Post by michelle on Nov 16, 2006 0:39:08 GMT 4
Today, CCR filed a criminal complaint in Germany under their universal jurisdiction law charging Rumsfeld, Gonzales and other high-ranking officials in the Bush administration
with war crimes
Letter from Center for Constitutional Rights
11/15/06
Dear CCR Supporter,
If Donald Rumsfeld is going to be held accountable for authorizing torture and other human rights abuses, we need your help .
Today, CCR filed a criminal complaint in Germany under their universal jurisdiction law charging Rumsfeld, Gonzales and other high-ranking officials in the Bush administrationwith war crimes . The complaint was filed on behalf of 11 former detainees who were victims of severe beatings, sleep and food deprivation, hooding and sexual abuse in Abu Ghraib, and one detainee at Guantánamo Bay subjected to torture and abuse there under Rumsfeld’s specific authorization.
By clicking on the link here, you can send a letter to the German Prosecutor and show your support for justice for torture victims and accountability for perpetrators.
WHY RUMSFELD?
CCR has reviewed new evidence and documentation that lays the responsibility for U.S. torture program directly at Rumsfeld’s feet. Rumsfeld himself authorized severe “special interrogation techniques” and other abusive, unlawful treatment of detainees. Rumsfeld’s resignation last week means that he can no longer claim immunity from international prosecution as a sitting government official.
WHY GERMANY?
Germany appears to be the court of last resort for a war crimes prosecution of Rumsfeld because the United States has tried to close the door to accountability. For example, the United States has failed to take any action to investigate high-level involvement in the torture program; Congress passed the Military Commissions Act last month, which tries to shield American officials from being prosecuted for war crimes here; and the United States has refused to join the International Criminal Court and has barred the Iraq from prosecuting U.S. officials in that country.
On the other hand, as a signatory to the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, German law recognizes the principle of universal jurisdiction: that grave breaches of international law like the U.S. torture program authorized by Rumsfeld, must be investigated and, where called for, prosecuted no matter where the crime was committed or the nationality of those involved. CCR has filed this complaint in Germany because we represent torture victims who have yet to see justice, the truth has yet to be investigated and the United States is evading accountability.
Together we can make a difference. Stand with our plaintiffs who include Nobel Peace Prize winners and the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and tell the German Prosecutor that you support opening an investigation. With your support, we can show the world community that Americans think torture is immoral and illegal, and that its perpetrators -- wherever they are found -- must be held accountable. Act now.
Sincerely,
Vincent Warren
Executive Director
Go to for more info [read case and testimony...] and to send a letter to the German Prosecutor:
www.ccr-ny.org/v2/GermanCase2006/germancase.asp
From link above:
The November 14, 2006, criminal complaint is a request for the German Federal Prosecutor to open an investigation and, ultimately, a criminal prosecution that will look into the responsibility of high-ranking U.S. officials for authorizing war crimes in the context of the so-called “War on Terror.” The complaint is brought on behalf of 12 torture victims – 11 Iraqi citizens who were held at Abu Ghraib prison and one Guantánamo detainee – and is being filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Republican Attorneys' Association (RAV) and others, all represented by Berlin Attorney Wolfgang Kaleck.
full summary >>>
Why Germany?
The complaint is being filed under the Code of Crimes against International Law (CCIL), enacted by Germany in compliance with the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court in 2002, which Germany ratified. The CCIL provides for “universal jurisdiction” for war crimes, crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity. It enables the German Federal Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes constituting a violation of the CCIL, irrespective of the location of the defendant or plaintiff, the place where the crime was carried out, or the nationality of the persons involved.
No international courts or personal tribunals in Iraq were mandated to conduct investigations and prosecutions of responsible U.S. officials. The United States has refused to join the International Criminal Court, thereby foreclosing the option of pursuing a prosecution in international courts. Iraq has no authority to prosecute. Furthermore, the U.S. gave immunity to all its personnel in Iraq from Iraqi prosecution. All this added to the United States’ unquestionable refusal to look at the responsibility of those of the very top of the chain of command and named in the present complaint, and the recent passage of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (see below) aimed at preventing war crimes prosecutions against Americans in the U.S., German courts are seen as a last resort to obtain justice for those victims of abuse and torture while detained by the United States.more >>>
with war crimes
Letter from Center for Constitutional Rights
11/15/06
Dear CCR Supporter,
If Donald Rumsfeld is going to be held accountable for authorizing torture and other human rights abuses, we need your help .
Today, CCR filed a criminal complaint in Germany under their universal jurisdiction law charging Rumsfeld, Gonzales and other high-ranking officials in the Bush administrationwith war crimes . The complaint was filed on behalf of 11 former detainees who were victims of severe beatings, sleep and food deprivation, hooding and sexual abuse in Abu Ghraib, and one detainee at Guantánamo Bay subjected to torture and abuse there under Rumsfeld’s specific authorization.
By clicking on the link here, you can send a letter to the German Prosecutor and show your support for justice for torture victims and accountability for perpetrators.
WHY RUMSFELD?
CCR has reviewed new evidence and documentation that lays the responsibility for U.S. torture program directly at Rumsfeld’s feet. Rumsfeld himself authorized severe “special interrogation techniques” and other abusive, unlawful treatment of detainees. Rumsfeld’s resignation last week means that he can no longer claim immunity from international prosecution as a sitting government official.
WHY GERMANY?
Germany appears to be the court of last resort for a war crimes prosecution of Rumsfeld because the United States has tried to close the door to accountability. For example, the United States has failed to take any action to investigate high-level involvement in the torture program; Congress passed the Military Commissions Act last month, which tries to shield American officials from being prosecuted for war crimes here; and the United States has refused to join the International Criminal Court and has barred the Iraq from prosecuting U.S. officials in that country.
On the other hand, as a signatory to the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, German law recognizes the principle of universal jurisdiction: that grave breaches of international law like the U.S. torture program authorized by Rumsfeld, must be investigated and, where called for, prosecuted no matter where the crime was committed or the nationality of those involved. CCR has filed this complaint in Germany because we represent torture victims who have yet to see justice, the truth has yet to be investigated and the United States is evading accountability.
Together we can make a difference. Stand with our plaintiffs who include Nobel Peace Prize winners and the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and tell the German Prosecutor that you support opening an investigation. With your support, we can show the world community that Americans think torture is immoral and illegal, and that its perpetrators -- wherever they are found -- must be held accountable. Act now.
Sincerely,
Vincent Warren
Executive Director
Go to for more info [read case and testimony...] and to send a letter to the German Prosecutor:
www.ccr-ny.org/v2/GermanCase2006/germancase.asp
From link above:
The November 14, 2006, criminal complaint is a request for the German Federal Prosecutor to open an investigation and, ultimately, a criminal prosecution that will look into the responsibility of high-ranking U.S. officials for authorizing war crimes in the context of the so-called “War on Terror.” The complaint is brought on behalf of 12 torture victims – 11 Iraqi citizens who were held at Abu Ghraib prison and one Guantánamo detainee – and is being filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Republican Attorneys' Association (RAV) and others, all represented by Berlin Attorney Wolfgang Kaleck.
full summary >>>
Why Germany?
The complaint is being filed under the Code of Crimes against International Law (CCIL), enacted by Germany in compliance with the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court in 2002, which Germany ratified. The CCIL provides for “universal jurisdiction” for war crimes, crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity. It enables the German Federal Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes constituting a violation of the CCIL, irrespective of the location of the defendant or plaintiff, the place where the crime was carried out, or the nationality of the persons involved.
No international courts or personal tribunals in Iraq were mandated to conduct investigations and prosecutions of responsible U.S. officials. The United States has refused to join the International Criminal Court, thereby foreclosing the option of pursuing a prosecution in international courts. Iraq has no authority to prosecute. Furthermore, the U.S. gave immunity to all its personnel in Iraq from Iraqi prosecution. All this added to the United States’ unquestionable refusal to look at the responsibility of those of the very top of the chain of command and named in the present complaint, and the recent passage of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (see below) aimed at preventing war crimes prosecutions against Americans in the U.S., German courts are seen as a last resort to obtain justice for those victims of abuse and torture while detained by the United States.more >>>