War crimes probe: NYT exposes US double standards

It was the United States that spearheaded a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva to probe alleged human rights violations during the end of the separatist war and set up an international tribunal to probe alleged war crimes.

What about the alleged violations of human rights and crimes committed by the US troops in Afghanistan?

This is what a New York Times report had to say:

“The United States has revoked the visa of the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor because of her attempts to investigate allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan, including any that may have been committed by American forces.

“The visa revocation — confirmed on Friday by the office of the chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and the State Department in Washington — was assailed by rights advocates as unprecedented interference by the United States into the workings of the court, established nearly two decades ago to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

“Ms. Bensouda, a Gambian lawyer for the court, which is based in The Hague, formally requested an investigation more than a year ago into war crimes in Afghanistan. The inquiry would mostly focus on large-scale crimes against civilians attributed to the Taliban and Afghan government forces.

“But it would also examine alleged C.I.A. and American military abuse in detention centers in Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004, and at sites in Poland, Lithuania and Romania, putting the court directly at odds with the United States.”

What is bad for the goose, it seems, is not bad for the gander. Talk of double standards and here is a solid case.