269 War Crimes!

269 War Crimes!
by NLinStPaul at Docudharma, Friday January 02, 2009 at 09:54:45 PST
If you wish to repost this essay you can download a .txt file of the html here (right click and save). Permission granted.

Political scientist Michael Haas has just published a book titled George W. Bush, War Criminal?: The Bush Administration's Liability for 269 War Crimes.

Eminent jurists, professional legal organizations, and human rights monitors in this country and around the world have declared that President George W. Bush may be prosecuted as a war criminal when he leaves office for his overt and systematic violations of such international law as the Geneva and Hague Conventions and such US law as the War Crimes Act, the Anti-Torture Act, and federal assault laws. George W. Bush, War Criminal? identifies and documents 269 specific war crimes under US and international law for which President Bush, senior officials and staff in his administration, and military officers under his command are liable to be prosecuted. Haas divides the 269 war crimes of the Bush administration into four classes: 6 war crimes committed in launching a war of aggression; 36 war crimes committed in the conduct of war; 175 war crimes committed in the treatment of prisoners; and 52 war crimes committed in postwar occupations. For each of the 269 war crimes of the Bush administration, Professor Haas gives chapter and verse in precise but non-technical language, including the specific acts deemed to be war crimes, the names of the officials deemed to be war criminals, and the exact language of the international or domestic laws violated by those officials. The author proceeds to consider the various US, international, and foreign tribunals in which the war crimes of Bush administration defendants may be tried under applicable bodies of law. He evaluates the real-world practicability of bringing cases against Bush and Bush officials in each of the possible venues. Finally, he weighs the legal, political, and humanitarian pros and cons of actually bringing Bush and Bush officials to trial for war crimes.

Mr. Haas also has a blog in support of the book that is worth taking a look at. To make the Special Prosecutor's job easy, he has documented each war crime and cited documentary evidence.

I'd be happy to send a copy to Attorney General Designate Holder along with the petition signatures.

Docudharma Tag: petition for a special prosecutor