Why Spain Can Actually Prosecute Bush and Co. for Their Crimes

[babsbunny]

http://www.alternet.org/rights/135937/why_spain_can_actually_prosecute_bush_and_co._for_their_crimes/

San Francisco Chronicle / By Marjorie Cohn

They can use "universal jurisdiction," often used to prosecute foreign nationals for crimes that shock the conscience of the global community.
April 10, 2009 |


A Spanish court has initiated criminal proceedings against six former officials of the Bush administration. John Yoo, Jay Bybee, David Addington, Alberto Gonzales, William Haynes and Douglas Feith may face charges in Spain for authorizing torture at Guantánamo Bay.

If arrest warrants are issued, Spain and any of the other 24 countries that are parties to European extradition conventions could arrest these six men when they travel abroad.

[ananda]

1. There's always Paraguay.

nt

[nannah]

bushies hideout and water grab n/t

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

[midnight]

3. Is there something happenging to renew this discussion?

[jtrockville]

9. The case against the "Bush Six" is proceeding.

http://harpers.org/archive/2010/02/hbc-90006456

Though I haven't heard of any new developments since February.

[Larkspur]

4. They should be able to nail Dubya easily.

He recently admitted that he ordered water boarding of prisoners. That's a war crime.

[glinda]

5. It would be good to get help from outside this Country as they do nothing here about it.

[Creative]

6. If...LOL

[RZM]

7. This will never, ever happen

Prosecuting a Bush administration official outside of the US for war crimes would lead to a Republican Senate and House in 2012 and probably a Republican in the White House too. Obama and the rest of the Dems know this full well so they'd never even think about allowing it to happen. I know that on paper, their authority over foreign courts isn't there but behind the scenes, I think it is. Even if somebody was picked up, just about every Dem in office would publicly decry it. And those who are in danger of being voted out, which includes the President, would be just as loud about it as the right would.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Can they now add George Bush on the list because he admitted he approved waterboarding?