November 4, 2009

Italy’s Rendition Trial

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An Italian court has convicted 23 American CIA agents in absentia for their role in kidnapping a Muslim cleric from the streets of Milan and then flying him off to Egypt to be tortured.  “Here, Italian law rules, not American law or any other law,” the Italian prosecutor said.

Well, maybe.  Here are the details:

Judge Oscar Magi handed an 8-year sentence to Robert Seldon Lady, a former C.I.A. station chief in Milan, and 5-year sentences to 22 other Americans. Three of the other high-ranking Americans were given diplomatic immunity, including Jeffrey Castelli, a former C.I.A. station chief in Rome.

The judge did not convict three high-ranking Italians charged in the abduction, citing state secrecy, and a former head of Italian military intelligence, Nicolò Pollari, also received diplomatic immunity. All the Americans were tried in absentia and are considered fugitives.

Let me get this straight: the Italian judge was happy to convict a bunch of Americans who he knew would never pay a price since they’ll never be extradited, but he wasn’t willing to convict the Italians involved in all this, who would have paid a price.  You’ll excuse me, I hope, if I don’t exactly see this as a triumph of judicial independence.  Convicting a bunch of foreigners is easy.  It’s holding your own people to account that’s hard.  Wake me up when either of our countries starts doing that.

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