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Spain investigates what America should

By Aaron

  From Marjorie Cohn of the San Francisco Chronicle A Spanish court has initiated criminal proceedings against six former officials of the Bush administration. John Yoo, Jay Bybee, David Addington, Alberto Gonzales, William Haynes and Douglas Feith may face charges in Spain for authorizing torture at Guantánamo Bay . If arrest warrants are issued, Spain and any of the other 24 countries that are parties to European extradition conventions could arrest these six men when they travel abroad. Does Spain have the authority to prosecute Americans for crimes that didn’t take place on Spanish soil? The answer is yes. It’s called “universal jurisdiction. ” Universal jurisdiction is a well-established theory that countries, including the United States , have used for many years to investigate and prosecute foreign nationals for crimes that shock the conscience of the global community...continue to full post

Full post as published by Washington State Criminal Defense on April 07, 2009 (boomark / email).