Article

2005-10-17 Caribbean-Latin America

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Fred 2005-10-17 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Actually they released the hostages in exchange for an amnesty signed by Trinidad's acting president.

They were promptly arrested but were freed several months later on a habeas corpus motion accepted by a judge. Their lawyer, the aussie QC Geofrey Robertson quoted Alexander Hamilton's writings to show that a pardon to quell insurrection was valid.

Trinidad's highest court, the Privy Council in London ruled the pardon invalid since the muslims had not followed the stipulated conditions. The habeas corpus stood however and they remained free men.

The jamaat has since eveolved into a narco trafficking - kidnap - murder for higher outfit. The ruling party sought its help in slum areas during the last election.

Posted by john 2005-10-17 14:02|| 2005-10-17 14:02|| Front Page Top

#2 Robertson quoted Alexander Hamilton's writings

:> One of Trinidad's forefathers, as it were.

Posted by Shipman 2005-10-17 16:57|| 2005-10-17 16:57|| Front Page Top

#3 The Trinidad newspaper carried verbatim reports of the arguments to the court.

The Trinidad government claimed the pardon was invalid since it was granted under duress.
Robertson then quoted Alexander Hamilton. The 200 year old argument was simply awesome.

One Judge of Trinidad's appeal court exclaimed that he did not want to hear of Hamiliton for the rest of his life. He gave up. He could not rule against the argument, it was so compelling. He hated releasing the terrorists but could see no other way.

The Privy council in London was far more astute. They were unwilling to validate a pardon and so give a precedent througout the commonwealth and were not willing to send men granted a pardon to the gallows so they came up with a political judgement- they invalidated the pardon on the grounds that conditions were not met (release of hostages by a certain time) but upheld the habeas corpus thus preventing rearrest or retrial.

The QC Robertson is now a UN appeal judge for the war crimes tribunals. He has trained the judges for Saddam's trial.

Posted by john 2005-10-17 17:45|| 2005-10-17 17:45|| Front Page Top

#4 Not fair, john -- you're making the Law sound fascinating, and I just don't have the energy to study something new!

Posted by trailing wife 2005-10-17 20:33|| 2005-10-17 20:33|| Front Page Top

00:00 Captain America
23:59 CrazyFool
23:26 trailing wife
23:26 Frank G
23:19 .com
23:18 JosephMendiola
23:16 trailing wife
23:08 DMFD
23:06 trailing wife
23:04 Barbara Skolaut
23:03 Barbara Skolaut
23:01 DMFD
22:58 DMFD
22:57 2b
22:54 .com
22:53 .com
22:48 DMFD
22:38 2b
22:37 Snump Phomomp6162
22:37 Rafael
22:36 2b
22:33 .com
22:32 trailing wife
22:30 3dc