Rights groups file French torture case vs Rumsfeld

[babylonsister]

Rights groups file French torture case vs Rumsfeld
Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:18am EDT


PARIS (Reuters) - Human rights groups have filed a lawsuit in France alleging that former U.S. defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld allowed torture at U.S.-run detention centers in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

The plaintiffs, which include the French-based International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) and the U.S. Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), say Rumsfeld authorized interrogation techniques that led to rights abuses.

The United States says it does not torture, though it has authorized several methods widely condemned by rights groups such as exposure to extreme temperatures and 'waterboarding', or simulated drowning.

"We will only stop once the American authorities involved in the torture program are brought to justice," CCR chief Michael Ratner said in a statement posted on the FIDH Web site.

"Donald Rumsfeld must understand that he has nowhere to hide. A torturer is an enemy of humanity," he added.

The plaintiffs argue in their filing, which was also posted on the FIDH Web site, that French courts have universal jurisdiction -- allowing them to try foreigners in cases that occurred abroad -- under the 1984 Convention Against Torture.

They said Rumsfeld was visiting France on Friday and called for him to be detained.

more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL2658218120071026?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews

[PATRICK]

1. So what happened

to the case brought against Kissinger for genocide for profit in East Timor?