J. B. Gerald // The Trump Administration's Wish to "Let the ICC Die"
16.9.18
We will let the ICC die on its own - U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton
-
by J. B. Gerald
-
In a speech to the
Federalist Society September 10th National Security Adviser John Bolton
announced the U.S. will not cooperate in any way with the International
Criminal Court. Speaking for the President and Trump administration Mr.
Bolton says the U.S. considers the International Criminal Court
illegitimate, and he threatens its judges with denial of entry to the
States, and impounding their financial assets, and with arrest, if they
pursue cases which might "unjustly" place in jeopardy U.S. citizens.
This threat extends to those assisting the Court.
The policy presents an attempt to shield from prosecution "by any
means necessary," U.S. Armed Forces personnel, intelligence agents, and
government officials such as himself. By placing these above the law
Bolton is threatening the American people with the Trump
administration's impunity. While the policy may allow war crimes and
crimes against humanity in U.S. client states, it will also encourage
the 123 nations who subscribe to the ICC to view the U.S. as a rogue
state and fascist entity.
North Americans concerned with prevention of genocide will note
that Bolton's wish to "let the ICC die" would remove a primary
international legal mechanism for calling U.S. leaders to account for
crimes such as genocide, aggression, torture. Without the resistance
available at least on paper from the ICC, governments such as the Trump
administration would have a much freer hand in alleged crimes such as
torture in Afghanistan, in black operations sites throughout the world,
as well as implication in the use of death squads by U.S. client states
or what might be considered the kidnapping of migrant children at
American borders.
American law if honestly applied has little to fear from
international law so the Trump administration's further severance of the
U.S. from the ICC points up the administration's exception to the
global consensus on a decent standard of human rights. Bolton's
revelations express a movement within U.S. extreme right-wing circles
which finds burdensome an ongoing struggling tradition safeguarding
American human rights (ie. The Bill of Rights).
The thinking which initiated the presidential killing list under
George W. Bush, continues to gain strength, asserting itself at this
point due to an ICC investigatory report suggesting that war crimes have
been committed in Afghanistan, primarily in 2003-4, where Afghan
security forces, U.S. forces and CIA personnel are allegedly implicated.
Afghanistan is a member state of the ICC and the ICC has
jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed there. To quote CTV News : The
181-page prosecution request, dated November 2017, said "information
available provides a reasonable basis to believe that members of United
States of America (US) armed forces and members of the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) committed acts of torture, cruel treatment,
outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against
conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations,
principally in the 2003-2004 period."
During three months (November and December 2017 and January 2018)
allegations of 1.7 million war crimes were sent to the ICC from
European and Afghan organizations. There is only a slight chance the
Trump administration would not consider ICC prosecution of Americans
responsible for these crimes, "unjust". There is no indication that any
of the 1.7 million complaints have been addressed by the U.S. system of
justice.
Bolton has made a point of assuring Israelis the same protections
as American citizens: the ICC is currently considering whether to
prosecute Israel's alleged war crimes against the people of Gaza. The
Palestinian request to the ICC for an investigation is given as the
reason for the U.S. recent closure of Palestinian Liberation Office in
Washington D.C..
Despite these threats the ICC intends to continue its work.
Partial sources online: " US threatens sanctions against International
Criminal Court, will close PLO office in Washington," Elise Labott and
Hilary Clarke, Sept. 11, 2018, CNN; "John Bolton threatens ICC judges with sanctions," Sept. 10, 2018, Al Jazeera; "Rights groups warn against U.S. flouting international court," Kathy Gannon (AP), Sept.11, 2018, CTV News; "John Bolton threatens war crimes court with sanctions in virulent attack," Sept. 10, 2018, The Guardian; "ICC will continue 'undeterred' after US threats," Sept. 11, 2018, The Guardian; "Israel lodges official protest to International Criminal Court," Barak David, Aug. 14, 2018, Channel 10 News.
"The Trump Administration's Wish to 'Let the ICC Die'"
By John Bart Gerald
Graphic by Julie Maas
First posted: Night's Lantern, September 12, 2018
http://www.nightslantern.ca/the-trump-administration's-wish-to-let-the-icc-die.htm
Read the full article …
Dispatch: Aboriginal Press Media Group | Permalink | [16.9.18] | 0 comments
7146925369530758110
» {Newer-Posts} {Older-Posts} «
0 Comments:
/ 16.9.18 / 2018/09/#7146925369530758110
Aboriginal News Group
Contributing Editors, International Correspondents & Affiliates
- (RIP) John John [Occupied Canada]
- Sina Brown-Davis [Occupied Australia]
- (RIP) Ridwan Laher [Rep. of South Africa]
- Mars2Earth [Occupied Aotearoa]
- Bolivia Rising [Bolivia]
- Simon Moya-Smith [Occupied N. America]
- Zashnain Zainal [Malaysia]
- Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria [Peru/Occupied N. America]
- Debbie Reese [Occupied N. America]
- Gerald and Maas Night\u2019s Lantern [Occupied Canada]
- Min Reyes [Occupied Canada]
- @alyssa011968 [Occupied N. America]
- Martyn Namorong [Papua New Guinea]
- Abiyomi Kofi [Occupied N. America]
- Tiokasin Ghosthorse [Occupied N. America]
- Vagabond Beaumont [Occupied Puerto Rico/N. America]
- Lupe Morales [Occupied N. America/Oaxaca,MX]
- Aztatl Garza [Occupied N. America]
This is an Ad-Free Newswire
#ReportHate
============
Southern Poverty Law Center
This site uses the Blogspot Platform
Impressum
Inteligenta Indigena Novajoservo™ (IIN) is maintained by the Aboriginal Press News Service™ (APNS) a subset of the Aboriginal News Group™ (ANG). All material provided here is for informational purposes only, including all original editorials, news items and related post images, is published under a CC: Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 license (unless otherwise stated) and/or 'Fair Use', via section 107 of the US Copyright Law). This publication is autonomous; stateless and non-partisan. We refuse to accept paid advertising, swag, or monetary donations and assume no liability for the content and/or hyperlinked data of any other referenced website. The APNS-ANG and its affiliate orgs do not advocate, encourage or condone any type/form of illegal and/or violent behaviour.