Thread: Rumsfeld flees France fearing arrest

Rumsfeld flees France fearing arrest
Sat, 10/27/2007 - 08:45

Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fled France today fearing arrest over charges of "ordering and authorizing" torture of detainees at both the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the US military's detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, unconfirmed reports coming from Paris suggest.

US embassy officials whisked Rumsfeld away yesterday from a breakfast meeting in Paris organized by the Foreign Policy magazine after human rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the man who spearheaded President George W. Bush's "war on terror" for six years.

Under international law, authorities in France are obliged to open an investigation when a complaint is made while the alleged torturer is on French soil.

According to activists in France, who greeted Rumsfeld shouting "murderer" and "war criminal" at the breakfast meeting venue, US embassy officials remained tight-lipped about the former defense secretary's whereabouts citing "security reasons".

Anti-torture protesters in France believe that the defense secretary fled over the open border to Germany, where a war crimes case against Rumsfeld was dismissed by a federal court. But activist point out that under the Schengen agreement that ended border checkpoints across a large part of the European Union, French law enforcement agents are allowed to cross the border into Germany in pursuit of a fleeing fugitive.

"Rumsfeld must be feeling how Saddam Hussein felt when US forces were hunting him down," activist Tanguy Richard said. "He may never end up being hanged like his old friend, but he must learn that in the civilized world, war crime doesn't pay."

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) along with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and the French League for Human Rights (LDH) filed the complaint on Thursday after learning that Rumsfeld was scheduled to visit Paris.

http://wor.ldne.ws/node/8596

That would be so funny....

Something about this story strikes me as a small measure of justice.

Perhaps the U.N. may get involved and Rummy can go hide out wherever OBL is.

But this is France, we know they're, ah, well, French. This doesn't mean other nations are upset with our behavior right? Right?

I know we're joking, but just for the record, UN of course can't do anything with the US veto rights...

Something about this thread reminds me of....the other thread thats' just like it, same story.

Originally Posted by Migi e!

Something about this thread reminds me of....the other thread thats' just like it, same story.

No it's close however. I was going to post this earlies as an extension of the previous thread.

Run Uncle Don Run you coward.

If you will notice Migi, this article answerers your question about why a French court. It would appear that he directed torture on French soil. Big no-no.

Originally Posted by michaelr

No it's close however. I was going to post this earlies as an extension of the previous thread.

Run Uncle Don Run you coward.

If you will notice Migi, this article answerers your question about why a French court. It would appear that he directed torture on French soil. Big no-no.

Dammed if you ain't right....oh well, if France can prove it. Don't we have an extradition agreement with them?

Originally Posted by Migi e!

Dammed if you ain't right....oh well, if France can prove it. Don't we have an extradition agreement with them?

Why yes we do!