on the notion that
certain crimes are so harmful to internal interests that states are
entitled--and even obliged--to bring proceedings against the
perpetrator, regardless of the location of the crimeor the nationality
of the perpetrator or the victim."
Former President George W. Bush will be invited by wealthy friends to
enjoy the pomp and circumstance in Britain;
the glories of Paris, Rome and Madrid;
the charm of Swiss mountains;
horse rides on beautiful haciendas in Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
These were the perks of people like Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and
Bill Clinton who have left the Office before him.
But he will not know where and in which of these places charges may
have been filed...by family members of people who were flown on
un-marked dull, grey-painted planes to remote airports to be tortured
or "disappeared"..or family of men, women and children who were
summarily executed by soldiers in places like Haditha, Bakuba or
Mahmoudia..or relatives of civilians whose bodies were lost in the
flattened rubble of downtown Falluja.
Indeed, some of the questions which French judges wanted to ask of
Henry Kissinger in Paris in 2001 had involved the secret,
high-altitude carpet bombings of Cambodian towns and villages during
the Vietnam War.
No, former President Bush would be wise to stay home in Texas in his
retirement.
It is highly unlikely that he would face imprisonment in his own
country, as did General Pinochet.
George Bush should enjoy the barbeque, and ride his horses through the
mesquite.
Maybe invite former Vice-President Cheney down to the ranch for some
hunting.
http://www.counterpunch.org/green07082006.html
July 8 / 9, 2006
Don't Stray Far From Crawford
When War Criminals Retire
By STEPHEN GREEN
George Bush just celebrated his 60th birthday, and in his rare free
moments, it would be natural for him to begin to consider how--and
where--he'll spend his time after leaving office. He seems to enjoy
the ranch in Texas, and will of course be involved in setting up his
presidential library, and work on behalf of his favorite charities.
As a former president, there will of course be many invitations to
travel and speak on a wide variety of subjectsand that is where my
advice comes in.
Bush should bag the foreign travel.
_____________________________________________________
Right. Ya never know who's waitin' out there to grab yer *****, Georgie.
Harry
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| User: "Fredric L. Rice" |
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| Title: Re: When War Criminals Retire. Don't Stray Far From Crawford |
09 Jul 2006 11:33:02 AM |
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Harry Hope <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
Heads of State and senior government officials are immune from
prosecution, until, that is, they have left office. This process has
become known as "the principle of universal jurisdiction".
http://www.counterpunch.org/green07082006.html
It would be interesting to see if a monetary fund could be created
to pay for an effort to capture the terrorist butcher some day to
have him remanded ti the Hague to stand trial for his crimes against
humanity. Security for this butcher forever after will be extremly
high but it won't last for long. Many Nazi war criminals were
eventually captured and brought to justice.
Kissinger is another wanted war criminal that's constantly surrounded
and attended by guards to keep him from being captured.
---
Pretending that you don't smell the burning Jews isn't an excuse
for the defense of war crime atrocities against humanity. "I
didn't know" is no longer an excuse in the age of the Internet.
.
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