Spain and prosecution of Bush 6

[Liberty Star]

I didn't see this discussed here before, the saga continues:


Spain’s Attorney General Opposes Prosecutions of 6 Bush Officials on Allowing Torture

By MARLISE SIMONS
Published: April 16, 2009

PARIS — Spain’s attorney general on Thursday strongly criticized steps to open a criminal investigation in Madrid into allegations that six former Bush administration officials authorized the torture of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/world/europe/17spain.html?ref=world

[hugolp]

You can be sure it will never happen.

I think its alredy stoped.

[Vessol]

Nothing was ever going to happen. Political posturing FTW.

[eduardo89]

What jurisdiction does Spain even have?

[Liberty Star]

It wasn't likely, mostly looked like posturing.


What jurisdiction does Spain even have?

Some countries have laws that allow prosecutions for certain international crimes on human rights/torture/war crime issues. This may be one of those areas.

[Liberty Star]

What jurisdiction does Spain even have?

This may answer it better:


Horton explains the context of the case:


The case arises in the context of a pending proceeding before the court involving terrorism charges against five Spaniards formerly held at Guantánamo. A group of human-rights lawyers originally filed a criminal complaint asking the court to look at the possibility of charges against the six American lawyers. Baltasar Garzón Real, the investigating judge, accepted the complaint and referred it to Spanish prosecutors for a view as to whether they would accept the case and press it forward. [They found sufficient evidence.]

The case won't come before Judge Real, though; he also was involved in a terrorism case against the five Spaniards held in Guantanamo.

What does it all mean?

Well, John Yoo won't be vacationing on the Costa del Sol this summer. Were any of the Bush Six to step foot in Spain, they would be arrested.

More importantly: Spain has said that it would drop the cases if the United States would investigate the claim. Thus far, the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House haven't responded. But the indictment may force the administration's hand, spurring a response to the allegations.

For, ultimately, the issue may have more political potency than judicial importance. It's up to U.S. President Barack Obama to dictate whether and how the strong allegations of legal abuses in the Bush administration will be resolved.



http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/14/spain_to_indict_the_bush_six_over_torture


Obama open to prosecution, probe of interrogations

By JENNIFER LOVEN – 22 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama left the door open Tuesday to prosecuting Bush administration officials who devised the legal authority for gruesome terror-suspect interrogations, saying the United States lost "our moral bearings" with use of the tactics.

The question of whether to bring charges against those who devised justification for the methods "is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws and I don't want to prejudge that," Obama said. The president discussed the continuing issue of terrorism-era interrogation tactics with reporters as he finished an Oval Office meeting with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Obama also said he could support a congressional investigation into the Bush-era terrorist detainee program, but only under certain conditions, such as if it were done on a bipartisan basis.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jdxvkOhzjNneMr_LS4qY2ZUrtH-wD97MVV6G3