Should President Obama honor an international arrest warrant for Bush & Co? [View All]

[IndianaGreen]

If the US is to cleanse itself from the crimes of the Bush regime, it must either prosecute the lawbreakers or honor international arrest warrants for Bush and his officials for any crimes they committed against humanity. Here are the most likely to issue warrants for Bush and his henchmen:

Profile: Judge Baltasar Garzon

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon is widely recognised for his determination to bring suspects to justice, no matter where they may be or how old the crime.

He came to prominence in the late 1990s, when he campaigned for the extradition former Chilean military ruler Augusto Pinochet, from London to Spain for human rights abuses.

In late 2003 Judge Garzon compiled a 692-page indictment which called for the arrest of 35 men, including Osama Bin Laden, for their alleged membership of a terrorist group. The number of suspects was later increased to 41.

In 2005 24 faced justice in Madrid, in Europe's biggest trial of alleged al-Qaeda operatives.

Eighteen were found guilty of belonging to an al-Qaeda cell and sentenced to long prison terms.

These included the suspected leader of the group, Syrian-born businessman Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, who was found guilty of helping to organise the 9/11 attacks in the US. Six defendants were acquitted.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3085482.stm

International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC is based on a treaty, joined by 108 countries.

The ICC is a court of last resort. It will not act if a case is investigated or prosecuted by a national judicial system unless the national proceedings are not genuine, for example if formal proceedings were undertaken solely to shield a person from criminal responsibility. In addition, the ICC only tries those accused of the gravest crimes.

In all of its activities, the ICC observes the highest standards of fairness and due process. The jurisdiction and functioning of the ICC are governed by the Rome Statute.

http://www.icc-cpi.int/about.html

The question is: Should President Obama honor an international arrest warrant for Bush & Co?