[Deposed Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega was convicted on
eight of 10 drug and racketeering charges Thursday, two years after
the United States took the extraordinary step of invading a foreign country to bring its leader
to trial. --Robert L. Jackson and Mike Clary, "Noriega
Convicted on 8 Drug and Racketeering Charges," Los Angeles
Times, April 10, 1992]
[The US will today threaten to undermine the entire system of
international treaties when it withdraws from plans for a court that
will act as the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal.
To back out of the plans, the administration will assert it is no
longer bound by the Vienna
Convention on the Law of Treaties, a 1969 pact detailing the
obligations of nations to obey other international treaties.
Under the convention, a country that has signed a treaty cannot act
to defeat the purpose of that treaty, even if does not intend to
ratify it.-- David Teather, "US
threat to wreck treaty system," Guardian, May 6, 2002]
[From Feb. 3 to 7, governments will be choosing the first panel of
18 justices for the International Criminal Court,
the first permanent tribunal in history established to try
individuals accused of the most horrible of offenses: war crimes,
genocide and crimes against humanity. . . . The Bush administration
has rejected the new court because Washington has not been able to
get a blanket exception from prosecution for Americans. . . . In
2000, the outgoing Clinton administration, . . . signed the treaty
creating the International Criminal Court--Barbara Crossette, "U.S. Out Of Race For First ICC Judges," UN Wire,
January 22, 2003]
[The United States and other nations violated the conventions in the
1991 Gulf War and the 1998 attacks on Kosovo, he added.Thalif Deen,
"US, allies
could be prosecuted for war: experts," Dawn, February 1, 2003]
Richard Overy, "Coalition in the dock: There is a strong war crimes case against US
and British leaders, but big powers have immunity," Guardian,
April 15, 2003
Dr. Daniel Amit, "'Some of Us Have
Lived Through 1939'," May 4, 2003
[General Tommy Franks is threatened with a Belgian war crimes trial
. . . --Jonathan Duffy, "US troops
'encouraged' Iraqi looters," BBC News Online, May 6, 2003
David Usborne and Stephen Castle, "Anti-war
Nations Approve New UN Resolution on Iraq, Independent, May 22, 2003
[The US has bitterly attacked European leaders for trying to stop
the UN security council voting tomorrow to renew America's exemption
from prosecution by the new war crimes tribunal.--Gary Younge and
Ian Black in Brussels, "War
crime vote fuels US anger at Europe," Guardian, June 11, 2003]
Ian Black, "Belgium
gives in to US on war crimes law, Guardian, June 24, 2003
[A report published by Amnesty International shows that most of the
43 states that have already signed bilateral immunity treaties are
heavily indebted to the United States.--Robert Verkaik, "US forces nations to help its citizens avoid international
court," Independent, June 30, 2003]
[The United States on Tuesday suspended military assistance to
nearly 50 countries, including Colombia and six nations seeking
NATO membership, because they have supported the International
Criminal Court and failed to exempt Americans from possible
prosecution.--"U.S. Suspends Military Aid to Nearly 50 Countries,"
Reuters, July 1, 2003]
[Belgium's re-elected center-left government has agreed to replace a
war crimes law that has clouded relations with the United States,
Israel and other countries.--"Belgium revising war
crimes law," Associated Press, July 14, 2003]
Bryan Bender, "US debates
bid to kill Hussein and avoid trial, Boston Globe, August 1, 2003
"Belgium Scales Back Its War Crimes Law Under U.S.
Pressure, Associated Press, August 2, 2003
[Douglass Cassel, a law professor at Northwestern University, said
there was a tension between America's enthusiasm for litigation and
its resistance to foreign and international tribunals.
"A lot of countries have been saying, 'Where does the United States
get off being the world leader in adjudicating these suits against
other nations but not against the United States itself?'"--Adam
Liptak, "U.S.
Courts' Role in Foreign Feuds Comes Under Fire, New York Times,
August 3, 2003]
Noam Chomsky, "Preventive
War 'The Supreme Crime', Information Clearing House, August 11, 2003
[US officials are objecting to a section of the resolution which
refers to attacks on humanitarian workers as a war crime under the
statutes of the newly-established International Criminal Court
(ICC).--Greg Barrow, "US attacked
over UN resolution, BBC News, August 25, 2003]
Rupert Cornwell, "US will deny aid to countries that refuse court immunity
deals, Independent, November 4, 2003
"UN Signs Pact with New World Court Opposed by U.S., Reuters,
October 4, 2004
Julian Borger, "Congress
threatens to cut aid in fight over criminal court, Guardian, November
27, 2004
Adam Liptak, "U.S. Says
It Has Withdrawn From World Judicial Body, New York Times, March 10, 2005