German Prosecutor Asked to Investigate Rumsfeld (NYTimes)

[Up2Late]

German Prosecutor Asked to Investigate Rumsfeld

By MARK LANDLER
Published: November 14, 2006

FRANKFURT, Nov. 14 — Emboldened by the resignation last week of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, lawyers today asked a German prosecutor to investigate Mr. Rumsfeld on allegations of war crimes, stemming from the treatment of prisoners held in military jails in Iraq and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The 220-page lawsuit, filed with the German federal prosecutor in Karlsruhe, names 11 other current and former American officials, including Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whom it alleges either ordered the torture of prisoners or drafted laws that legitimated its use.

The suit, filed by civil rights legal groups on behalf of 12 detainees — 11 Iraqis and a Saudi — alleges they were subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, withholding of food, and sexual humiliation.

“Even if we never put Rumsfeld on trial in a German court, he will be harassed and publicly stamped as a torturer,” said Wolfgang Kaleck, a Berlin attorney who filed the complaint, together with the Center for Constitutional Rights, an American group, and other legal organizations.

(more at link) <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/world/europe/14cnd-german.html?ex=1321160400&en=020451536d31d1b3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>

[Up2Late]

1. Here's another: Germany urged to prosecute Rumsfeld for war crimes (U.K. Independent)

(Is this why he didn't want to quit?)
14 November 2006 21:38

Germany urged to prosecute Rumsfeld for war crimes

By Tony Paterson in Berlin
Published: 15 November 2006

Human rights activists are trying to persuade German prosecutors to open a war crimes investigation against the outgoing US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over his alleged role in abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

In a 220-page document lodged with Germany's federal prosecutor's office, the US-based Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) alleges that Mr Rumsfeld and 11 other high-ranking US intelligence and military figures either ordered, aided or failed to prevent war crimes at both places.

The plaintiffs, acting on behalf of 12 alleged torture victims, were making use of a German law which allows the pursuit of war crimes cases anywhere in the world, although a similar attempt to bring charges against Mr Rumsfeld in 2004 was rejected by German prosecutors.

Michael Ratner, the president of the CCR, said he believed the case had a better chance now because Mr Rumsfeld was leaving office and could no longer claim immunity or exert any "political pressure". "One of our goals has been to say a torturer is someone who cannot be given a safe haven," he said. "It sends a strong message that this is not acceptable."

(more at link) <http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1984452.ece>

[Anakin Skywalker]

2. Hee hee hee. *Giggle*

[IndianaGreen]

3. Here is some of the evidence against Rumsfeld

by former General Janis Karpinski:

Testimony of Former Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, the Former Head of Abu Ghraib, for the German criminal procedure against DOD Donald Rumsfeld and others
Wednesday, October 26th, 2005 (modified for clarity)

2. The visit of General Miller
31 August to 9 September 2003

On November 2002, Miller was given command of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), which runs the US detention facilities known as Camp X-Ray, Camp Delta and Camp Echo in Cuba. During his tenure, Miller was credited with bringing order and discipline to the facility and improving interrogation procedures. Miller later said that two-thirds of the 600 prisoners had confessed to being involved in terrorism and were giving "actionable intelligence." However, it is believed that Miller's increased leadership led to allegations of beatings, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, using attack dogs to intimidate prisoners, and other abuses at Guantanamo Bay.

31 August to 9 September 2003

General Miller was sent to visit Iraq by Secretary Rumsfeld and the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Stephen Cambone. MG Miller was serving as the commander of detention operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was sent to assist the military intelligence interrogators with enhancing their techniques to obtain more actionable intelligence. He brought a “Tiger Team” of approximately 20 - 22 people with him to discuss all aspects of interrogation operations and provide instructions in the effective use of techniques being used at Guantanamo Bay. MG Miller conducted an introductory briefing (In Brief) and I was invited to attend. He planned to visit Abu Gharib and several other prison facilities to determine what facility he was going to use for interrogations. so as a courtesy I was invited to attend the In Brief because all sanctioned detention operations were under my control at the time. With MG Miller was working almost exclusively with the military intelligence people and the military intelligence interrogators during the course of his visit. He was not interested in assisting with detention operations; rather he was focusing on interrogation operations and teaching interrogators harsher techniques as a means to obtain more actionable intelligence.

http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/GermanCase2006/Docs/abu%20KarpinskiTestimony2006.pdf

http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/GermanCase2006/germancase.asp

[Up2Late]

4. I seriously wonder where these turds are going to hide once they...

...eventually leave office. Ecuador? Argentina?

[Hieronymus]

5. Bush's daddy bought 173,000 acres in Paraguay...

there's room there for all of them.:hide:

[IndianaGreen]

7. Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele hid in Paraguay after WWII

Paraguay seems to atract scum like the Bushes, the Mengeles, the Eichmans, etc.

[Hekate]

6. Pass the butter and salt for my popcorn, please. You want some too?

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

This couldn't happen to a more deserving person.

Hekate

[calimary]

8. K&R!!! Especially since it says the lawsuit also names our "friend" alberto

"Torture's Okay" gonzales along with rummy. That ALONE gets me a'smiling! AND general ricardo sanchez is mentioned, also, along with john yoo and jay bybee. YESSSSSSSSS!!!