From a confidential source in the Registry of the International Criminal Court, I have just learned that former United States President George Bush was kidnapped yesterday by Mexican bounty hunters, who managed to overwhelm the Secret Service agents at his ranch in Texas. A few hours ago, he was covertly transported across the border into Mexico. Government authorities there are holding him under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Bush has been charged for his role in torturing prisoners in Afghanistan, which is a State party to the Rome Statute. The Court has jurisdiction over all crimes committed on the territory of a State party (art. 12(2). A sealed arrest warrant was issued by the Pre-Trial Chamber I against Bush earlier this week.
In a few hours, Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is expected to publicly announce the arrest. He will explain that the recent decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber authorizing the arrest of President Bashir of Sudan means that thereis now no immunity for any Head of State or former Head of State: http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/4C445705-1300-4D94-9502-E42067474468.htm. In support of the lawfulness of the kidnapping and its effect on proceedings, he will cite a judgment of the United States Supreme Court involving the abduction of a suspect from Mexico as authority: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-712.ZS.html.
Bush is being held in a secret location, and will be flown to The Hague later today on a private jet that has been made available to the Court by President Chavez of Venezuela.
I’ve managed to obtain a copy of the draft statement that the Court will issue later today: http://www.mediafire.com/?mzafzkly3nn.
Thanks to ‘deep throat’.
Also, did you see (is it in Galway?), the Herald AM tells us on the front page that Obama 'popped in' to some Irish relatives en route to G20 yesterday and that the budget will include a provision to ban graduates from emigrating.
ReplyDeleteMust be something in the water ;-)
I like. Have spread the good news via the Amnesty blog, Belfast & Beyond:
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=2922
These are just romantic figments of exuberant imaginations Prof. I am sure many would love to see this man going down the annals of history as a life prisoner in the confines of a prison tantamount to that at Guantanamo.
ReplyDeleteAnyway today is the FOOOOLS DAY and am sure most were caught unaware!!!
Innocent Mawire
Chavez asked the same thing yesterday from Doha, not as a joke of April 1st though!
ReplyDeleteIf only every day were April fools
ReplyDeleteIs Miss Universe arrested too, or has Chavez forgiven her for her Guantanamo beach party?
ReplyDeleteWow I got excited for a brief second until I remembered the date...thats the last time im falling for an April Fools.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly why the US has not ratified the Rome Statute! It is politically motivated! Now, the US must lawfully obey the "Hague Invasion Act." Here we come!
ReplyDeleteWell done - I forwarded it to Sara and she called to ask why she hadn't heard it on the news yet.
ReplyDeleteOh God don't give any ammunition to Harry! Nice one though. Had me going until the part about the Mexican bounty hunters. ;)
ReplyDelete