Two years ago, former Bush Administration Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hurriedly fled France, fearing he would be arrested by French authorities for “ordering and authorizing” the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the U.S. facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
n Spain, prosecutors are taking steps toward opening criminal investigations of six Bush-era officials to determine whether they violated international law by authorizing torture at Guantanamo Bay, reports the New York Times. The Spanish prosecutors’ case is strong, say NYT’s sources—especially since “crusading investigative judge” Baltasar Garzon (well-known issuing an outstanding order for the arrest of Chilean tyrant Augusto Pinochet) is on the case. Bushies under review include former Attorney General Alberto Gonzelez, former Justice Dept. lawyer John Yoo, and former under-secretary of defense Douglas Feith. Spain’s claim of jurisdiction arises from five Spanish Gitmo prisoners who say they were tortured there.
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Should Spain attempt criminal prosecutions of former Bush administration officials? Should Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush be tried for war crimes?
added by: unimatrix0
Original post by AFP and software by Elliott Back
From an Antarctic research base to the Fantastic Pyramids of Egypt and beyond, the world switched off the lights on Saturday for Earth Hour, dimming skyscrapers, city streets and some of the world’s most recognizable monuments for 60 minutes to highlight the threat of climate change. Time zone by time zone, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries joined the event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to dim nonessential lights.