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Rumsfled and Bush
If United Nations (UN) Special Rapporeur on Torture Manfred Nowak is right, both former President George W. Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld could be brought to trial. Nowak told the German broadcaster ZDF, "the United States U.S.) has a clear obligation" to prosecute Rumsfeld and Bush for ordering interrogation methods at Guantanamo that contravened a UN convention on torture. Nowak said there were publicly available documents "that prove that these methods of interrogation were intentionally ordered by Rumsfeld.
On December 11, 2008, the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee issued a report that said former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and other senior officials share much of the blame for detainee abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The report was made public by Democratic Chairman Carl Levin and its top Republican John McCain (R-AZ). It said that Rumsfeld contributed to the abuse by authorizing aggressive interrogation techniques at Guananamo Bay on December 2, 2002, although he rescinded the authorization six weeks later. The full report, a thorough examination of U.S. military detainee policy by Congress remains classified.
Bush was warned on January 28, 2003, by Lawyers Against the War that he and senior government officials could be prosecuted for war crimes if military tactics violated international humanitarian law. Their letter to Bush said that although Washington was not a party to the International Criminal Court, U.S.officials could still be prosecuted under the Geneva Convention.
The Bush administration recanted the policies under pressure from Congress, while President Barack Obama vowed to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Obama, in one of his first acts as President of the U.S. started the process of closing Guantanamo Bay.
Whether the World Court would take action against Bush and Rumsfeld is yet to be seen. But the statement from Nowak should put them on notice that it may be already under consideration.
Comments
OH PLEASE! The UN? How many are still running free for their crimes in the FOOD FOR OIL scam? How many UN personnel are still free who RAPED young girls in Africa?
If there is a trail, will Pelosi, Reid and the OTHER congressional leaders ALSO be put on trial since THEY KNEW what was happening?
Does anyone really believe Bush and Cheney acted alone without advice from the Justice Department, the Pentagon attorneys or the CIA attorneys? Get a grip people.
We can but hope.
And, for sure, they weren't the only ones but starting at the top would be fantastic.
If Pelosi and Read knew everything and let it happen, then by all means, prosecute them also. For some, if someone has an "R" after their name, they rally around them no matter what they have done. Partisan people make me sick. It's obvious that Democrats are more willing to hold their reps feet to the fire than republicans.
"It's obvious that Democrats are more willing to hold their reps feet to the fire than republicans."
That is a laugh!
List for me just 3 Dems who stepped down when charged with crimes. Jefferson? Murtha? Frank? Blago?
We shouldn't have to wait for a World Court or other country to act on this. Americans must demand that the Obama Administration ensure that the Justice Dept investigates torture and illegal spying and the politicization of the Justice Dept. as criminal acts. If we don't all demand this than it means we will allow our elected officials to blatantly flaunt the rule of law and get away with it and thus our systems of both government and justice are severely broken..even irreparable broken. What's worse if we don't make these crimes Bush's crimes than they become our crimes too.
What is important to emphasize in this UN report is that the many treaties we have agreed to on Torture that are part of our body of laws make it mandatory for us to act under these treaties and prosecute anyone who violates them. Failure to act thus becomes its own criminal act.
RJ Crane, topplebush.com
It is true that we should not have to wait for the World Court to act. However, with the economic chaos taking place at the present time, there is concern that such a trial would create trauma at a time when the U.S. already has so many financial problems. It is very satisfying to me as examiner.com's National Watchdog Politics journalist to hear from my readers in response to my articles. Thank you.
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