JURIST - Paper Chase: Rumsfeld, other US officials facing war crimes charges in Germany

[JURIST] The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights and four Iraqi citizens will file a criminal complaint in Germany Tuesday against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and seven other high-ranking US officials, seeking to hold the officials accountable for acts of torture allegedly carried out at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. German courts recognize the doctrine of universal jurisdiction, allowing prosecution of suspected criminals no matter where they are located, for crimes defined in the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute [PDF], including war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The four Iraqis say they were victims of severe beatings, sleep and food deprivation, hooding and sexual abuse. CCR has background on the case and Reuters has more. Der Spiegel has local coverage (in German). More details are expected later Tuesday.

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