WASHINGTON – The U.S. military will pull tiny contingents out of two U.N. peacekeeping missions because Americans no longer are exempt from international prosecution for war crimes, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.
A seven-person team will be removed from the U.N. mission to keep the peace between the African nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and two liaison officers will be taken out of the U.N. mission in Kosovo, spokesman Larry Di Rita said.
Richard Dicker, head of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, said the International Criminal Court, which started operating last year in The Hague, has no authority over events in Ethiopia or Eritrea because neither country has ratified the treaty establishing the tribunal.
The main U.S. mission to Kosovo, numbering about 2,200 troops, will not be affected because separate agreements exempt them from war crimes prosecution, Pentagon officials said.
Governor won’t run with Kerry
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of the country’s top Hispanic Democrats, on Thursday told John Kerry he no longer wants to be considered as a possible running mate for the vice president position. Richardson said he wants to keep a promise to the people of New Mexico to serve a full, four-year term.
Man in tractor terror case released
The North Carolina tobacco farmer dubbed “Tractor Man,” who created chaos by driving his tractor into a pond on March 17, 2003, on the National Mall, was released from jail Thursday night. A judge had drastically reduced the sentence of Dwight Watson, 51, Wednesday.
Connecticut: New governor
Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell was sworn in as Connecticut governor Thursday and immediately pledged to “restore faith, integrity and honor” as she took over for John Rowland, who resigned amid a federal corruption investigation and threats of impeachment.
Georgia: 3 die of transplanted rabies
Three people died of rabies after receiving infected organs from the same donor in what the government says are the first documented cases of the disease being spread through organ transplants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Federal agencies are now looking into whether transplant organs should be screened for the rabies virus.
California: More flashlight beating
A second video has surfaced showing Los Angeles police striking a prone suspect with a flashlight, but Police Chief William Bratton on Thursday cautioned against drawing comparisons with another widely publicized incident on June 23. The new home video shows the June 19 arrest of Curtis Gibson, who was pinned to the ground by police after allegedly throwing a bottle at Officer Jaime Luna. The video shows one officer hitting Gibson’s legs at least three times with a flashlight.
Colorado: Lesbian custody case
An appeals court in Denver threw out a judge’s order Thursday that barred a woman who left a lesbian relationship from teaching her adopted daughter anything that might be considered “homophobic.” District Judge John Coughlin of Denver earlier granted joint custody of the 9-year-old girl to Elsey McLeod and Cheryl Clark. The women had raised the girl together until Clark converted to Christianity and left the relationship.
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