HRW: U.S. Tries to Get Off the Hook on War Crimes

U.S. Tries to Get Off the Hook on War Crimes
Ahead of U.N. Resolution on Iraq, U.S. Tries to Exclude Its Troops from Prosecution

(New York, May 20, 2004) – The United States is insisting that its troops be exempt from international war crimes prosecutions while serving in any U.N. force in Iraq, despite U.S. abuse of prisoners there, Human Rights Watch said today.

Without prior notice to members of the U.N. Security Council, the United States yesterday demanded an immediate vote to renew contentious Security Council Resolution 1487. This measure grants immunity to personnel in U.N. authorized or approved operations from states that have not ratified the International Criminal Court (ICC) treaty.

A similar resolution granting immunity to U.S. peacekeepers was first adopted in July 2002, and was renewed by Resolution 1487 last year. Resolution 1487 does not require renewal for another five weeks.

“Given the recent revelations from Abu Ghraib prison, the U.S. government has picked one hell of a moment to ask for special treatment on war crimes,” said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice program at Human Rights Watch. “The U.N. Security Council should not grant special favors to any country, including the United States.”

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/05/20/usint8602.htm

our illustrious leaders. We look bad enough in the international community, might just as well remove any claim to the higher ground. I'm so ashamed right now of our country that I didn't think I could lose more pride, but I have.

The current administrations double standard for everything makes me sick.

You have to be accountable for war crimes, but we don't. You can't have weapons of mass destruction, but we can. How the hell do these morons look themselves in the mirror?

hmmm. :eyes:

serve the punishment for the offending troops..

I hope this is soundly defeated.

I don't recall the UN sanctioning this little bit of international imperialism. Sorry, Stupidhead, it's going to be your ass in the dock at The Hague.

...lack of critical thinking skills.

I bet all those Balkan leaders on trial are having a field day with this: "Well, the U.S. didn't get in trouble for invading another country, using rape and torture as a control tool, and targeting civilians, so why should we?"

Imagine Bush and Rumsfeld being called as witnesses when they begin Saddam's War Crimes Trial. At this point in time, Bush makes Saddam look like an altar boy...

International Criminal Court: Security Council renewal of unlawful Resolution 1487 providing impunity for peace-keepers would be a further set-back for international justice
Amnesty International is urging governments to oppose any effort to renew Security Council Resolution 1487 (2003), which renewed Resolution 1422 (2002). Resolution 1422, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and other international law, sought to prevent the International Criminal Court from exercising jurisdiction for a one-year period over nationals of states that had not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, when these nationals were accused of committing genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes in
connection with a United Nations (UN) established or authorized operation.

The unlawfulness of Resolution 1422 is documented in Amnesty International's memorandum International Criminal Court: The unlawful attempt by the Security Council to give US citizens permanent impunity from international justice, AI Index: IOR 40/006/2002, May 2003 (available at: http://www.amnesty.org/icc). Resolution 1422 also expressed the Security Council's intention to renew that resolution every year on 1 July 2002 for further one-year periods "for as long as may be necessary"-potentially forever.

In an open meeting of the Security Council on 10 July 2002, more than one hundred UN member states made statements opposing the adoption of Resolution 1422 and declaring that it was contrary to international law. Last year, in a similar open meeting, UN member states were virtually unanimous in opposing the renewal of Resolution 1422.

At last year's open meeting, the UN Secretary-General also voiced serious concerns about the resolution stating "allow me to express the hope that this does not become an annual routine. If it did, I fear the world would interpret it as meaning that the Council wished to claim absolute and permanent immunity for people serving in the operations it establishes or authorizes. If that were to happen, it would undermine not only the authority of the ICC but also the authority of the Council and the legitimacy of United Nations peacekeeping."

Legal experts have now overwhelmingly concluded that Resolution 1422 was contrary to the UN Charter and other international law. Although the resolution was renewed by the Security Council (as Resolution 1487), Amnesty International was encouraged that three states abstained (France, Germany and Syria), which is evidence of the growing opposition to this resolution.
<snip>
http://news.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGIOR510062004

I look forward to hearing her insightful views on the matter.

The new Miss America is a hawk. A Republican, she told Reuters she would use her position to help explain America's involvement in Iraq. "What needed to be done had to be done," she said.

I GUESS TAPING A DIRTY USED KOTEX MAXI PAD TO A POW'S FACE IS "WHAT HAD TO BE DONE" YOU LOBOTOMIZED PIECE OF TRASH.

Why don't they tape one to her forehead or wound and see if she still thinks the same way as she did before.

:puke:

it is unbelievably stupid, at this point in time, to be pushing American "exceptionalism." It is so obvious that this will have a substantial negative impact on world public opinion and will fuel anti-Americanism, that I think the only credible conclusion is that the Administration is deliberately trying to help groups like Al-Qaeda recruit.

What we've seen that last two or three weeks explains exactly why we all need the ICC and why no one should be exepmt.

If the United States cannot try Bush and Rumsfeld for war crimes, then the ICC should step in.

Wife, Daughters Tell of Iraqi Man Discharged from U.S. Custody in Coma
by Dahr Jamail (bio)
Brian Dominick (bio) contributed to this item.

Editor's Note: Part of the following feature story was first reported by Baghdad correspondent Dahr Jamail back in January, when almost no one was paying attention to stories of the horrifying treatment dealt to Iraqi prisoners by their Western captors. Now that the world has deemed the topic newsworthy, Jamail has returned to the story for more thorough coverage. As part of our mission to The NewStandard will continue to pursue this and other stories like it in the near future. As any Iraq correspondent who speaks with Iraqis can attest, there is no shortage of them.


Baghdad , May 4 - Not all evidence of military personnel mistreating Iraqis held in US custody come from leaks within the American- and British-run detention facilities. In many cases, such as that of Sadiq Zoman, 57, who last year entered US custody healthy but left in a vegetative state, the story originates with family members desperate to share their loved one’s story with anyone willing to listen.

American soldiers detained Zoman at his residence in Kirkuk on July 21, 2003 when they raided the Zoman family home in search of weapons and, apparently, to arrest Zoman himself.

More than a month later, on August 23, US soldiers dropped Zoman off, already comatose, at a hospital in Tikrit. Although he was unable to recount his story, his body bore telltale signs of torture: what appear to be point burns on his skin, bludgeon marks on the back of his head, a badly broken thumb, electrical burns on the soles of his feet. Additionally, family members say they found whip marks across his back and more electrical burns on his genitalia.








Daughter Rheem stated, "My father is a good man who helped so many people in our community. Why have they done this to him? Can you tell me? Everyone who knows him can say that he did so many good things to help people."

With tears in her eyes, Hashima Zoman added, "Is it fair for any man's family to be made to suffer like this? Is it right that his daughters must see him like this? Our lives will never be the same again, no matter what happens."


http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=275.

The photos coming out suggest another Vietnam on Dimbo's watch with Rummy presiding. The abuse is there for all to see plus we have a perfect money pit for the US Treasury and Dimbo's cronies.

This isn't going away.