Home -> Law Blog Directory -> International Law Blogs -> jurabilis - German bLAWg from Berlin.

International Law

: jurabilis - German bLAWg from Berlin.

"Scharfe Befragungen": "Bush Six" vorerst von Strafverfolgung verschont?

Nachdem noch kürzlich darüber spekuliert wurde, ob es bald zur Anklageerhebung gegen die "Schreibtischtäter" kommen würde, meldet der Washington Independent nun, dass es wohl keine "Spanish Inquisition" geben wird:

Despite recent reports to the contrary, Spain's attorney general has now reportedly decided not to prosecute the Bush Six - the top legal officials in the Bush administration who allegedly approved the torture of terror suspects. Attorney General Candido Conde-Pumpio said that the United States would be the proper forum for such a case.

"If there is a reason to file a complaint against these people, it should be done before local courts with jurisdiction, in other words in the United States," Conde-Pumpio said in a breakfast meeting with journalists, according to The Associated Press.

Spain could have exercised what's known as "universal jurisdiction" over the case, but the government was apparently reluctant to do that and risk tensions with the United States.

The possibility of charges, which we've reported here, began when human rights lawyers asked Judge Baltasar Garzon, famous for indicting ex-Chilean ruler Augusto Pinochet in 1998, to consider the case. Following Spanish law, the judge then asked prosecutors to recommend whether to pursue the case.

Interessant übrigens, dass die "Interrogation Memos" jetzt freigegeben werden:

After a tense internal debate, President Obama officially announced this afternoon that his administration would not prosecute C.I.A. operatives for carrying out controversial interrogations of terrorist suspects, as the Justice Department began releasing a number of detailed memos describing harsh techniques used against Al Qaeda suspects in secret overseas prisons.

"In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carrying out their duties relying in good faith upon the legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution," Mr. Obama said in a statement issued by the White House.

[The Caucus / NY Times]

Hier kann man die brisanten Memos einsehen.

Full post as published by jurabilis - German bLAWg from Berlin. on April 17, 2009 (boomark / email).