Supreme Court: US torture = war crimes

[CptStern]

The Supreme Court delivered what the Washington Post calls a stunning rebuke to the Bush administration's proposed policy for Guantanamo inmates. The administration had hoped to try the prisoners at Guantanamo Naval Base under military tribunals, but the Supreme Court scuttled their plan with a 5-3 ruling that these tribunals are neither legal under US law, nor permissible under the Geneva Convention.

some of the key judgements in the ruling:

the Court held that Common Article 3 of Geneva aplies as a matter of treaty obligation to the conflict against Al Qaeda. .......This basically resolves the debate about interrogation techniques, because Common Article 3 provides that detained persons "shall in all circumstances be treated humanely," and that "[t]o this end," certain specified acts "are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever"—including "cruel treatment and torture," and "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment."

his almost certainly means that the CIA's interrogation regime is unlawful, and indeed, that many techniques the Administation has been using, such as waterboarding and hypothermia (and others) violate the War Crimes Act (because violations of Common Article 3 are deemed war crimes).

this opens the door to bush and admin to be charged with war crimes

/me crosses fingers

...nail them to the wall boys

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/38306/

 

[Tr0n]

They won't ever be charged with that sadly.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Alternate Title:
Supreme Court: DUUHHH

If they're not charged, then I'd have to say that there is something horribly wrong with the United States in general.

Optimistically though, America has a chance to win back some international respect here.
Don't **** it up!

 

[Ludah]

If they're not charged, then I'd have to say that there is something horribly wrong with the United States in general.

QFT

And it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that they won't get so much as a scratch.

 

[dream431ca]

I hope they do get charged with war crimes....but the chance is they may get away with it. But I think most americans would like to see them charged for war crimes. If the Canadian government was doing something similar, the government would be already thrown out and a new one replaced.

 

[DeusExMachina]

I always have hope in the Supreme Court. They don't make many mistakes and are probably the only fair and balanced people involved in government.

 

[KagePrototype]

Bush refuses to abandon tribunals:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5131812.stm

White House spokesman Tony Snow underlined the administration's resistance to abandoning the special courts.

"Nobody gets a 'get out of jail free' card," he said.

 

[Ludah]

"Unprivileged Combatant Act"? Wow.

 

[CptStern]

so in other words he is defying the supreme court and congress ..in effect making himself the defacto rule of law ....all you gun owners who say you may need your guns should the government need to be put back into the hands of the people ...well here's your opportunity

"Nobody gets a 'get out of jail free' card,"

what utter bullshit ..that's not what the supreme court asked ..all it said was that military tribunals are illegal not that the prisoners will be released ...pandering to bush supporters by feeding them disinformation

 

[VictimOfScience]

I doubt this will get through Congress at this point. Given how much the administration has been abusing the Constitution of late, I think (hope) that our elected officials will see through this idiocy.

 

[DeusExMachina]

The last time someone defied the Supreme Court I think was Lincoln when he started doing the same exact things Bush is doing now with wire tapping, unjust arrests, and such.

Like I've been saying forever, REVOLUTION.