Pity poor Donald Rumsfeld. He is no longer free to travel undisturbed throughout 'Old Europe.' Rumsfeld's visit to France last week was marred when a coalition of Human Rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the former Secretary of Defense.
The charge is "ordering and authorizing torture."
Activists also managed to track down the Torture Czar on the streets of Paris and taunt him with cries of "murderer."
According to Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, France is obligated under international law to prosecute Rumsfeld: "If a torturer comes into your territory there's an obligation to either prosecute the person or return him to a place where he will be prosecuted."
The New York Times reports that Rummy is being hounded throughout Europe:
Similar legal complaints against Mr. Rumsfeld have been filed in other countries, including Sweden and Argentina. German prosecutors dismissed a case in April, saying it was up to the United States to investigate the accusations.
The French complaint accuses Mr. Rumsfeld of authorizing torture at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and says it violated the Convention Against Torture, which came into force in 1987.
Michael Ratner, the president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said in a statement that the aim of this latest legal complaint was to demonstrate “that we will not rest until those U.S. officials involved in the torture program are brought to justice. Rumsfeld must understand that he has no place to hide.”
"We know that we can't get him into prison right now, but it would be great to make sure that he couldn't safely leave the U.S. anymore," said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Rumsfeld and The Taxi to the Darkside
Rumsfeld accosted in Paris photos
Rumsfeld Paris France Politics Torture News International Law Old Europe
