Who Will Take American War Criminals to Trial?
Published in Akhbar Al Khaleej
(Bahrain) on 13 December 2014
by El Sayed Zahra (link to original)
(Bahrain) on 13 December 2014
by El Sayed Zahra (link to original)
Translated from
by Mireille Azzam.
Edited by Bora Mici.
The report issued by the U.S. Congress about the torture crimes committed by U.S. intelligence over several years paints a frightening picture of the crimes America has committed. The crimes the report tracks are not just transgressions, but are war crimes America has committed in every sense of the word. The whole world was horrified by what the report unveiled and strongly condemned it. However, the question remains about what will happen after this condemnation.
Before answering this question, there are observations that must be considered, concerning the report and these crimes:
- This is a report prepared by the U.S. Congress. Namely, there is no room for doubt that the terrifying facts and crimes have happened. In any case, the Central Intelligence Agency has acknowledged the validity of what was in the report and did not question it. We are facing a full U.S. endorsement of these war crimes.
- The crimes the report tracks were not only crimes committed within the United States, for example, and against U.S. citizens, but were committed against the whole world, against citizens belonging to various countries around the world. America has violated human dignity and humankind in the literal sense of the word.
This means that the responsibility for dealing with the perpetrators of these crimes is the responsibility of the whole world.
- We must keep well in mind that the crimes of torture and abuse of human dignity and humankind, as monitored by the report, were never a secret to anyone. The whole world knew at all times that these crimes were happening. Despite this, and while many uncovered these crimes and demanded that they be stopped, the United States insisted on going through with them.
The report itself mentioned this. It mentioned that U.S. intelligence ignored criticism and objections about enforcing and managing its detention and interrogation program. We are therefore facing premeditated war crimes committed by America, while fully aware of their enormity.
- Those responsible for these crimes are not only the public officials or intelligence officers who committed them directly, but also every American political leader. The torture program carried out by the CIA over the years was approved by the White House and by Bush, the president at that time and his administration, who were obviously fully aware of everything going on and agreed to it.
Obviously, every American criminal who was involved in these crimes must be brought before an international tribunal. All of these American war criminals must be brought to justice because this is the right of the world and of those who have suffered from these crimes, a right guaranteed and determined by international law.
They must be brought to justice for another reason as well. As the whole world knows, these torture crimes are not the only aspect of the terrorism America practices against many countries of the world, a serious issue paid for by many nations and peoples of the world. They are only one part of many other war crimes America has committed.
Consequently, the trial of these American criminals is essential if the world wants to stand against American terrorism, protect the countries of the world and deter America from continuing to commit such offenses.
Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said that according to the Convention Against Torture, “not even a state of war justified torture." He added in a statement: "let no one off the hook — neither the torturers themselves, nor the policymakers, nor the public officials who define the policy or give the orders.” This is a specific and clear message from the United Nations commissioner for human rights. All U.S. leaders should go to trial.
The question is, who will put these American war criminals to trial? Who has to take the initiative to begin the trial?
International organizations of the United Nations involved in human rights and war crimes, such as the criminal court, must do this. These organizations must really take this on if they want to protect the world and defend its dignity. Or is it that these organizations are harsh toward weak countries only?
Before answering this question, there are observations that must be considered, concerning the report and these crimes:
- This is a report prepared by the U.S. Congress. Namely, there is no room for doubt that the terrifying facts and crimes have happened. In any case, the Central Intelligence Agency has acknowledged the validity of what was in the report and did not question it. We are facing a full U.S. endorsement of these war crimes.
- The crimes the report tracks were not only crimes committed within the United States, for example, and against U.S. citizens, but were committed against the whole world, against citizens belonging to various countries around the world. America has violated human dignity and humankind in the literal sense of the word.
This means that the responsibility for dealing with the perpetrators of these crimes is the responsibility of the whole world.
- We must keep well in mind that the crimes of torture and abuse of human dignity and humankind, as monitored by the report, were never a secret to anyone. The whole world knew at all times that these crimes were happening. Despite this, and while many uncovered these crimes and demanded that they be stopped, the United States insisted on going through with them.
The report itself mentioned this. It mentioned that U.S. intelligence ignored criticism and objections about enforcing and managing its detention and interrogation program. We are therefore facing premeditated war crimes committed by America, while fully aware of their enormity.
- Those responsible for these crimes are not only the public officials or intelligence officers who committed them directly, but also every American political leader. The torture program carried out by the CIA over the years was approved by the White House and by Bush, the president at that time and his administration, who were obviously fully aware of everything going on and agreed to it.
Obviously, every American criminal who was involved in these crimes must be brought before an international tribunal. All of these American war criminals must be brought to justice because this is the right of the world and of those who have suffered from these crimes, a right guaranteed and determined by international law.
They must be brought to justice for another reason as well. As the whole world knows, these torture crimes are not the only aspect of the terrorism America practices against many countries of the world, a serious issue paid for by many nations and peoples of the world. They are only one part of many other war crimes America has committed.
Consequently, the trial of these American criminals is essential if the world wants to stand against American terrorism, protect the countries of the world and deter America from continuing to commit such offenses.
Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said that according to the Convention Against Torture, “not even a state of war justified torture." He added in a statement: "let no one off the hook — neither the torturers themselves, nor the policymakers, nor the public officials who define the policy or give the orders.” This is a specific and clear message from the United Nations commissioner for human rights. All U.S. leaders should go to trial.
The question is, who will put these American war criminals to trial? Who has to take the initiative to begin the trial?
International organizations of the United Nations involved in human rights and war crimes, such as the criminal court, must do this. These organizations must really take this on if they want to protect the world and defend its dignity. Or is it that these organizations are harsh toward weak countries only?
As a citizen of the United States, I completely agree with the above text that the United States-which has clearly violated international law-is not above the judgment of international law. The news media here just reported a heinous war atrocity in Pakistan, more than one hundred children murdered by terrorists. As a democratic socialist I can only ponder the social roots of modern EVIL.To be sure the intellectual representatives of our rotten capitalist system simply have no moral credibility when they moralize about the wickedness of Islamic terrorists.
I recall a famous quote by the French Nobel Prize winner Albert Camus who was protesting the use of torture by the French military during the Algerian Revolution: ” I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice “.
( http://radicalrons.blogspot.com/ )