war crimes

The Spanish’s Judge vs. Bush’s Architects of Torture

Hallelujah, finally someone in authority is going after at least some of the Bushies who were the architects of the torture policies.

Tellingly, it's not President Barack Obama or Attorney General Eric Holder.

In fact, it's not anyone in the United States.

No, it's the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, the same man who took down General Augusto Pinochet.

Posted in torture, war crimes

Israel: Transforming International Law by Violating It

The extent of Israel's brutality against Palestinian civilians in its 22-day pounding of the Gaza Strip is gradually surfacing. Israeli soldiers are testifying to lax rules of engagement tantamount to a license to kill. One soldier commented: "That's what is so nice, supposedly, about Gaza: You see a person on a road, walking along a path. He doesn't have to be with a weapon, you don't have to identify him with anything and you can just shoot him."

Posted in war crimes, free gaza, Israel/Palestine

IDF Ends Gaza Probe, Says Misconduct Claims Are 'Rumors'

$Israeli soldiers patrol near the Gaza border, January 2009. The Israeli military closed an investigation into soldiers' accounts of the killing of civilians during the war in Gaza, calling the accounts inaccurate and \"based on hearsay.\" (AFP/File/Dmitry Kostyukov)$

Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Avichai Mendelblit on Monday instructed the Military Police Investigation unit to close the investigation into soldiers' accounts of alleged misconduct and serious violations of the army's rules of engagement during Operation Cast Lead.

In a press release issued Monday the army said that the preliminary Military Police investigation into the testimonies revealed that they "were based on rumors and not first-hand experience."

Posted in Equality/Justice, war crimes, War/Empire

Khmer Rouge Trials May Expose US, China

$Tourists visit the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre built on the site of Cambodia's infamous 'Killing Fields'. The Khmer Rouge regime's prison chief Kaing Guek Eav -- better known as Duch -- has finally stood trial for Cambodia's \"Killing Fields\" atrocities. Duch is accused of overseeing the torture and execution of 15,000 people three decades ago. (AFP/File/Voishmel)$ PHNOM PENH, Mar 30 - Limits placed on a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in prosecuting surviving leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime may not prevent revelations about international actors linked to Cambodia's dark period.

It ranges from the period of Khmer Rouge history that the court will consider, a geographic limit to account for only atrocities committed by Cambodian nationals, and who among the surviving Khmer Rouge leadership can be hauled before the tribunal of foreign and local jurists.

Posted in war crimes

Information Secured Through Torture Proved Unreliable, CIA Concluded

Peter Finn and Joby Warrick at the Washington Post:

Posted in torture, war crimes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2009
3:34 PM

CONTACT: Amnesty International
AIUSA media office, 202-544-0200 x302, lspann@aiusa.org

Historic Day for Cambodian Victims as 'Notorious Khmer Rouge Commander Stands Trial, Says Amnesty International

LONDON - March 27 - As Cambodia's most notorious suspected killer finally prepares to face trial on Monday for crimes committed while he was a Khmer Rouge commander 30 years ago, Amnesty International urged the Court conducting the trial to increase its caseload.

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Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.

Amnesty International Links:

Posted in Equality/Justice, Human Rights, torture, war crimes

The Corruption That Is Torture

No doubt can any longer exist that the United States has engaged in torture.

Posted in torture, war crimes

Israel Accused of Indiscriminate Phosphorus Use in Gaza

Israel's military fired white phosphorus over crowded areas of Gaza repeatedly and indiscriminately in its three-week war, killing and injuring civilians and committing war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today.

In a 71-page report, the rights group said the repeated use of air-burst white phosphorus artillery shells in populated areas of Gaza was not incidental or accidental, but revealed "a pattern or policy of conduct".

Posted in war crimes, Israel/Palestine

Cheney War Crimes: Just Look at the Statute

President Obama needs to tell Attorney General Eric Holder to indict Dick Cheney, right now, for war crimes.

Just look at the statute, Title 18 of the U.S. Criminal Code, Section 2441. It says that someone is guilty of a war crime if he or she commits a "grave breach of common Article 3" of the Geneva Conventions. And then it defines what a grave breach would be.

Posted in cheney, prosecuting bush, war crimes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2009
11:06 AM

CONTACT: Human Rights Watch (HRW)
In Jerusalem, Bill Van Esveld (English): +972-54-920-4062 (mobile)
In Jerusalem, Fred Abrahams (English, German): +972-52-755-1614 (mobile)
In New York, Marc Garlasco (English): +1-212-216-1865; or + 1-914-450-4251 (mobile)
In Florence, Italy, Joe Stork (English): +1-202-299-4925 (mobile)
In Washington, DC, Abderrahim Sabir (Arabic, English, French): +1-202-612-4342; or +1-202-701-7654 (mobile)
In Brussels, Reed Brody (English, French, Portuguese, Spanish): +32-498-625786 (mobile)
In London, Tom Porteous (English): +44-20-7713-2766; or +44-79-8398-4982 (mobile)
In Paris, Jean-Marie Fardeau (English, French, Portuguese): +33-1-43-59-55-35; or +33-6-45-85-24-87 (mobile)

Israel: White Phosphorus Use Evidence of War Crimes

Indiscriminate Attacks Caused Needless Civilian Suffering

JERUSALEM - March 25 - Israel's repeated firing of white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas of Gaza during its recent military campaign was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

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Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For 30 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Links:

Posted in Human Rights, war crimes, Israel/Palestine