U.S. recording Iraqi war crimes for trial

UPI | 4/08/03 | Pamela Hess

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- U.S. forces are "securing and preserving" evidence of war crimes against Iraqi officers for use in trials in Iraq and in the U.S. military justice system, Pentagon and State Department officials said Monday.

"I think it's safe to say during the course of hostilities, we have seen a systematic pattern of abuses committed by the Iraqi forces, to the extent that we can call them textbook," said Pierre-Richard Prosper, U.S. ambassador at large for war crimes issues.

Prosper identified at least several war crimes he believes Iraqi forces are already guilty of: ill treatment of prisoners and the dead and possibly willful execution of prisoners; photographing and humiliating U.S. prisoners of war; practicing treachery or perfidy by pretending to surrender and then firing on U.S. troops; and disguising soldiers as civilians.

War crimes against U.S. personnel will not be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, which the United States is not a party to.

"For any war crimes committed against U.S. personnel, our policy is that we will investigate and we will prosecute. We will also seek to prosecute, where feasible, those who committed or ordered war crimes against U.S. personnel during the (1991) Gulf War," Prosper said.

"There is a range of options, ranging from military proceedings to our civilian courts. We are of a view that an international tribunal for the current abuses is not necessary."

Prosper said U.S. officials are working with ex-patriot Iraqis to devise a "mechanism" for and Iraqi-led process "that will bring justice for the years of abuses that have occurred," Prosper said.

"We believe that it must have some indigenous roots in order to reinstate the rule of law," he said.

The United States did not charge or try any of the 86,743 prisoners in the 1991 Gulf War with war crimes, as nearly all of them were foot soldiers.

The United States holds roughly 7,500 Iraqi prisoners of war so far.

[thoughtomator]

What we're going to find is that nearly every Iraqi is going to have a really really good excuse - that they only acted as they did because they and/or their families were under the threat of torture and execution.

Can you hold a man accountable for his actions under those conditions? This is going to be a much tougher question than those dealt with at Nuremburg.

[bra]

"Can you hold a man accountable for his actions under those conditions? This is going to be a much tougher question than those dealt with at Nuremburg."

Absolutely.

[thoughtomator]

Which one of those two sentences are you agreeing with?