In good news for Justice (sadly not on our own soil) Italy convicted former CIA agents over extrodinary rendition.
MILAN/ROME (Reuters) - An Italian judge sentenced 23 Americans to up to eight years in prison on Wednesday for the abduction of a Muslim cleric, in a symbolic condemnation of the CIA "rendition" flights used by the former U.S. government.
The Americans were all tried in absentia because the United States refused to extradite them.
The U.S. State Department expressed its disappointment with the verdict, the first of its kind, but campaigners who have long complained that the renditions policy violated basic human rights said the ruling set an important precedent...
...The judge ruled that those convicted should pay 1 million euros in damages to Nasr, better known as Abu Omar, and 500,000 euros to his wife.
There is sadly still so much to answer for in our actions and reactions over the last 8 years. One of the great things about President Obama being elected is that it takes someone of his personal charisma and frankness to even begin to undo the damage done to our reputation overseas. I do wish we would extradite some of the ring leaders in these cases-- but in my heart of hearts I think at some level that would be unfair as well unless we finally tried Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush and the gang since this was certainly a top-down program. But I like that Italy sent such a strong public message about this.
too many words are forever changed or in current common language now because of W. Rendition, Redaction, "program related activities", and on and on. sigh.
