Showing posts with label Christoph Flugge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christoph Flugge. Show all posts

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Why Is Mike Pompeo Interfering In An ICC Afghanistan War Crimes Investigation? Fifth Occurrence Of Obstructing Justice

Image: International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
ICC
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. is not part of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and does not recognize it.

The ICC prosecutes war crimes.

No one wants to talk about what happened to the tiny humans in Afghanistan.

What if the heavens fall, where U.S. personnel are defrocked, and tried by the laws of the land, by another nation, in the ICC?

I wonder is Russia filed the original complaint.

I wonder about alot of things, like why Mike Pompeo is not addressing the trafficking tiny humans U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The other four obstruction occurrences. 

U.S. personnel to be investigated for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan

The International Criminal Court will also look into possible crimes by Taliban militants and Afghan government forces.

International Criminal Court appeals judges authorized Thursday an investigation into allegations of war crimes by United States military and intelligence personnel, Afghan forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan, in a case that has triggered a diplomatic backlash from Washington.

“The prosecutor is authorized to commence investigation in relation to alleged crimes committed on the territory of Afghanistan in the period since 1 May 2003,” Judge Piotr Hofmański said, adding that other alleged crimes committed on the territory of other states, which are party to the ICC, but that are sufficiently linked to the armed conflict in Afghanistan could also be investigated in the period since July 1, 2002.

In late 2001, the U.S. toppled the Taliban after the group sheltered Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the court's decision as a "truly breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution, masquerading as a legal body."

"It is all the more reckless for this ruling to come just days after the United States signed a historic peace deal on Afghanistan — the best chance for peace in a generation," Pompeo said in the statement, referring to an agreement signed between the U.S. and the Taliban in the Gulf nation of Qatar on Saturday which paves the way for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan.

The decision by the Hague-based court overturns a ruling by a lower chamber last year that blocked the investigation concluding, among other reasons, that its chances of success and of prosecution were “extremely limited.”

The ruling by the lower chamber in April came after Pompeo announced that the U.S. would repeal or deny visas to International Criminal Court staff seeking to investigate Americans in Afghanistan or elsewhere.

"We are determined to protect the American and allied military and civilian personnel from living in fear of unjust prosecution for actions taken to defend our great nation," Pompeo said last March, announcing the decision.

The office of lead prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said it has determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed by members of the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan and by members of the CIA in secret detention facilities in Afghanistan and in other countries, particularly between the period 2003-2004.

It has also determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed by the Taliban and their Haqqani network and that war crimes were committed by the Afghan National Security Forces.

The court decision follows Saturday's ceremony during which the U.S. and the Taliban signed an agreement in which Washington committed to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan within 14 months in exchange for the Taliban cutting ties with any terrorist groups and entering into peace talks with Afghan government officials, representatives of the opposition and members of the civil society.

America’s war in Afghanistan — its longest — has raged for more than 18 years costing the lives of around 2,300 U.S. troops and wounding many thousands of others.

The conflict has inflicted a deadly toll on the Afghan people. Afghanistan currently tops the list of the world’s deadliest conflicts.

Since 2016, children have accounted for nearly a third of the estimated 11,000 civilian casualties every year in the conflict, according to Human Rights Watch.

Since the United Nations began systematically documenting the impact of the war on civilians in 2009, it has recorded more than 100,000 civilian casualties, including more than 35,000 killed and 65,000 injured.

Last year, more than 10,000 civilians were either killed or injured in the conflict for which the Taliban were responsible for nearly half, Afghan National Security Forces for 16 percent and international military forces for 8 percent, according to the U.N.

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Thursday, May 16, 2019

WAR CRIMES: Forth Occurrence Of Pompeo Obstructing Justice - U.S. VISAs Denied To ICC, Again

This is the third occurrence of the U.S. obstructing justice in the investigation of war crimes and no one has yet to ask Mike Pompeo, why.

2. ICC judge quits: Christoph Flugge cites ‘shocking’ political interference from White House and Turkey

3. U.S. revokes ICC prosecutor's entry visa over Afghanistan investigationU.S. revokes ICC prosecutor's entry visa over Afghanistan investigation

Interesting.

I bet Matt Whitaker does not like Ken Whitaker.

4. US revokes top judges’ visas amid escalating dispute over extradition of Colombia’s war crime suspects

A controversial decision by the United States to revoke visas of some of Colombia’s top judges triggered a wave of criticism over the weekend.

Weekly magazine Semana reported on Friday that Constitutional Court magistrates Antonio Lizarazo and Diana Fajardo were informed their visas had been revoked and were asked to prove they had no criminal investigations against them.

The judges previously refused to have dinner with US Ambassador Kevin Whitaker after the ambassador’s alleged “meddling” over the country’s war crimes tribunal.

Neither judge has been publicly implicated in any criminal investigation, but have been key in shielding the country’s peace process from US intervention.

According to Semana, the US also withdrew from four projects that sought to modernize the court and had already been promised funds by the embassy.

Supreme Court magistrate Eyder Patiño, who has been mentioned in an ongoing corruption investigation, also saw his visa revoked.

The consequences of not obeying Washington

Much to the dislike of Washington, Colombia’s high courts have complicated the extradition of alleged war criminals on drug trafficking charges in attempts to prioritize the rights of victims of Colombia’s armed conflict.

One lawmaker saw his visa revoked after he told the press that Whitaker was “pressuring” lawmakers to limit court powers that ban extradition without evidence of a crime.

US revokes Colombian congressman’s visa “in retaliation for” embassy meeting leak

The revoked visas appear to be the latest and most controversial attempt by the US government to maintain its privilege to request the extradition of suspected drug traffickers without providing any evidence.

Outgoing ambassador Whitaker came under fire last month after he allegedly threatened an end aid to Colombia unless the congressmen ended their defense for victims of the armed conflict and allowed the extradition of alleged war criminals without evidence to support drug trafficking claims.

Whitaker wanted the lawmakers and the Constitutional Court to remove limitations on the extradition of war criminals, despite the implied violation of victims’ rights who would not see their alleged victimizers in court.

Colombia’s opposition rejects US ambassador’s “meddling in domestic affairs”

Duque caught in the middle, “pro-peace” lawmakers furious

Following the internal commotion about the revoked visas, the Constitutional Court President visited President Ivan Duque to talk about the issue, according to Semana.

Duque, who has enough trouble dealing with his US counterpart Donald Trump already, has publicly remained quiet on the controversy.

Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez said that “we have a great respect for the justice system and the decisions that are taken must be respected.”

The VP, who has openly supported Washington’s efforts to allow the extradition of alleged war criminals without evidence, added that the government “respects other countries’ decisions when they are taken with objective and transparent criteria.”

“Pro-peace” lawmakers, who form the majority in Congress, vehemently rejected the latest apparent attempt to sabotage Colombia’s transitional justice system that could reveal war crimes committed by US soldiers or with US tax payers’ money.

“The [US] government should demand respect for [Colombia’s] sovereignty and the principle of separation of powers,” opposition Senator Antonio Sanguino [Green Party] was quoted as saying by W Radio.

According to the chairman of the Senate’s Peace Commission, Senator Roy Barreras [U Party], the move to revoke magistrates’ visas for apparent political reasons was “unheard of” and called for solidarity with the court, according to the radio station.

Government coalition Senator Ciro Ramirez, whose father was sentenced to prison for his ties to drug traffickers, defended the US government, saying that “when there is interference in a judicial cooperation agreement the United States should take sovereign decisions,” according to W Radio.

War crimes tribunal rejects “undue pressure”

The war crimes tribunal issued a statement in which it said to “respect the autonomy of states and their diplomats. but rejects any decision or circumstance that could serve as an undue pressure mechanism regarding judicial decision.”

As part of Colombia’s peace process, the constitutional court allowed the country’s war crimes tribunal to request evidence in the event US authorities requested the extradition of an alleged war criminal on drug trafficking charges.

Hundreds of thousands of war victims were deprived of justice because their alleged victimizers were extradited, in some of the most important cases without a warrant.
Extradition forms part of the Colombian government strategy… to frustrate the rights of victims, and promote impunity for those most responsible for the crimes committed by paramilitary groups over the past 25 years: politicians at local, regional and national level, members of the Colombian Armed Forces, State officials, corporations and large landowners.
Report by judicial experts and victim organizations

Colombia must reconsider US extradition treaty: Drug Policy Advisory Committee

Whitaker’s crumbling reputation

Since Whitaker was appointed by then-President Barack Obama to take charge of his country’s embassy in 2014, the US diplomatic mission in Bogota has been marred by scandals and policy failures.

US President Donald Trump tried to replace Whitaker after taking office in 2017, but his first nominee couldn’t get Senate approval. Trump waited until May this year to make a new nomination.
Meanwhile, cocaine production in Colombia — one of Washington D.C.’s main concerns in the South American country — increased to all-time record highs.

According to US media, the regional DEA chief has been under investigation for allegedly using public funds to visit prostitutes while other DEA officials have been accused of drug trafficking.

The DEA in Colombia: Losing the drug war, but having a lot of sex


Last year, the US plunged Colombia’s peace process into an unprecedented crisis when it requested the extradition of former guerrilla leader “Jesus Santrich” despite evidence indicating the FARC leader had been framed by a DEA agent.

The White House announced earlier this month that it would replace Whitaker with Republican diplomat Philip Goldberg once the personnel change had been approved by Congress.


I am just throwing this juicy tidbit in because there seems to be the same drama going on all around the world.

Judge Ozaki Must Resign — Or Be Removed


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