War Crimes Act

By: RayH
Published On: 8/9/2006 9:04:03 AM

Since the Supreme Court decision on the Hamden vs Rumsfield case, the Bush administration has responded by seeking to change laws.

U.S. officials have since responded in three ways: They have asked Congress to pass legislation blocking the prisoners' right to sue for the enforcement of those protections. They have drafted legislation allowing the consideration of intelligence-gathering needs during interrogations, in place of an absolute human rights standard. ...They also formulated the War Crimes Act amendments spelling out some serious crimes and omitting altogether some that U.S. officials describe as less serious. Washington Post August 9,2006 War Crimes Act Changes Would Reduce Threat Of Prosecution

Changes to the War Crimes Act would allow humiliating treatment of prisoners

placing prisoners in "inappropriate conditions of confinement," forcing them to urinate or defecate in their clothes, and merely threatening prisoners with "physical, mental, or sexual violence" -- would not be among the listed U.S. crimes

Some experts argue that these changes would actually strengthen law

Maj. Gen. Scott C. Black, the Army's judge advocate general, said in testimony that the changes can "elevate" the War Crimes Act "from an aspiration to an instrument" by defining offenses that can be prosecuted instead of endorsing "the ideals of the laws of war."

Is that really true?

During his debate with George Allen, Jim Webb indicated that high moral standards must be upheld for prisoners in order to help protect US soldiers who are taken prisoner. A right-wing ideologue blogged an objection to that stance, pointing out that Iraqi captors recently tortured, maimed and killed US soldiers that they had captured. But I think Webb is right, and that the actions of unregulated insurgents and criminals should not become the benchmark for standards of conduct.

Humiliation and torture of detainees is dehumanizing for both detainees and captors. It is possible to change laws so that unethical treatment of human beings is allowed, but that makes the legislative body that passed the laws complicit in wrongdoing. Changing the law to reduce the threat of prosecution is wrong.

Senator John Warner of Virginia is chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee. I am writing to him to express concern over narrowing the scope of the War Crimes Act and limiting adherence to Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, and invite you to take action on this issue as well.


Comments



Frightening Implications for America (David M - 8/9/2006 4:52:19 PM)
If I thought that things couldn't get worse in America, I was sorely underestimating the grotesque manipulations of this administration, which has stooped to such lows that petty, third world dictators are starting to look like school yard pushovers.

These people are beyond scary...they are delivering a death-blow to freedom and democracy in America.



Take action! Virginians writing to Warner deserve his attention!!! (RayH - 8/9/2006 5:09:18 PM)
After all, we are his constituents.

We probably should write to George Allen too, but don't expect a response-- he gives tacit or explicit approval to everything coming out of the White House.