Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld For Alleged War Crimes

11 Iraq former detainees at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo are seeking criminal prosecution charges against Donald Rumsfeld for abuses suffered during their detainment. The German news website DW-WORLD.DE/English, is reporting... The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and Berlin's Republican Lawyers' Association said they and five Iraqi citizens mistreated by US soldiers were seeking a probe by German federal prosecutors of leading US policymakers. They said they had chosen Germany because of its Code of Crimes Against International Law, introduced in 2002, which grants German courts universal jurisdiction in cases involving war crimes or crimes against humanity. It also makes military or civilian commanders who fail to prevent their subordinates from committing such acts liable. Also named in the lawsuit, are former CIA director George Tenet, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Steven Cambone, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, Brigadier General Janis L. Karpinski and other military officers who served in Iraq. In a quote to DW-WORLD.DE, Peter Weiss CCR Vice President explained the reason for filing charges in Germany "We filed these cases here because there is simply no other place to go," CCR vice president Peter Weiss said in a statement, adding that the US Congress had "failed" to seriously investigate the abuses. "It is clear that the US government is not willing to open an investigation into these allegations against these officials."Read on.... Time.com which is also reporting on this story, names Mohammad al-Qahtani, a Saudi held at Guantanamo, whom the U.S. has identified as the so-called "20th hijacker" and a would-be participant in the 9/11 hijackings. As TIME first reported in June 2005, Qahtani underwent a "special interrogation plan," personally approved by Rumsfeld, which the U.S. says produced valuable intelligence. But to obtain it, according to the log of his interrogation and government reports, Qahtani was subjected to forced nudity, sexual humiliation, religious humiliation, prolonged stress positions, sleep deprivation and other controversial interrogation techniques. There is some confusion between the two stories however. DW-WORLD.DE is stating that Brigadier General Janis L. Karpinski is included in the lawsuit, while Time states Lawyers for the plaintiffs say that one of the witnesses who will testify on their behalf is former Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, the one-time commander of all U.S. military prisons in Iraq. Karpinski — who the lawyers say will be in Germany next week to publicly address her accusations in the case — has issued a written statement to accompany the legal filing, which says, in part: "It was clear the knowledge and responsibility [for what happened at Abu Ghraib] goes all the way to the top of the chain of command to the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ." Hopefully the "Secretary of Death" will finally be made to take responsibility for his actions and face the consequences. Perhaps once this is done, they will go after Darth Vader Cheney and ultimately King George the dictator. Between the three of them (and the subordinates who supported them)there is plenty of blood to be found on their hands. Particularly Cheney and Rumsfeld (along with John Negroponte Bush's current Director of National Intelligence), go back years and years facing allegation's of torture and murder. One has to look no further than Iran/Contra and the history of human rights abuses carried out by CIA-trained operatives in Honduras. More of the Times.com take on things is available HERE....