Spanish government wants torture charges against Bush Six dropped . . .

[bigtree]

. . . but, the judge in the case might not play along.


April 16, 2009 at 11:40 AM

The attorney general of Spain has recommended dropping a yearlong attempt to bring six former senior Bush administration officials to trial on charges of authorizing torture practices at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But the final decision on whether or not to proceed with the case will lie with the daredevil judge prosecuting it. And he's never backed down yet.

Judge Baltasar Garzon wants to press charges of human rights abuse against six leading Bush administration officials, including former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, for providing legal cover to activities at Guantanamo. The other five U.S. officials he wants to put in the dock are former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, former Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo, former Defense Department General Counsel William J. Haynes II and Vice President Dick Cheney's former legal counsel, David Addington.

The massive 98-page complaint was filed in March 2008 by Gonzalo Boye, a former Chilean attorney who now lives and practices in Spain, on behalf of the Association for the Rights of Prisoners.

"It's a shame the prosecutor is taking this position, but not a surprise," Boye told CNN. "They always obey political orders. They don't want to be in a bad position in front of the Obama administration."

However, Garzon, the Spanish judge who will make the key ruling whether to proceed with the case, is the same magistrate who ordered the famous arrest warrant for former President Augusto Pinochet of Chile for his actions while he was dictator . . .


read more: http://www.upi.com/news/issueoftheday/2009/04/16/Spanish-government-wants-torture-charges-against-Bush-Six-dropped/UPI-95961239896403/

[rcrush]

1. It goes up pretty far

They have friends everywhere in all foreign governments. No one is going to bring the neo cons to trial.

[derby378]

2. As I said earlier...

...Spain was once ruled by a fascist, too. Judge Garzon obviously understands the implications here.

Here's hoping he refuses to back down.