Berkeley council urges (Germany) indictment of Rumsfeld

[The Straight Story]

Berkeley council urges indictment of Rumsfeld
By Martin Snapp - MEDIANEWS
Article Last Updated: 03/14/2007 12:52:09 PM PDT

The Berkeley City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night urging Germany to indict former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for war crimes. But the council stopped short of the original recommendation from the city's Peace & Justice Commission, which was to sign on as co-plaintiff in a lawsuit that would force German prosecutors to issue an indictment.

The lawsuit names other top U.S. officials as co-defendants, including former CIA chief George Tenet and former Assistant Attorney General John Yoo, who is now teaching law at UC Berkeley. They are accused of complicity in alleged war crimes at Abu Ghraib and Guantanimo Bay in 2003 and 2004.

The suit was filed in Germany by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of 11 Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib and one detainee at Guantanimo Bay.

It claims jurisdiction over Rumsfeld and the others under Germany's Code of Crimes Against International Law, which provides for worldwide jurisdiction in cases of war crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity.

The council balked at joining the lawsuit on the advice of City Manager Phil Kamlarz.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/ci_5434680