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| Europe |
| Spanish Judge Issues Warrant for Three GIs |
| 2005-10-19 |
| MADRID, Spain - A judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war, killing a Spanish journalist and one other, a court official said Wednesday. Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry. Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war. Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed. The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case. U.S. officials insist the soldiers believed they were being shot at when they opened fire. Following the Palestine incident, Secretary of State Colin Powell said a review of the incident found that the use of force was justified. In late 2003, the National Court, acting on a request from Couso's family, agreed to consider filing criminal charges against three members of the tank crew. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #35 Nothing personal, but it's going to be a long time before we forget the France-German-Turkey stunt with the 4ID. Amen to that, brother. A loooong time. |
| Posted by: docob 2005-10-19 23:33 |
| #34 Let them pay their stupid games. Simply declare that our military bases are now US territory. I'm fine with the Canaries, but I think the Azores are Portugese. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-10-19 21:38 |
| #33 Absolutely not. |
| Posted by: Doomsday Gift 2005-10-19 21:28 |
| #32 no cooling off necessary. When the next EU punk in a robe decides he wants to play on the big stage it'll all start back up. Keep the fire going |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-10-19 18:37 |
| #31 when journalists are imbeded with the enemy no one shoud be suprised when they end up eating a sabo round. Good shooting guys! |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2005-10-19 18:14 |
| #30 JFM, Sorry for the rant. I know you're the good guy, but it's clear here you're the small minority. Thanks to you. |
| Posted by: Ebbomoter Slealing8818 2005-10-19 17:58 |
| #29 JFM, We're tired of cooling off for Euros only to be re-heated a day later. Nothing personal, but it's going to be a long time before we forget the France-German-Turkey stunt with the 4ID. Americans have died and are continuing to die because Euros were being paid off by Saddam. The primary beneficiaries of what we are doing in Iraq will be the Euros. So get the message out over there; we won't be back when it starts up over there. You all want to treat our soldiers like war criminals, fine. Expect the same from us. Ronnie Earle is one thing, Pedraz is barking up a whole 'nother tree. |
| Posted by: Ebbomoter Slealing8818 2005-10-19 17:57 |
| #28 Deacon Blues From the age of 4 to 8 I lived in Spain and in fact Spanish (from Spain) is my second mother language. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-10-19 17:44 |
| #27 COOL OFF PLEASE!!!! The Spanish public prosecutor has announced he will appeal the judge decision for being out of juridiction. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-10-19 17:41 |
| #26 Nah. The US should just stay neutral the next time the Moroccans decide to overrun a piece of Spanish territory. Next step, downgrade trade relations to that of Burma. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-19 17:33 |
| #25 The Spanish regime and its chief ally, the fossilized 70s media, must get the message that we will not tolerate dhimmi grandstanding with the lives of our soldiers. If this case proceeds any further or it it is endorsed by the Zapatero regime itself, I recommend the following: 1. Immediate closure of all US military bases on Spanish soil and withdrawal of all US forces from Spain. Our bases there are convenient but not essential. 2. Immediate cancellation of all bi-lateral military cooperation agreements between the US and Spain. 3. Expulsion of Spanish military attaches and Spanish military personnel from the United States. 4. Telecinco employees in the United States, if any, should be expelled at once, its offices closed, and its accessible assets confiscated. 5. Telecinco employees in Iraq or Israel should be expelled or imprisoned as members of a terrorist affiliated organization and its respective assets in those countries similarly confiscated. 6. Proceedings to expel Spain from NATO should be instituted at once. 6. Suspension of all military sales to Spain. 7. Cancellation of all military contracts with Spanish firms. 8. Suspension of US landing rights for Spanish military aircraft and of port visits by Spanish naval vessels. 9. US indictments against Judge Pedraz and associated prosecutors for abuse of judicial power, violation of Geneva Convention Protocols against criminal prosecution of combatants, attempted unlawful detention of an American citizen, and subornation of perjury in furtherance of these offenses. 10. Spanish investigators sent to the US in furtherance of this case should be refused entry. If admitted by federal authorities, they should be arrested and jailed by the first local authority that can get its hands on them. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-10-19 16:25 |
| #24 JM muerdame is Columbian slang. I don't know what the proper term is in Classical Spanish. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-10-19 16:25 |
| #23 Hey OP, can we take the Canary Islands too? I've been there. Very nice. Well, at least until half of Las Palmas slides into the ocean, but who knows when that will happen. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2005-10-19 15:40 |
| #22 Let's see, we've already taken Cuba, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico from Spain for this kind of crap. That only leaves Madeira and the Azores. We could use the Azores - Madeira would be too much of a nuisance, located in the eastern Med. The first action, however, should be a tomahawk missile into this jackass's courtroom. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2005-10-19 15:21 |
| #21 Service of this arrest warrant may prove difficult. |
| Posted by: doc 2005-10-19 15:21 |
| #20 Out of NATO NOW! |
| Posted by: Thiter Slarong3141 2005-10-19 15:04 |
| #19 Muerdame does not have a special significance in Spain. "Vé a que te dén por el culo" is the closest to what raptor was meaning. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-10-19 14:45 |
| #18 LR this warrant is valid anywhere in the EU. Charming "friends" aren't they? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2005-10-19 14:31 |
| #17 raptor, I think that's "muerdame" or "muerda a grande" for "bite a big one". I'm not certain of the spelling. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-10-19 14:01 |
| #16 Big deal. Where does this warrant have legal "standing"? What legal entity controls trans-national warrants? Does Spanish law/court have jurisdiction in Iraq theater of war? |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2005-10-19 13:19 |
| #15 Spain long on ego, short on balls. This is what I expect of Socialist pussies who cut and run at the first chance. Should they try and enforce such Judical acts I suggest talking out a city in Spain picked at random. Children shouldn't bother adults. Spain a nation that was a facsist dictatorship in my lifetime dains to tell my counrty what to do? Screw off. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-10-19 12:45 |
| #14 mojo: "Charades, anyone?" Maybe they'll find the defendants "Not Gillcup". |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2005-10-19 12:41 |
| #13 how's about - err - FOAD |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-10-19 12:25 |
| #12 At least half the Spanish embassy should be PNG'd immediately AND the Spanish judge should be be indicted for conspiracy and harassment of the military. Of course my original thought involved smart bombs. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2005-10-19 12:24 |
| #11 How do you say"Bite me" in Clasical Spainish. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-10-19 12:20 |
| #10 Jurisdiction and venue matter little when you've got the right political beliefs and motivation combined with no ability to comprehend the big picture. It's a huge can of maggots on many different levels that has been opened by the judge's act in taking juridiction of this matter. Think of all the possibilities. Throw in a statute of limitations for the home team along with a local trier of fact and jduge and it will be complete. There are equally valid and even some better arguments for about a dozen countries to claim a similar type of jurisdiction over the same matter. This is precisely the reason why certain bounds need to maintained and respected. This is politics at it's worse. |
| Posted by: MunkarKat 2005-10-19 12:16 |
| #9 These guys want to cover the war?? Guess what?? SHIT HAPPENS!!! |
| Posted by: ARMYGUY 2005-10-19 11:58 |
| #8 At the minimum a US judge should issue an counter warrent against the Spanish judge for harassment of US military personel. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-10-19 11:31 |
| #7 It's good that posmodernism has crept into the law....At least euro-law. No need for concepts like "jurisdiction", "venue" and such.... |
| Posted by: Mark E. 2005-10-19 11:21 |
| #6 I say we issue a extermination warrant against leftist, socialist judges. Take care of Spain and at home. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-10-19 11:03 |
| #5 Charades, anyone? |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-10-19 10:57 |
| #4 kinda puts a damper on their European vacation travel plans. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-10-19 10:55 |
| #3 See also this story which has a little more detail. h/t Flash Gordon |
| Posted by: lotp 2005-10-19 10:51 |
| #2 You lie down with dogs and you occasionally get fleas...in this case 120mm fleas. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2005-10-19 10:48 |
| #1 D'oh! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-10-19 10:45 |