Spanish Judge to Probe Guantanamo Torture Claims
MADRID – Spain’s top investigating judge Baltasar Garzon is to probe suspected torture and ill-treatment of inmates at the US prison of Guantanamo Bay, a judical source said Saturday.
![[Spain's top investigating judge Baltasar Garzon, pictured in 2009, is to probe suspected torture and ill-treatment of inmates at the US prison of Guantanamo Bay, a judical source said Saturday.]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/spanish-judge-to-probe-guantanamo-torture-claims.jpg "spanish-judge-to-probe-guantanamo-torture-claims.jpg")
Spain’s top investigating judge Baltasar Garzon, pictured in 2009, is to probe suspected torture and ill-treatment of inmates at the US prison of Guantanamo Bay, a judical source said Saturday.The judge will be acting on complaints lodged by a number of associations, focussing on one prisoner, Ahmed Abderraman Hamed, who has Spanish nationality, the source added, confirming a report published in daily El Pais
Three other detainees, Moroccan Lahcen Ikasrrien, Palestinian Jamiel Abdulatif al-Banna and Libyan Omar Deghayes would also be concerned as they had links with Spain.
In 2005 Spain declared itself competent to investigate any crime committed abroad, but after diplomatic problems the scope of the inquiries was reduced in 2009.
Spanish courts can now deal only with cases that have a clear link with Spain, or cases that are not being investigated in countries where the offences are alleged to have been committed.
El Pais said Washington had not replied to a request made seven months ago from Madrid as to whether it was investigating the allegations now being taken up by Garzon, who is best-known internationally for his pursuit of Latin American dictators.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister Riyad al Malky said in Madrid last week that Spain had agreed to accept a Palestinian Guantanamo Bay detainee.
The unnamed man will be transferred to Spain in early February along with another man whose nationality has not been confirmed, according to press reports quoting Spanish diplomatic sources.
The US detention camp in Cuba was set up to hold foreigners captured after US-led forces invaded Afghanistan to root out al Qaeda and its Taliban protectors in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 against the United States.
In one of his first acts in office, US President Barack Obama set a one-year deadline for shutting the prison and the United States has started to slowly empty it of detainees.
Garzon, 54, was thrust into the international limelight in 1998 with his attempt to extradite former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from Britain on charges of torture and genocide.
He has also investigated suspected drug lords, arms traffickers and terrorists and indicted Osama bin Laden on charges of terrorism, including the September 11 attacks in the United States.
© 2010 Agence France-Presse
Three Cheers for Baltasar Garzon!!!!!
Our own American Judges have no honor, our own American President has no honor, and our American Congress has no honor to look for the truth in regards to torture being used by America.
President Obama is no different than President George W. Bush. President Obama has been president for just over a year so I would think that the last 7 months of ignoring requests would fall under Obama. When are Progressives goiing to stop making excuses for President Obama? When are Progressives going to accept the fact that torture continues under Obama and that is why our American Congress, Courts and Adminstration under Obama refuse to do the right thing but continue in silence as they continue the evil practice of torture.
Someday it is going to come back on us as a country. The sad thing is that the American people who haven’t tortured anyone or even condoned torture are going to be paying the price for the sins of an out of control government who has been corrupted by evil men.
America we are at a crossroads. We continue to be silent and make excuses for our government who is so corrupted that it would set by and rip our consitution to shreds. Or we FIGHT as True American Patriots whose blood of our founding fathers runs through our veins. As a Daughter of the American Revolution I say we Daughters and all true patriots of this country FIGHT.
We find the courage to do what we know has to be done to save this country so that the children today have a future tomorrow. If we continue to do nothing and don’t answer the call becauses we don’t want to leave our comfortable lives than we deserved to be cursed by the next generation for being cowards and not willing to fight. It is never easy to fight those in power. The odds are against us, but we must be willing to at least try. What have we got to loose from trying?
If we fight and loose than we are right back to where we started from and the corruption of our political process and government is right where it is now. If we do nothing we won’t even have a chance to win a good future for our children. Our children deserve for us to do all we can to STOP the evil behavior of some in our government.
Americans must STOP voting for either Republican or Democrat they are two faces of the same party. Progressives must join and support the Green Party. The Green Party must become the people’s party. The Green Party is the best hope for Progressives in this nation.