Human Rights Lawyer Francis Boyle on US War Crimes, the Refugee Crisis in Europe and More

Migrants sit near a fire at a camp in Idomeni, Greece, March 11, 2016. The camp – a padlocked waiting room for entering the rest of Europe – has about 12,000 migrants. More than 44,000 people are already trapped in Greece, a number ticking upward each day, as aid groups warn of a potential humanitarian crisis by summer. (Sergey Ponomarev / The New York Times)Migrants sit near a fire at a camp in Idomeni, Greece, March 11, 2016. The camp — a padlocked waiting room for entering the rest of Europe — has about 12,000 migrants. More than 44,000 people are already trapped in Greece, a number ticking upward each day, as aid groups warn of a potential humanitarian crisis by summer. (Sergey Ponomarev / The New York Times)

Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law, is one of the world’s foremost experts of international law and human rights issues. In his long career, he has served as legal counsel and adviser to several world leaders, as well as independence movements, and served on the legal team that led to the conviction of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Tony Blair on war crimes charges at the 2012 Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission.

In this interview, Boyle tackles a number of hot-button issues, including continued allegations of war crimes against members of the US government, analysis of the upcoming US presidential election, discussion of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and analysis of the legality of Greece’s national debt and memorandum agreements.

Michael Nevradakis: Let’s discuss the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission and the case which led to the conviction of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and others in absentia for war crimes. Tell us about this commission, about this case that you were a part of and its aftermath.

Francis Boyle: There were two different proceedings. The first was against Bush and Tony Blair, for their war of aggression and Nuremberg crime against peace against Iraq. I was part of the team that helped get a unanimous conviction there. The second proceeding was against Bush, Cheney, [Donald] Rumsfeld, [Condoleezza] Rice, [Alberto] Gonzalez and several others for torture and war crimes. Again, I was part of the team that helped get a unanimous conviction, both for torture and for war crimes.

“All these refugees are fleeing because the US government…

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