SocraticGadfly: Italian CIA rendition trial gets go-ahead

March 19, 2008

Italian CIA rendition trial gets go-ahead

Rome, like BushCo, had claimed “state secrets” should prevent an Italian trial in absentia of 26 CIA agents. No dice, Italian Judge Oscar Magi has ruled.

Last June, Nagi suspended proceedings in what is the world’s first criminal case involving the U.S. “rendition” of alleged terrorists to countries, often Arab-world totalitarian ones, for torture. Nagi had said trial should wait until Italy’s highest court ruled whether prosecutors had broken state secrecy rules when building their case.

But, Nagi eventually got tired of waiting, and if nothing else than to light a fire under Italy’s top court, has waved the trial ahead. Given that Italy faces a national election April 13-14, this could be “interesting.”

No comments: