Prosecution’s Opening Statement in US v. Bradbury, Bybee, and Yoo

[kpete]

too many links to post....kp


Prosecution’s Opening Statement in US v. Bradbury, Bybee, and Yoo
By: Peterr Friday May 8, 2009 1:15 pm

Justice Robert H. Jackson, Chief US Prosecutor at Nuremberg


Sorry, but this is not acceptable.

What is needed is a criminal prosecution.

Since the DOJ is shorthanded right now (what with the various sub-cabinet level appointees like Dawn Johnson being held up in the Senate), I thought I might give the DOJ a hand and -- with the help of the fine legal team at FDL and EW -- draft an opening statement for the Government in the case of United States v Bradbury, Bybee, and Yoo.

For the record, I never attended law school. Also for the record, neither did Justice Jackson.]

May it please the court.

Torture is a war crime, and it is clear from the reports and memos that have been released (see here (pdf), here (pdf), here, here (pdf), and here), that it was practiced at US detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere by agents of the United States government. Media reports of other still-classified memos and reports only add color to the already vivid picture.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (pdf) calls it torture, Physicians for Human Rights calls it torture, the U.N. special investigator for human rights and counterterrorism calls it torture (link), the medical professionals at the Center for Victims of Torture (pdf) call it torture -- everyone calls it torture.

Everyone, that is, except Messrs. Bradbury, Bybee, and Yoo, and their superiors in the Department of Justice and the George W. Bush White House.

And They. Are. Wrong.

much (every link you need to know) more at:
http://firedoglake.com/2009/05/08/prosecutions-opening-statement-in-us-v-bradbury-bybee-and-yoo/

[hootinholler]

1. That's about all that's needed. n/t