The Spanish national security court is investigating junior members of the Bush administration on charges of torture. The criminal case stems from an investigation into allegations, sustained by Spain’s Supreme Court, that a citizen of Spain had been tortured in Guantánamo Bay.The Spanish Court may now seek the arrest of anyone listed in the complaint if they travel to Spain or any of the 24 nations participating in the European Extraditions Treaty.
Among those targeted:
Former Justice Department lawyer John YooThe judge overseeing the criminal complaint, Baltasar Garzón, is no wimp. He is Europe’s best known counterterrorism judge. He rounded up a large number of Basque terrorists and, following the 3/11 attacks in Madrid, spearheaded the successful investigation of Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organizations.
Former Department of Defense counsel William J. Haynes II
Former vice presidential chief-of-staff David Addington
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Former Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee
Former Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith
It should be noted that Garzón did it without the use of extraordinary rendition or torture.
Perhaps this is why President Obama has decided to be more hands off on the issue of torture than I had hoped. If the international community applies enough pressure, things could start snowballing to the point where not just junior members are brought up on war crimes charges, but George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as well.
