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Call him prisoner of woe
EFL:
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made it clear yesterday that Saddam Hussein is not classified as a prisoner of war - and thatâs bad news for the ex-dictator.
Legal experts said that denying Saddam POW status is a calculated move to allow the CIA to take extreme measures to get him to cough up information. POWs cannot be subjected to rough interrogations, put on trial or executed, according to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, of which the U.S. is a signer.
He was Head of State, even if he was the Commander in Chief of the Iraqi army, that doesnât make him a POW.
Saddamâs location remained top-secret yesterday, although sources have said he is still in Iraq. When seen Sunday by Iraqi government officials, he was not manacled or wearing a prison uniform. But that was before the serious interrogation began.
Heh
"I have no idea how theyâre going to interrogate," President Bush told ABC yesterday. "I do know that this country doesnât torture." But that may be a fine legal point.
| Could also be a statement of fact. |
"The U.S. government is going to be prepared to do more than a U.S. police force is authorized to do under the Constitution" during questioning, said Catholic University military law expert Michael Noone. But that will not include physical torture, Noone added, saying "once youâve resorted to physical force, youâve lost."
| No you haven't. You've simply used up all other avenues, to include giggle juice. (Who is this guy)? |
Interrogating Saddam has been turned over to the CIA, a change that Rumsfeld called "a three-minute decision, and the first two were for coffee."
God, I do love Rummy. Heâs a one-man quote machine.
Rumsfeld said Saddam is "being accorded the protection of a POW but heâs not being legally described as one at this stage."
| Shouldn't be at any stage. And it's probably best to avoid sloppy terminology when talking about him. Al-Guardian picks up on that sort of thing... |
"He, clearly, is being treated under the ... protections of the Geneva Conventions and is being treated humanely," Rumsfeld said.
The Geneva Conventions outlaw the torture and execution of prisoners. But rulings by the European Court of Human Rights found that sleep or food deprivation, sustained noise, forced standing and sensory deprivation (called "hooding") are not considered torture.
See, we are just following international law.
"Those could all potentially be used to interrogate Saddam," said Detlev Vagts, an expert on the laws of war at Harvard University. "Thatâs the borderline." International accords do allow for trial and execution of "unlawful belligerents," and Iraqi leaders have called for their former ruler to be tried and executed upon conviction.
And you wonât find very many people more "unlawful" and "belligerent" than Sammy. Although, Chuck and Bob do come to mind. One thing at a time.
| His category's not that of an unlawful belligerent, either. I think the category's called "politicals," which the lefties will use to describe him as a "political prisoner." |
Posted by: Steve 2003-12-17 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=22906 |
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