Alfonso Cuarón and Naomi Klein
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Tag Archives: interrogation
War Criminal
The Belfast Telegraph reports on protests being held before and during George W. Bush’s visit to Ireland:
Human rights protesters have urged Northern Ireland’s politicians to tackle US President George Bush on the issue of prisoner treatment.
Amnesty International staged a demonstration in the city centre yesterday to voice their concerns about the detention of terror suspects without trial at Guantanamo Bay and the transfer of prisoners to other countries for interrogation, known as extraordinary rendition.
Further protests are expected today to coincide with his arrival in Northern Ireland, with police notified of two separate events.
The Bush Not Welcome group, which represents in excess of 100 people, have organised a protest at Stormont scheduled for 2.30pm.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, group spokesman Paddy Meehan said it was an outrage for Northern Ireland’s politicians to have invited the US leader to the province: “Bush Not Welcome opposes Bush’s legacy in Iraq, his environmental crimes and his anti-worker policies,” said Mr Meehan.
“And we’re very angry the Assembly has invited him.”
Another demonstration, under the auspices of the Belfast Anti-War Movement has been planned at the City Hall at 12.30pm, ahead of Bush’s Belfast visit.
Amnesty has written to Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness asking them to raise the concerns when they talk to Mr Bush at Stormont.
Lawyers as Criminals
Marjorie Cohn, President of the National Lawyer’s Guild, testifies before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties of the House Judiciary Committee:
What does torture have in common with genocide, slavery, and wars of aggression? They are all jus cogens. That’s Latin for “higher law” or “compelling law.” This means that no country can ever pass a law that allows torture. There can be no immunity from criminal liability for violation of a jus cogens prohibition.
The United States has always prohibited torture in our Constitution, laws, executive statements, judicial decisions, and treaties. When the U.S. ratifies a treaty, it becomes part of American law under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.
The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, says, “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for torture.”
Whether someone is a POW or not, he must always be treated humanely; there are no gaps in the Geneva Conventions.
The US War Crimes Act, and 18 USC sections 818 and 3231, punish torture, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and inhuman, humiliating or degrading treatment.
The Torture Statute criminalizes the commission, attempt, or conspiracy to commit torture outside the United States.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to make laws and the President the duty to enforce them. Yet Bush, relying on memos by lawyers including John Yoo, announced the Geneva Conventions did not apply to alleged Taliban and Al Qaeda members. But torture and inhumane treatment are never allowed under our laws.
Justice Department lawyers wrote memos at the request of Bush officials to insulate them from prosecution for torture. In memos dated August 1, 2002 and March 18, 2003, John Yoo wrote the DOJ would not enforce U.S. laws against torture, assault, maiming and stalking, in the detention and interrogation of enemy combatants.
Video of testimony and NLG White Paper on torture here
mirabile dictu 