Article 129
The High Contracting Parties undertake to enact any legislation necessary to provide effective penal sanctions for persons committing, or ordering to be committed, any of the grave breaches of the present Convention defined in the following Article.
Each High Contracting Party shall be under the obligation to search for persons alleged to have committed, or to have ordered to be committed, such grave breaches, and shall bring such persons, regardless of their nationality, before its own courts. It may also, if it prefers, and in accordance with the provisions of its own legislation, hand such persons over for trial to another High Contracting Party concerned, provided such High Contracting Party has made out a prima facie case.
Each High Contracting Party shall take measures necessary for the suppression of all acts contrary to the provisions of the present Convention other than the grave breaches defined in the following Article.
In all circumstances, the accused persons shall benefit by safeguards of proper trial and defence, which shall not be less favourable than those provided by Article 105 and those following of the present Convention.
Article 130
Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the Convention: wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, compelling a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of the hostile Power, or wilfully depriving a prisoner of war of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in this Convention.
Article 131
No High Contracting Party shall be allowed to absolve itself or any other High Contracting Party of any liability incurred by itself or by another High Contracting Party in respect of breaches referred to in the preceding Article.
I interpret this as meaning that nobody gets to pick and choose which articles they will or will not follow. There is either the rule of law applied equally to all, or there is lawlessness.
This goes for EVERYONE, including the Obama Administration.
After the Geneva Convention was ratified by the United States of America it became American law. An American Law that the Bush/Cheney Administration broke. An American law that the Obama Administration has not broken yet, but that day is quickly approaching.
There are 1311 days until the next inauguration ceremony in 2012. President Obama has until the day before then to bring Bush/Cheney to justice. If he gets re-elected the clock gets set back and he will have until 2017 to do so. Each day that passes by is another day closer to complicity.
Is it really worth protecting the Bush Administration for Obama?
Better yet, should the new phrase be It Doesn’t Count When Obama Does It?
I did not vote for more War Crimes or more violations of the Geneva Convention, among other things.
On this one I will not give up on President Obama or his Administration. Still, my patience has limits. Right now, there are 1311 days of my patience left.
How much more patience should I have?
12 comments
Skip to comment form
Author
things simply aren’t going to change.
I’m probably sounding like a broken record over this, but that’s how I see it.
The actions of Obama since he was inaugurated are, to anyone with an objective eye, proof that nothing can change with the current system.
Unfortunately, most people don’t have an objective eye. They got all wrapped up in the “hope” propaganda/marketing slogans from the campaign.
It was a brilliant campaign. But the Repubs committed hari kari, too, and assured an Obama win.
The whole thing has been a deliberate transfer of power to someone who the people actually like, in order to defuse what was becoming a real populist anger rising up in this country.
It worked great. Now Obama is doing everything exactly like Bush/Cheney, and almost nobody says a peep.
So yes, it’s okay if Obama does it. Of course! He’s Obama, man! He’s awesome!
Accessory (legal term)
Accessory (definition)
Complicity (definition)
Accessory (moral)
I have no patience when it comes to war crimes.
I got sucked in by Obama, who looks to date as though he is all hat and no cattle. I must find where the dollar two ninety eight I contribute will do the most good.
government is by their actions illegitimate (as well as incompetent) and will the citizenry choose a pitchfork moment before or after the breadlines form?
Isn’t it humorous how dedicated the Obama folks are to enforcing and defending the law when it’s something like The Defense of Marriage Act as opposed to the UN Convention Against Torture?
to run things in Afghanistan.
Which means–the Obama admin wants to cause new war crimes and civilian deaths.
And nothing is done.