tagged w/ Geneva Convention
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Blair had in effect promised George Bush that he would join the US-led invasion when, as late as July 2002, he was denying to MPs that preparations were being made for military action. The leaked documents reveal that "from March 2002 or May at the latest there was a significant possibility of a large-scale British operation".
Military commanders are expected to tell the inquiry into the Iraq war, which opens on Tuesday, that the invasion was ill-conceived and that preparations were sabotaged by Tony Blair's government's attempts to mislead the public.
They were so shocked by the lack of preparation for the aftermath of the invasion that they believe members of the British and US governments at the time could be prosecuted for war crimes by breaching the duty outlined in the Geneva convention to safeguard civilians in a conflict, the Guardian has been told.Blair had in effect promised George Bush that he would join the US-led invasion when,... more
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In a landmark case, twenty-three Americans, mostly CIA operatives, have been convicted in Italy for kidnapping a Muslim cleric from the streets of Milan in 2003. They were all tried in absentia after the United States refused to hand them over. The convictions turn them into international fugitives who risk arrest abroad. The case marks the first time any American has been convicted for taking part in a so-called “extraordinary rendition.” We go to Rome to speak with the Italian prosecutor who brought the case, Armando Spataro, and get comment from international law and human rights attorney Scott Horton. [includes rush transcript]In a landmark case, twenty-three Americans, mostly CIA operatives, have been convicted... more
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asherp
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added this
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19 days ago
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The weather and climate have a profound influence on our lives everywhere. Lives and livelihoods are disrupted in the path of storms and rising sea levels, retreating glaciers, intensifying droughts and floods, and food and water scarcity.
The Health and Climate Foundation has put together a contemporary art project that explores that relationship between climate and society.
Coinciding with the World Climate Conference 3 in Geneva, which runs from 31 August—4 September 2009, the exhibition is intended to provoke us to think about how we are affected by the environment, how it transforms us, and how we live with it.The weather and climate have a profound influence on our lives everywhere. Lives and... more
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May 18, 2009 | On April 16, the Obama administration released four memos that were used to authorize torture in interrogations during the Bush administration. When President Obama released the memos, he said, "It is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution."
Yet 13 key people in the Bush administration cannot claim they relied on the memos from the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel. Some of the 13 manipulated the federal bureaucracy and the legal process to "preauthorize" torture in the days after 9/11. Others helped implement torture, and still others helped write the memos that provided the Bush administration with a legal fig leaf after torture had already begun.
The Torture 13 exploited the federal bureaucracy to establish a torture regime in two ways. First, they based the enhanced interrogation techniques on techniques used in the U.S. military's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program. The program -- which subjects volunteers from the armed services to simulated hostile capture situations -- trains servicemen and -women to withstand coercion well enough to avoid making false confessions if captured. Two retired SERE psychologists contracted with the government to "reverse-engineer" these techniques to use in detainee interrogations.
The Torture 13 also abused the legal review process in the Department of Justice in order to provide permission for torture. The DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) played a crucial role. OLC provides interpretations on how laws apply to the executive branch. On issues where the law is unclear, like national security, OLC opinions can set the boundary for "legal" activity for executive branch employees. As Jack Goldsmith, OLC head from 2003 to 2004, explains it, "One consequence of [OLC's] power to interpret the law is the power to bestow on government officials what is effectively an advance pardon for actions taken at the edges of vague criminal statutes." OLC has the power, Goldsmith continues, to dispense "get-out-of-jail-free cards." The Torture 13 exploited this power by collaborating on a series of OLC opinions that repeatedly gave U.S. officials such a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for torturing.
Between 9/11 and the end of 2002, the Torture 13 decided to torture, then reverse-engineered the techniques, and then crafted the legal cover. Here's who they are and what they did:(details of the actions of each at the link to full article)
1. Dick Cheney, vice president (2001-2009)
2. David Addington, counsel to the vice president (2001-2005), chief of staff to the vice president (2005-2009)
3. Alberto Gonzales, White House counsel (2001-2005), and attorney general (2005-2008)
4. James Mitchell, consultant
5. George Tenet, director of Central Intelligence (1997-2004)
6. Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor (2001-2005), secretary of state (2005-2008)
7. John Yoo, deputy assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel (2001-2003)
8. Jay Bybee, assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel (2001-2003)
9. William "Jim" Haynes, Defense Department general counsel (2001-2008)
10. Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense (2001-2006)
11. John Rizzo, CIA deputy general counsel (2002-2004), acting general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (2001-2002, 2004-present)
12. Steven Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general, OLC (2004), acting assistant attorney general, OLC (2005-2009)
13. George W. Bush, president (2001-2009
Okay, now what?May 18, 2009 | On April 16, the Obama administration released four memos that were... more
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http://breakroomlive.com
BreakRoomLive w/ Maron & Seder is LIVE weekdays, 3-4pm from Air America's Break Room.
Armitage says if only he knew about the torture he says he would have quit. Sam calls his bullshit...
Catch comedy sketches, interviews, political & cultural discussions, & interact with hosts and guests live: 3pm, M-F @ BreakRoomLive.com!
BreakRoomLive w/ Marc Maron & Sam Seder is a production of http://airamerica.comhttp://breakroomlive.com
BreakRoomLive w/ Maron & Seder is LIVE weekdays, 3-4pm... more
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The report, which was not meant for public release, was written after Red Cross observers were allowed to speak to 14 "high value" detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The detainees had been transferred from secret prisons, or black sites, operated by the CIA. The testimony given to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), notably by Abu Zubaydah, who was captured after fighting US soldiers in Pakistan, provides a level of detail about the treatment the men received that has not been seen before.
Zubaydah recalls being slammed repeatedly against a plywood wall in his cell and being confined in dark, coffin-like wooden boxes. He speaks of being left unclothed and struggling to breathe as water was poured on a cloth over his face – a simulated drowning procedure known as waterboarding.
"I struggled against the straps, trying to breathe, but it was hopeless. I thought I was going to die. I lost control of my urine. Since then I still lose control of my urine when under stress," he is quoted as saying.The report, which was not meant for public release, was written after Red Cross... more
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'This is going to be big,' senator says
The Senate is quietly preparing plans to investigate allegations of torture under President George W. Bush, according to comments published Wednesday by Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
The Senate Judiciary Committee could announce a hearing to consider various plans to probe allegations of torture as early as today, according to Salon's Mark Benjamin, citing Committee Chairman Pat Leahy and members of his staff. A call placed Wednesday morning by Raw Story to Leahy's office was not immediately returned.
Sen. Whitehouse said he’s “convinced” the investigation will move forward.'This is going to be big,' senator says
The Senate is quietly preparing plans to... more
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What will it take to change US policy in the Middle East? Former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney says that little will change as long as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) continues to influence US policy makers. The fact that Israel is violating US law by continuing to supply weapons to a country targeting civilians could be addressed by congress.What will it take to change US policy in the Middle East? Former U.S. congresswoman... more
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GRITtv
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added this
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10 months ago
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Everyone wants to know: will Obama order investigations into the Bush administration's abuses of power? But, perhaps the new question should be: if he doesn't, who will?
House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) is at least going to try.
Conyers published a nearly 500-page report (PDF link) Tuesday titled, "Reining in the Imperial Presidency: Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the presidency of George W. Bush."
Conyers' report makes 47 recommendations "designed to restore the traditional checks and balances of our constitutional system," reads the foreward. Recommendations include the establishment of a 'blue ribbon' commission to fully investigate the Bush administration, and the launch of criminal probes.Everyone wants to know: will Obama order investigations into the Bush administration's... more
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President-elect Barack Obama is expected to move swiftly to reverse executive orders regarding torture of terror suspects, the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and other controversial security policies, sources close to his transition said, in dramatic gestures aimed at reversing President Bush’s accumulation of executive power.
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) said he’s been informed that President Obama will support his proposed legislation to make public some opinions from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which issued some of the Bush Administration's most sweeping claims of executive power. Obama also has promised to limit President Bush's practice of using "signing statements" to amend legislation.
"Every day we get indications that they're serious about reversing the abuses of the Constitution," Feingold, a harsh Bush critic, told Politico. Feingold said he thinks Obama is likely to issue executive orders rapidly reversing Bush policies, and others have indicate that those will likely cover the interrogation and detention of terror suspects, and keeping the records of past presidents secret.
-Here comes the transparency we've been lacking over the last 8 years. Brace yourselves. This is going to be ugly.- BansheewailPresident-elect Barack Obama is expected to move swiftly to reverse executive orders... more
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Hillary Clinton today endorsed the use of "smart power" to reassert global US influence during an appearance before the US Senate foreign relations committee, which is considering her nomination as secretary of state.
Clinton indicated she would depart from the ideologically-driven foreign policy of the Bush administration and forge new alliances around the world.
"America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America," she said. "I believe American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted. We must use what has been called 'smart power', the full range of tools at our disposal. With 'smart power', diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy."Hillary Clinton today endorsed the use of "smart power" to reassert global US... more
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President-elect Barack Obama will order the closing of the Guantanamo Bay US military prison, his advisers say, according to Lara Jakes of The Associated Press:
That executive order is expected during Obama's first week on the job — and possibly on his first day, according to two transition team advisers. Both spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.President-elect Barack Obama will order the closing of the Guantanamo Bay US military... more
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I just came across this clip from CNN, regarding a bill passed back in 2006:
"Buried deep inside the War Crimes Detainee bill recently passed by the House, is a provision that would pardon President Bush and his administration for violation of the Geneva conventions. Some of these crimes are violations punishable by death.
President Bush seeks to Pardon himself and his administration in advance for violating the Geneva Conventions in an effort to avoid possible prosecution in the future."
Is this why Bush hasn't bothered to pardon himself and his administration?I just came across this clip from CNN, regarding a bill passed back in 2006:... more
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"I supported it," he said regarding the practice known as "water-boarding," a form of simulated drowning. After World War II, 7 Japanese soldiers were tried and convicted of war crimes in US courts for water-boarding one American soldier and executed for it, a practice which the outgoing Bush administration attempted to enshrine in policy."I supported it," he said regarding the practice known as "water-boarding," a form of... more
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Because history has taught us that we are incapable of going to war without our front line soldiers succumbing to fear and seeking vengeance often in the form of war crimes (how dare they), the Pentagon has pulled together a massive budget and hired some British robotics experts to build "autonomous systems" (Pentagon-speak for robots) that won't violate the Geneva conventions. Go Defense Department!Because history has taught us that we are incapable of going to war without our front... more
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ANP: An interview with David Cole. Part 1
President-elect Barack Obama says closing down the detainee camp in Guantanamo Bay will be a top priority of his new administration. David Cole, author of Justice at War: The Men and Ideas That Shaped America's War on Terror, legal affairs correspondent for The Nation, and a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, reviews some of the dilemmas ahead. Should the U.S. continue to hold prisoners without charge? Should we prosecute the top Bush Administration officials responsible for detainee abuse? And how do we regain the respect of the world community?ANP: An interview with David Cole. Part 1
President-elect Barack Obama says closing... more
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Bush tries to get a bill passed that will give himself and his administration retroactive immunity from prosecution for alleged Geneva Convention violations. Are you angry yet?Bush tries to get a bill passed that will give himself and his administration... more
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The International Committee of the Red Cross has voiced grave concern over what it says is Colombia's apparent "deliberate misuse" of its symbol.
The ICRC said it had seen video footage that suggested the emblem was used deliberately in July's military mission to free 15 hostages from rebel hands.
The government has apologised to the ICRC but also condemned the leak of the military video to Colombian TV.
Intentional misuse of the symbol would be a breach of the Geneva Conventions.
The Geneva-based ICRC says the footage shown on Colombian TV on Monday indicates that the emblem was being used before the operation to free the hostages from Farc guerrillas had even begun, indicating intentional misuse.
"If authenticated, these images would clearly establish an improper use of the Red Cross emblem, which we deplore," said ICRC deputy director of operations Dominik Stillhart.
Mr Stillhart said they were seeking further clarification from the Colombian government.
'Nervous soldier'
Rescuers tricked rebels into releasing French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and the other hostages by posing as international aid workers.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe subsequently acknowledged that a Red Cross symbol was worn by a member of the military taking part in the 2 July rescue mission. Mr Uribe said he had apologised to the Red Cross for the error, which he said had been made by a nervous soldier acting against orders.
Speaking on Tuesday, after the video was shown on Colombian TV, Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos apologised again to the ICRC.
"The emblem...was used from the beginning of the operation. We are very sorry that this has happened. But the government, the president and (armed forces chief) General Padilla said the truth that we knew at the time," Mr Santos said.
But Mr Santos also condemned the leak of the video, saying those responsible had been identified and would be punished.
"This video contains material that was leaked by members of the security forces, from our army. This leak was a product of disloyalty, possibly corruption or even treason because it puts at risk the lives of people who are dedicated to defending the fatherland," he said.
Neutrality
The Colombian government has said the rescue was the result of long preparation, eavesdropping on rebel communications and deception of guerrillas on the ground, allowing the hostages to be liberated without loss of life.
Officials also stressed how the mission had been carried out without loss of life.
Falsely portraying military personnel as Red Cross workers is against the Geneva Conventions because it could put humanitarian workers at risk when carrying out missions in war zones.
It also undermines the neutrality of the Red Cross.
At the end of July, Farc guerrillas handed eight people they had kidnapped the week before to ICRC representatives, suggesting the rebels have not lost faith in the humanitarian organisation, correspondents say.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) have been fighting the Colombian state for more than four decades and are believed to still hold several hundred hostages. The International Committee of the Red Cross has voiced grave concern over what it... more
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Colombia misused the symbol of the Red Cross in this month's military rescue of politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other rebel-held hostages, it said on Wednesday, admitting a possible violation of the rules of war.
Falsely portraying military personnel as Red Cross members is against the Geneva Conventions as it could put humanitarian workers at risk when they are in war zones.
Rebel leaders were duped into handing over their most prized hostages in the operation, which highlighted the success of Uribe's U.S.-backed offensive against the guerrillas.
But the use of the Red Cross symbol takes some of the shine off the mission.
Colombia misused the symbol of the Red Cross in this month's military rescue of... more
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On the Waterboard
How does it feel to be “aggressively interrogated”? Christopher Hitchens found out for himself, submitting to a brutal waterboarding session in an effort to understand the human cost of America’s use of harsh tactics at Guantánamo and elsewhere. VF.com has the footage. Related: “Believe Me, It’s Torture,” from the August 2008 issue. On the Waterboard
How does it feel to be “aggressively interrogated”?... more
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