http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/whatsnew/action/actionAlert2.asp
The full legal documents are posted on the site, just a click away. I especially urge the Green Party in Germany and around the world, and other friends in Germany, to sign onto this, and bring pressure to bear on the German Government to formally bring these charges.
This is very important, as German law allows German courts to prosecute for killing, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment, forcible transfers and sexual coercion such as occurred at Abu Ghraib, and since the U.S. government is unwilling to open an independent investigation into the responsibility of these officials for war crimes, and since the U.S. has refused to join the International Criminal Court. CCR and the Iraqi victims have brought this complaint in Germany as a court of last resort. Several of the defendants are stationed in Germany.
I deleted the German message CCR is distributing as a template, and I wrote the following (in English) instead. You can write your own message, too:
December 13, 2004
Hello,
On behalf of the New York State Greens / Green Party of New York, I urge you to investigate the U.S. government's war crimes against the people of Iraq.
These include:
- the illegal detaining and treatment of prisoners in contradiction to international law;
- war crimes committed during the course of the U.S. military presence in Iraq;
- the "war" itself -- in contradiction to the mandates of the U.N. Security Council, and international law;
- the use of non-U.S. citizens in the U.S. military in Iraq;
- the bombardment of civilian infrastructure, sanitation facilities, water purification plants, agriculture in Iraq;
- the torture and murder of civilians;
- the use of napalm, phosphorous bombs, anti-personnel weapons, and so-called "depleted" uranium armaments -- Low Intensity nuclear war.
These charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity should be brought against Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, former CIA Director George Tenet, Lt. General Ricardo S. Sanchez, Major-General Walter Wojdakowski, Brig.-General Janis Karpinski, Lt.-Colonel Jerry L. Phillabaum, Colonel Thomas M. Pappas, Lt.-Colonel Stephen L. Jordan, Major-General Geoffrey Miller, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen Cambone, U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Karl Rove, Richard Perle, and U.S. President and Commander in Chief George W. Bush.
Many U.S. citizens are forcefully opposed to the crimes the clique of war criminals running the U.S. government, the prisoner-of-war camps, military bases and detention facilities, are committing in our name to the people of the World and to the environment in prosecuting this horrible, horrible war.
On behalf of the NY State Greens / Green Party of NY, I support the Center For Constitutional Rights' lawsuit and urge the German government to prosecute the above-listed individuals, and others, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Save the Planet now, before it is too late!
Thank you.
Mitchel Cohen, co-coordinator NY State Greens / Green Party of NY
************************************************
From the CCR website:
Hiermit erkläre ich meine ausdrückliche Unterstützung für die Strafanzeige des Centers For Constitutional Rights/New York gegen Donald Rumsfeld et al., vertreten durch Rechtsanwalt Wolfgang Kaleck in Berlin. Ich bitte die Bundesanwaltschaft, die Ermittlungen wegen der Vorfälle in Abu Ghraib und andernorts aufzunehmen. Da die USA sich nicht dem internationalen Gerichtshof unterstellen, ist dies die einzige Möglichkeit, dem Recht Geltung zu verschaffen.
I am writing to express my support for the criminal complaint filed against U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, et al., by the Center for Constitutional Rights, represented by Wolfgang Kaleck of Berlin, on November 30, 2004. I kindly request that you begin the investigations regarding the incidents at Abu Ghraib and others. Because the U.S. is failing to fully investigate, and because the U.S. is not a member of the International Criminal Court, there is no other forum to turn to in seeking justice and accountability.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen, Sincerely yours,