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Spain Dismisses Torture Lawsuit Against Bush Officials

A judge is Spain has dismissed the lawsuit against Bush administration officials for torture of detainees.

Judge Eloy Velasco said in a four-page ruling issued Wednesday that the United States has told Spain the U.S. government is holding investigations of its own. Velasco said for this reason, Spain cannot apply its doctrine of universal jurisdiction, which holds that, under some circumstances, crimes allegedly committed in other countries can be prosecuted in Spain's National Court.

Here is the letter the Justice Department submitted to Spain outlining its ongoing investigation into the Bush Administration actions. The Center for Constitutional Rights responds here. CCR's webpage on the lawsuit is here.

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    Reading the government's 2011 response (5.00 / 0) (#1)
    by Anne on Thu Apr 14, 2011 at 02:57:28 PM EST
    to Spain's 2009 request, I was at once embarrassed and ashamed - and that was before I read the CCR's response to the whole thing.

    I feel even worse that Spain accepted the US's claims and thus declined to allow the suit to proceed; maybe Spain decided it didn't want to embarrass us more than we've already embarrassed ourselves, although why we should be allowed to save face in light of all that we know we have done is a mystery to me.

    I truly cannot find the right words to express my disgust.


    No surprise (5.00 / 0) (#3)
    by cal1942 on Thu Apr 14, 2011 at 03:09:57 PM EST
    Re-election calculation from the start.

    So many "Americans" now accept torture as long as it's the 'good guys' doing the torturing.

    Given Conservatism's hold for three decades now it's little wonder that our nation's morals have so decayed.

    Holder and Obama (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Edger on Thu Apr 14, 2011 at 04:42:08 PM EST
    must be incredibly relieved.

    Suckers n/t (none / 0) (#2)
    by Dadler on Thu Apr 14, 2011 at 03:09:41 PM EST


    what's next (none / 0) (#5)
    by diogenes on Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 11:57:34 AM EST
    With all their free time I'm sure the Spanish prosecutors will indict Bashir Assad.  Not.