US troops escape ICC probe

[dArKeR]

The Hague - The International Criminal Court (ICC) will not investigate allegations of war crimes committed by US troops in Iraq because they do not fall within its jurisdiction, the prosecutor said on Wednesday.

"We have received communications about acts allegedly perpetrated by US troops in Iraq but we are not mandated to prosecute such acts since neither Iraq or the United States are states party to the court," Luis Moreno Ocampo said.

The ICC became a legal reality in July of last year. It is mandated to try genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court can only hear cases concerning events that occurred after July 1, 2002.

The court can only act in cases involving nationals of states that have ratified the ICC statute or events that occurred on their territories.

Washington has vehemently opposed the court, fearing politically-motivated prosecution of its citizens or military personnel. It has not ratified the ICC statute.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1388354,00.html

http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/

This is not to protect our troops. It's to protect Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice...

http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/

[xchrom]

1. bushco is propped up from

all sides. the long arm of corporatism american style meeting it's european counter-part and finding agreement.
they are guilty of war crimes -- and the repukes know it. but it's not going to see the light of day.

[LoneStarLiberal]

2. Yep

Yep, this is the exact explicit reason why the U.S. withdrew from the Treaty of Rome.

It does, of course, ignore two things:

1) Maybe if you kill civilians you SHOULD be tried by some sort of judicial body. I know about all the argument about the fog of war and I completely understand how swiftly a fatal error can be made by a soldier on the ground in a hostile environment. I still believe that shooting an unarmed person in that situation is murder, though, no matter how accidental. If it is accidental, then that decision should be vetted by a judicial body of some kind.

This is more of our administration cynically wrapping themselves in the military and the flag to avoid responsibility. They are cowardly chickenhawk warmongers who are more than happy to send other peoples' children to do their fighting. If the U.S. had ratified and joined the ICC then...

2) ...we would see the second reason why the administration withdrew in fright from the Treaty of Rome: The unspoken purpose of institutions like this one is the elimination of war. By severly constraining war it in effect delegitimizes all but the more careful and precise warfighting.

It is no wonder that much of the world got such a good gut laugh out of hearing our Chickenhawk-in-Chief speak deeply and emotionally about how ousting Saddam Hussein was a "moral imperative."

[I AM SPARTACUS]

3. "purpose of institutions like this one is the elimination of war..."

...elimination of war is Bad Bidnez for Bushco...


http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-arms-generaldynamics-earns.html
General Dynamics Earns Up on Arms Sales
By REUTERS
<snip...>
NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Dynamics Corp. (GD.N) on Wednesday reported quarterly profits slipped 8 percent on weakness in its Gulfstream business jets unit, but the company posted strong sales in its weapons and military technology divisions and its shares rose. Interest in the company's corporate planes has fallen off as the economy has remained soft and companies have slashed spending, but defense sales have picked up.

``If it wasn't for their strong defense business, they wouldn't be looking very good,'' said Robert Stallard, an analyst for Banc of America Securities in London.

Revenues of the combat systems group, which makes armored vehicles and guns, rose 48 percent to $1.02 billion. The information systems and technology group, which designs battlefield communications networks and advanced military electronics, posted sales that rose

Overall strength in the defense area bodes well for other arms-related companies that will be reporting quarterly results over the next few weeks, said Stallard.``Companies with defense electronics exposure like Lockheed, Northrop and Raytheon are probably going to see some very good numbers coming through in the area,'' said the analyst.
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