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Progressive News & Views (since 1982)
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-----Original Message-----
From: Hank Roth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Sent: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 22:46:05 -0500 (EST)
Subject: (no subject)
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Progressive News & Views (since 1982)
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The US is a Party to the Geneva Conventions. Thus, the administration's
arbitrary decision to label persons captured during the war in Afghanistan
as "enemy combatants" rather than "prisoners of war" is highly
controversial. It signals a brazen attempt by the US to circumvent the
Geneva Conventions. Incredibly, Alberto R. Gonzales, the President's
Counsel (and Attorney General), advised Bush (Memorandum of Jan. 25, 2002)
that the President could decide to ignore the Geneva Conventions, arguing
that the Geneva Convention's restrictions were "obsolete. " His legal
reasoning has since been repudiated by US Courts, which have ruled that
the Geneva conventions do apply and that those imprisoned at Guantanamo
are entitled to POW status.
US Attempts to be Above the Law
The US has not ratified the Rome Statute, and has taken action to be
exempt from the ICC's jurisdiction. Near the end of his presidency, on
Dec. 31, 2000, Clinton signed the Statute. However, in May 2002, the Bush
administration defiantly "unsigned" the ICC treaty and declared its
determination not to be a Party to the ICC. Moreover, the US
administration is pressuring ICC countries to exempt US citizens from the
reach of the ICC, by signing Bilateral Immunity Agreements (BIA). In 2002
Congress passed the American Servicemembers' Protection Act, which slashed
military assistance funds to ICC countries who refused to sign a BIA. Most
recently, on Dec. 7, Bush signed an Appropriations Bill (HR 4818), which
included an amendment by outgoing Rep. Nethercutt from Washington,
eliminating Economic Support Fund (ESF) aid to ICC countries that have not
signed a BIA. With a budget of $2.5 billion, the ESF promotes the foreign
aid policies of the US. Over 50 countries could be affected by this
antagonistic policy, including Venezuela, Ecuador, South Africa, Jordan,
and Ireland.
http://pnews.org/ArT/AiS/ABov.shtml
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