French Court Charges Rumsfeld with Torture

Jubin George's excellent blog alerted me to a report that a French court has charged Donald Rumsfeld with torturing prisoners in Iraq and the US prison at Guantanamo Bay.

The charges against the former U.S. secretary of defense, is being brought by what is described as "leading human rights groups" who have the support of "the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the French League for Human Rights, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)."

Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a non-profit human rights law firm in the US, said:"We will not rest until those U.S. officials involved in torture are brought to justice," he continued to say after the filing, that "Rumsfeld must understand that he has no place to hide," and that "A torturer is an enemy of all humankind."

The report adds that:"The charges against Rumsfeld were brought under the 1984 Convention against Torture, ratified by both the United States and France, which has been used in France in previous torture cases."

France is given jurisdiction in this case because the complaint was filed when Rumsfeld was in Paris as an invited guest of Foreign Policy magazine.

The complainants also argue that because the US and Iraq have not sought to investigate the allegations of torture; it is the "obligation" of France under the 1984 Convention to do so.

Furthermore, Rumsfeld cannot claim "immunity" because International Law does not recognize "immunity" as a legal defense in cases of torture.

There is no-doubt enough substantive evidence to prosecute Rumsfeld. This includes evidence by former U.S. Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski who showed Rumsfeld's hand in the torture of detainees.

This then is a good day for those of us who would like to see this maniacal murderer brought to justice. It is also a step toward a growing movement that will seek to indict his partners in mass murder, Bush and Cheney.

Still, this is the 5th time that Rumsfeld has been charged for torture in a foreign court. Previous charges were brought in Argentina, Sweden, and Germany.

But stay tuned anyway because the march to bring the mass murderers to justice is in full swing.