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Spain's High Court Allows Torture Suit Against Bush Officials to Proceed

Via the Center for Constitutional Rights: The full panel of Judges of the Audencia Nacional (Spain’s High Court) rejected a Spanish prosecutor’s effort to stop an investigation into the role of US officials for torture on Guantanamo.

This is a monumental decision that will enable a Spanish judge to continue a case on the “authorized and systematic plan of torture and ill treatment” by U.S. officials at Guantanamo. Geoffrey Miller, the former commanding officer at Guantánamo, has already been implicated, and the case will surely move up the chain of command. Since the U.S. government has not only failed to investigate the illegal actions of its own officials and, according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, also sought to interfere in the Spanish judicial process and stop the case from proceeding, this will be the first real investigation of the U.S. torture program. This is a victory for accountability and a blow against impunity. The Center for Constitutional Rights applauds the Spanish courts for not bowing to political pressure and for undertaking what may be the most important investigation in decades.

CCR's page on the Spanish lawsuits is here.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Good to know there's a country (5.00 / 0) (#2)
    by Anne on Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 05:39:51 PM EST
    that still cares about the rule of law; wish I could say that about the US.

    Twisted (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by mmc9431 on Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 07:10:23 PM EST
    I would have thought upholding the rule of law and being tough on crime would appeal to conservatives. Since Cheney and company, it's now a leftie ploy.

    Evidently it's only a crime if someone else does it.

    No kidding (none / 0) (#5)
    by sj on Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 07:15:33 PM EST
    And maybe it will have the happy effect of making the current administration take another look at continuing the Bush policies.

    One can dream.

    Parent

    Full of sound and fury (1.00 / 1) (#3)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 06:07:28 PM EST
    signifying nothing...

    but the Spanish Left's desire to attract attention.

    Thanks for the analysis (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Harry Saxon on Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 10:46:22 PM EST
    May the Rule of Law (none / 0) (#1)
    by NMvoiceofreason on Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 05:19:45 PM EST
    live long and prosper!

    political grandstanding (none / 0) (#7)
    by diogenes on Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 09:21:18 AM EST
    How's the investigation into torture allegations in China going?  Has Spain indicted the president of Sudan about Darfur yet?  There must be some questions of prisoner maltreatment in Cuba that merit investigation of Fidel Castro.  Vladimir Putin sounds like the sort of guy who is torturing Chechen prisoners today.  Qaddifi in Libya is as good as convicted.  I'm just waiting for all the Spanish indictments to hit.

    You lead by example (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by mmc9431 on Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 09:48:34 AM EST
    As my mother used to preach to me: "I don't care what the other kids in the neighborhood are doing".

    As an American citizen I am concerned with what my official are doing in my name.

    How can we critize any government for human rights violations when our own elected officials brag about their criminal activities?

    Parent

    Spanish citizen was tortured (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by Andreas on Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 10:18:06 AM EST
    The judges in Spain would have violated their duty to a Spanish citizen by blocking the investigation.

    Parent
    Your Point ? (none / 0) (#10)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Feb 28, 2011 at 10:23:44 AM EST
    Apparently is don't bother unless you are going to investigate everyone, everywhere ?

    This is a no-brainier, the people's involved have never denied it (they did until they couldn't), as a matter of fact it seems to be a badge of honor in republican circles.

    Parent

    What's the Point ? (none / 0) (#11)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Feb 28, 2011 at 10:32:16 AM EST
    Unless Spain has some special court that can punish crimes the accusers have freely admitted to, what's the point ?

    It's in the open and no punishment can be enforced, so this seems like a colossal waste of energy.

    Not that I wouldn't love to see the guilty brought to justice, but that isn't an option a court in Spain can execute, nor an option a court in the US will pursue.

    They got away with it and that is about that, unless someone here decides justice and the rule of law are worth pursuing, they will do it again and again.