April 2011 Archives

"Universal Jurisdiction and International Justice: An Inseparable Reality?"

Baltasar Garzon, an investigating magistrate of the Spanish National Court, came to international attention in 1998 when he issued an international warrant for the arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on human rights charges. He has also presided over human rights cases against Argentine and Chilean military leaders and worked to unearth crimes committed during the Franco era in Spain.
Wednesday, April 27, 5:00 pm
Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall
sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, UC Berkeley

In this segment of "The Story Behind the Story," (Chicago-based radio station) Vocalo's Sarah Lu conducts an in-depth interview with Truthout investigative reporter, Jason Leopold.

c/o Denny LeBoeuf, American lawyer for several Guantanamo detainees, speaking at Reprieve workshop:

the courtrooms at Guantanamo are divided in two, with family members of the defendants, human right activists and federal and civil lawyers sitting behind a glass partition and hearing proceedings with a 42-second delay.

A man presses a switch connected to a red light every time the defence lawyers mention any details of torture.

This is done to avoid any mention of the torture the prisoners are sometimes subjected to.

While the prosecution had access to intelligence documents, among other resources, the defence usually had neither access to such documents nor sufficient capital.

The prisoners, during meetings with lawyers, are made to wear masks and goggles and are not provided translators...

left, construction at McCalla Field 2007 

On April 1, 2011, a quite appropriate date for what follows, the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), the office in the Justice Department which is supposed to supply advice to the Executive branch on whether what it is doing is legal, opined that

the President has the power to commit United States troops abroad," as well as to "take military action," "for the purpose of protecting important national interests," even without specific prior authorization from Congress.

and

Moreover, the President as Commander in Chief "superintend[s] the military,"Loving v. United States, 517 U.S. 748, 772 (1996), and "is authorized to direct the movements of the naval and military forces placed by law at his command."

The OLC, of course, is the same office from which John Yoo wrote his famous memos legitimizing torture and advancing the theory that the President had unlimited powers in war. The war Yoo had in mind was the war on terror, and, as that essentially had no end, the dictatorial power he sought for the President was effectively permanent...

April Fool OLC Memo Legitimizes Obama's Libyan War

...At an increasingly rapid pace, the boundaries of acceptable civil discourse are being crossed, and rights in America are being tossed away -- at least when it comes to national security issues.

see America's Growing Intolerance