"May be a case" for torture express inspections at Shannon: Wille O'Dea

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Wednesday January 25, 2006 15:25 by Dilin O Deamhas

But odds on it won't be d'weapons inspectors seen around Shannon for the past few years, sez wag.

The wriggling continues as the screw turns on Fianna Fail & PD complicity, civil service silence and Gardai 'followin orders to do nuthin' in breaches of The Nurnberg Principles and international laws against torture.

Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has said there may now "be a case" for asking for aircraft inspections at Shannon.

Speaking on TV3’s The Politics Party on Sunday, Minister O’Dea said that if the issue comes up for discussion in Cabinet, as he "expects it will shortly", he will express his own views to the Cabinet.

The Government and civil service line has been that it accepts the inadequate diplomatic assurances given by the US Government that Ireland is not being used for extraordinary renditions, the outsourcing of torture.

"There may be a case to be made but on the other hand there may be a case for retaining the status quo as well. If it comes up and it probably will be discussed at Cabinet in the not too distant future, I’ll have my views which I’ll express to the Cabinet,” he said.

O'Dea also said that "It wouldn’t be any harm from the public relations point of view” to request the US Ambassador, James Kenny to appear before an Oireachtas committee to discuss the issue.

"He doesn’t have any obligation to appear but it would reassure people and would back up what Condoleeza Rice is saying and more fully explain their policy. It mightn’t be any harm for him to come to the Foreign Affairs Committee,” he said.

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"The Nurnberg Principles" were unanimously affirmed adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the International Law Commission in 1950:

Principle I. Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefor and liable to punishment.

Principle II. The fact that internal law does not impose, a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.

Principle III. The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.

Principle IV. The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.

Principle V. Any person charged with a crime under international law has the right to a fair trial on the facts and law.

Principle VI. The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

(a) Crimes against peace:

(i) Planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances

(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).

(b) War crimes:

Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave-labour or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.

(c) Crimes against humanity:

Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in exceution of or in connexion with any crime against peace or any war crime.

Principle VII. Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI is a crime under international law.

http://www.un.org/law/ilc/texts/nurnberg.htm

Secret Payments For US Landings:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=73809

Some questions for the bureaucrats that allowed this to happen:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=73863