Bush Tries to Neuter Detainee Abuse Law
From the Washington Post: "The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners."
AS CHAOS UNFOLDS, FIND SOLID GROUND…Washington Post:
The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners, according to U.S. officials and a copy of the amendments.
Officials say the amendments would alter a U.S. law passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the Geneva Conventions, a set of international treaties governing military conduct in wartime. The conventions generally bar the cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment of wartime prisoners without spelling out what all those terms mean.
The draft U.S. amendments to the War Crimes Act would narrow the scope of potential criminal prosecutions to 10 specific categories of illegal acts against detainees during a war, including torture, murder, rape and hostage-taking.
In this time of unprecedented challenges, independent journalism is more vital than ever. At Truthdig, we expose what power wants hidden and give you the clarity to make sense of it all.
Your donation helps ensure that truth telling continues.
Courts & Law
The impact of junk science in criminal cases is well known, yet family courts continue to allow a disputed psychological theory to persist with little scrutiny.
ProPublica obtained police reports and call logs from more than two-thirds of the shelters housing immigrant children. Here’s what they show.
"Roxy died due to medical negligence by U.S. immigration authorities," a statement from immigrant rights groups says. "Why incarcerate and torture her like this?"
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.