April, 18 2014, 04:24pm EDT
Spanish Court Refuses to Close Guantanamo Torture Investigation
Spain's Audiencia Nacional is continuing its investigation into the alleged torture of men formerly detained at Guantanamo prison by U.S. officials, despite recent legislative restrictions stating that Spanish courts can only investigate human rights violations committed abroad if the suspects are present in Spain.
New York, NY
Spain's Audiencia Nacional is continuing its investigation into the alleged torture of men formerly detained at Guantanamo prison by U.S. officials, despite recent legislative restrictions stating that Spanish courts can only investigate human rights violations committed abroad if the suspects are present in Spain. In an order issued yesterday, Judge Pablo Ruz ruled that Spain's obligations under international law to investigate any credible allegation of torture took precedence over the new restrictions, and renewed his request for information from the Obama Administration regarding any U.S.-based investigations into torture allegations.
"We are gratified that the judge rightly placed the demands of the law above any political pressures, in ruling that this effort to hold high-level U.S. officials accountable for their role in the torture of men at Guantanamo prison and other sites can proceed," said Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights. "The court is sending a strong message to the Spanish and U.S. governments that it will uphold its international commitments under the Convention Against Torture to punish and redress torture regardless of who the alleged perpetrator is."
The reforms to Spain's universal jurisdiction law came after a judge in the same court issued arrest warrants for five top Chinese government officials alleging they were responsible for genocide and abuses in Tibet in the 1980s and 1990s. Spain's Popular Party (PP) fast-tracked legislation restricting the court's ability to take on such cases, in an apparent bow to external political pressure and against the strong opposition of human rights advocates. The new restrictions, which went into effect last month, have triggered a flurry of filings followed by decisions from different judges seized with investigations of torture or war crimes committed outside Spain. Thus far, judges have refused to close on-going investigations, including cases involving violations committed in Western Sahara, El Salvador, and the killing of a Spanish journalist in Iraq.
"The Spanish government introduced a law reform contradicting its obligations under international law. We welcome the decision by Judge Ruz to continue the investigations on Guantanamo. Violations of the absolute prohibition of torture must be prosecuted," said Andreas Schueller of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
CCR and ECCHR have both been admitted to the proceedings, as legal representatives for two former Guantanamo detainees. A Spanish resident is among the plaintiffs in the case.
"Judge Ruz has accepted our legal arguments and the case is far from being closed. There is still an opportunity for justice in Spain," said Gonzalo Boye, a Madrid-based lawyer who represents former detainees in the proceedings.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CCR is committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
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Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Tuesday again blocked the passage of House-approved bipartisan legislation meant to shield journalists and telecommunications companies from being compelled to disclose sources and other information to federal authorities.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued Tuesday that passing the PRESS Act is "more important now than ever before when we've heard some in the previous administration talk about going after the press in one way or another," a reference to Republican President-elect Donald Trump's threats to jail journalists who refuse to reveal the sources of leaks. Trump, who has referred to the press as the "enemy of the people," repeatedly urged Senate Republicans to "kill this bill."
Cotton, who blocked a vote on the legislation in December 2022, again objected to the bill, a move that thwarted its speedy passage. The Republican called the legislation a "threat to national security" and "the biggest giveaway to the liberal press in American history."
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Trump has picked Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She has stated that it must be "made unsafe" for hospitals to provide trans care, and frequently shares Libs of TikTok posts. She intends to target trans people in blue states. Subscribe to support my journalism.
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— Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) December 10, 2024 at 8:14 AM
Reed continued:
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Reed also highlighted Dhillon's attacks on state laws protecting transgender people, as well as her expression of "extreme anti-trans views" on social media—including calling gender-affirming healthcare for trans children "child abuse."
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