War Crimes Tribunal Sets Friday For Decision

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal has fixed Friday, for a decision on whether former US president George W. Bush and his associates are guilty of committing war crimes. Former Federal Court judge Lamin Mohd Yunus, who heads the quorum of the tribunal with four others, announced this today after listening to oral submissions from the prosecution and defence teams. He said the prosecution had succeeded in proving a prima facie case against Bush; former US vice-president Dick Cheney; former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld; Bush's former counsel Alberto Gonzales; Cheney's former general counsel David Addington; Rumsfeld's former general counsel William Haynes; Jay Bybee, then assistant attorney-general and John Yoo, former deputy assistant attorney-general. Jason Kay, who has been appointed 'amicus curae' (friend of the court) to act for the accused, told the tribunal that they did not have any witness and the tribunal could proceed with its decision. Earlier, Kay submitted that international law had changed after World War II and the Sept 11 tragedy. "Torture is now okay after Sept 11, after the war on terror. The world has changed, international law has changed for better or for worse," he noted. Led by Prof Gurdial Singh Nijar, the prosecution replied that Kay's argument was faulty in law and had to be rejected. "Legal precedents are clear. The prohibition against torture is absolute," he said. Besides Lamin, the quorum of the tribunal comprises Tunku Sofiah Jewa, Alfred Lambremont Webre, Professor Salleh Buang and Datuk Mohd Saari Yusuf. During the proceedings, three witnesses, namely Abbas Abid, Moazzam Begg and Jameelah Hameedi testified on incidents of torture they suffered at the hands of the US military. In addition, statutory declarations by Ali Shalal and Rhuhel Ahmed were read out and submitted to the tribunal. -- BERNAMA