icai - International Campaign against Impunity


Kissinger Watch #5 - 10



Statement: Regarding the Spanish court’s request to question Mr. Henry Kissinger / J. Garces & M. Murillo

Madrid, April 22, 2002 REGARDING THE SPANISH COURT’S REQUEST TO QUESTION MR. HENRY KISSINGER ABOUT ACTS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AND TORTURE COMMITTED AS PART OF OPERATION “CONDOR”. Statement of Dr. Juan E. Garcés and Mr. Manuel Murillo: Chief Plaintiffs' Attorneys in the case before the Audiencia Nacional of Spain against Augusto Pinochet and others, for genocide, terrorism, and torture Contact: Office of Dr. Juan E. Garcés, Tel: 34-91-531-1989; fax: 34-91-5316811

According to press reports, the US Department of State has told British Authorities that Mr. Henry Kissinger can not answer questions that Spain’s National Criminal Court has requested Britain put to him. The Department of State answer raises the issue of IMMUNITY. This position is disingenuous, and legally incorrect. The Audiencia Nacional’s request to question Mr. Henry Kissinger as a witness raises no questions about his eventual “immunity” because: The Spanish Court’s questions refer only to acts of international terrorism ordered by officials of Chile and other South American States as part of “Operation Condor”; Those crimes are considered also crimes in Spain, and since 1996 they are under judicial investigation at the Nactional Criminal Court of Spain. This is in conformity with the House of Lords legal doctrine; The Spanish court has not asked any questions that relate to the policies of the US Department of State during the years in which Mr. Kissinger was its Secretary; Mr. Kissinger is not currently Secretary of State; The question of whether a former Secretary of State is “immune” has not been raised in this case because Mr. Kissinger has not been indicted by the Spanish Court. In contrast, this issue has been raised by proceedings against Mr. Kissinger going on in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, in which the family of General Rene Schneider, former Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army, has sued Kissinger for his alleged involvement in Schneider’s assassination in 1970. Should any issues be raised by the Spanish Court’s questions, Mr. Kissinger is the appropriate person to bring them up. He could do so appropriately only after learning the questions that the Spanish court has asked of him. Any objections he might have should be considered question by question, and resolved by the appropriate judicial authorities The US Department of State’s defensive response to this judicial inquiry can only raise questions about what Mr. Kissinger has to hide. It is unfortunate that Mr. Kissinger seems more committed to obstructionism than to uncovering the truth about international terrorism and Operation Condor.

OVERVIEW - Kissinger Watch #5

1.		'WAR CRIMES' CLAIMS: Kissinger begins to stoop under the weight of legal scrutiny opinion bears down Pinochet judge leaves the way open for charge against Kissinger Court rejects application to arrest Nixon's right-hand man over covert CIA activities in the 1970's

2.		Kissinger admits possible errors on Vietnam

3.		Explanatory note regarding legal proceedings sparked by Kissinger’s visit to London

4.		APPLICATION FOR A WARRANT FOR THE ARREST OF HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER

5.		REASONS for refusing the issue of a warrant

6.		Why Milosevic, but not Kissinger?

7.		Kissinger testimony pleas refused

8.		Chile/UK: UK shirks its obligation to cooperate in human rights investigation

9.		The government of the United Kingdom DID approve its request to question Henry Kissinger

10.		Statement: Regarding the Spanish court’s request to question Mr. Henry Kissinger / J. Garces & M. Murillo

11.		Spanish superjudge asks USA for permission to quiz Kissinger

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