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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: one_less who wrote (67866)	11/30/2004 3:27:20 PM
From: Skywatcher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

THIS is what is DISTURBING! and another WAR CRIME BY BUSH FALLUJAH NAPALMED Nov 28 2004 US uses banned weapon ..but was Tony Blair told? By Paul Gilfeather Political Editor US troops are secretly using outlawed napalm gas to wipe out remaining insurgents in and around Fallujah. News that President George W. Bush has sanctioned the use of napalm, a deadly cocktail of polystyrene and jet fuel banned by the United Nations in 1980, will stun governments around the world. And last night Tony Blair was dragged into the row as furious Labour MPs demanded he face the Commons over it. Reports claim that innocent civilians have died in napalm attacks, which turn victims into human fireballs as the gel bonds flames to flesh. Outraged critics have also demanded that Mr Blair threatens to withdraw British troops from Iraq unless the US abandons one of the world's most reviled weapons. Halifax Labour MP Alice Mahon said: "I am calling on Mr Blair to make an emergency statement to the Commons to explain why this is happening. It begs the question: 'Did we know about this hideous weapon's use in Iraq?'" Since the American assault on Fallujah there have been reports of "melted" corpses, which appeared to have napalm injuries. Last August the US was forced to admit using the gas in Iraq. A 1980 UN convention banned the use of napalm against civilians - after pictures of a naked girl victim fleeing in Vietnam shocked the world. America, which didn't ratify the treaty, is the only country in the world still using the weapon. sundaymirror.co.uk.

To: one_less who wrote (67866)	11/30/2004 4:40:22 PM
From: sylvester80	Respond to of 89467

NEWS: U.S. sued in Germany over Abu Ghraib; American lawyers seek war crimes charges The Associated Press Updated: 2:27 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2004 msnbc.msn.com BERLIN - A group of American civil rights attorneys filed a criminal complaint in German court on Tuesday against top U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, for acts of torture committed at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The complaint also names former CIA director George Tenet, the former commander in Iraq Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez and seven other military leaders. Attorneys from the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights said they filed the complaint because they were disappointed in U.S. investigations into the Abu Ghraib abuses, and hoped the filing would prompt an investigation by German authorities. “I expect a serious investigation by Germany and would want it to prompt the U.S. government to say: ’We’ve got to seriously investigate this ourselves,”’ attorney Michael Ratner said at a news conference in Berlin. “This is not something we would have preferred to do,” he said. “We are left with the last resort in my view.” Four Iraqis who say they were shocked, beaten, sexually abused and deprived of food and sleep joined the suit. Why Germany was chosen The attorneys said that since the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court, they could not take their case there. They chose Germany because it has legislation allowing the prosecution of war crimes and human rights violations across national boundaries. The abuses “were clearly authorized at the highest levels” of the chain of command, attorney Peter Weiss said. It “goes considerably beyond the question of merely inhumane treatment.” The Abu Ghraib scandal broke last spring when photos showing U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi inmates became public, causing worldwide outrage. So far, only low-level military service members have been charged with the abuse. An investigation headed by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger was independent, but was criticized because its panel was appointed by Rumsfeld. A separate investigation headed by Maj. Gen. George Fay said the Army’s top commanders in Iraq shared some blame for management failures. The complaint was filed with the German Federal Prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe, said spokeswoman Frauke Scheuten. “We have received it and are looking into it,” she said. Scheuten said she could not comment on whether her office was likely to investigate the complaint. German attorney Wolfgang Kaleck, who helped file the complaint, said that it could be a long time before a decision is made whether to take up an official investigation.