"A judge indicted three U.S. soldiers Friday in the 2003 death of a Spanish journalist who was killed when their tank opened fire at a hotel in Baghdad.jeebus. it's starting to feel like 2003 all over again - all those cases that we were railing about way back when - pat tillman, jessica lynch, the palestine hotel, Moyers, Tenet, condi/Niger (add your own faves in the comments)- all the nonsense from way back then - stuff that we knew was nonsense... the wheels of justice turn slowly.... let's hope they turn slowly AND surely.
Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp were charged with homicide in the death of Jose Couso and ''a crime against the international community.'' This is defined under Spanish law as an indiscriminate or excessive attack against civilians during war.
At the time of the incident, all were from the 3rd Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, Ga. Judge Santiago Pedraz asked U.S. authorities to notify them of the indictment.
Couso, who worked as a cameraman for the Spanish TV network Telecinco, died on April 8, 2003, after a U.S. Army tank crew fired a shell at the Palestine Hotel, where many journalists were staying. Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian cameraman for Reuters, was also killed.
Following the incident, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell said the troops responded after drawing hostile fire from the hotel. He said a U.S. review of the incident found the use of force was justified.
According to the five-page indictment, de Camp ordered the shot, and Wolford then authorized Gibson to carry it out.
''The people indicted knew and were aware that the Palestine Hotel was occupied by civilians, without there being a proved threat (sniper or otherwise) against themselves or the U.S troops, therefore, the tank shot that caused the death of Mr. Couso would constitute an attack, retaliation, or violence threat or act aimed at terrifying journalists,'' the indictment said.
Pedraz has issued several arrest warrants against the three, but the United States has made clear it will not hand them over.
The three men still run the risk of arrest under a Spanish-issued international warrant should they travel to any country that has an extradition treaty with Spain.
Under Spanish law, a crime committed against a Spaniard abroad can be prosecuted here if it is not investigated in the country where it was allegedly committed."
which reminds me of this from amy the other day:
"Argentina Strips Ex-Junta Leaders of Immunitymay the current junta suffer from nightmares until justice is done... we've got a long way to go.
In Argentina, two former leaders of the military dictatorship have lost their immunity from prosecution for human rights abuses under their rule. General Jorge Videla and former Admiral Emilio Massera were among the junta leaders from 1976 to 1983. Some thirty-thousand people died or disappeared. The ruling effectively re-instates a twenty-year old verdict against the two for murdering and torturing dissidents."
1 comment:
I've discovered Smirking Chimp. It's a really great site. I talked a little bit with Carla Binion here (and plugged WIIG4 in shameless, blogwhore fashion). Why doesn't the law hammer the criminal Bush administration, honestly? This nonsense goes on because we can't get fast track action to stop it. There's no reason for it. Janet told me she saw some information that the Bilderberg society is raking in profit from the increased price of oil which happened because they threatened the right people. Could that be true? If it is, why doesn't the full force of our DoJ go after secret societies, which are nothing more than terrorist organizations?
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