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attributed to "that night" in the following weeks and victims or not. The logic is that crimes against months eventually rose to 20,000 people. Hundreds of umanity are offences against every member of the thousands of others were harmed, in many cases uman species—a crime against all. permanently, with lung, liver, kidney and immune system Spain had been a venue for bringing high crimes damages and blindness. The Indian Council of Medical charges against human rights violators in Guatemala, Research concluded that over 520,000 exposed persons Argentina, China, Israel and elsewhere. Most of the had poisons circulating in their bloodstream, causing awsuits have been against individuals linked to the different degrees of damage to almost all systems in the | untouchable political right, such as Chile's Augusto body. Pinochet, the Argentinian military officer Adolfo The 1984 disaster may have faded in the world's _ Scilingo, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, memory, but, in Bhopal, the damaged births continue talian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, former Israeli oday. The very same factory that spewed out poison Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and six of his senior gas has been leaking deadly chemicals into the drinking advisers and, most recently, former George W. Bush water of about 30,000 people. In affected communities administration officials. here are epidemics of kidney disease and cancer, with Calls to rein in the judges increased when Spanish undreds of damaged children. magistrates announced probes involving Israel and the Indra Sinha, a Booker Prize nominee for his book on United States. In January 2009, Spanish National Court he Bhopal disaster, Animal's People, explained why the Judge Fernando Andreu announced that he would gas leak is still a national investigate seven current or scandal: "After the night of former Israeli officials over a orror, the factory was locked . . oe 2002 air attack in Gaza that up. Thousands of tons of ..opain decided to limit killed a top member of Hamas pesticides and waste} jtsown jurisdiction in cases of and 14 other people. In March remained inside. UCC never id d Q . 2009, Baltasar Garz6n, Spain's bothered to clean it. The genoci € and crimes against most high-profile judge, chemicals were abandoned in humanity, thus closing one of invoked the principle of warehouses open to wind and . universal jurisdiction when he rain. Twenty-four monsoons the last windows of sought to investigate six former have rusted and rotted the accountability... Bush administration officials death factory. The rains wash for giving legal cover to torture the poisons deep into the in the American prison at soil. They enter the Guantdnamo Bay, Cuba. And groundwater and seep into wells and bore pipes. They in May 2009, Spanish High Court Judge Santiago Pedraz gush from taps and enter people's bodies. They burn declared that he would charge three US soldiers with stomachs, corrode skin, damage organs and flow into crimes against humanity for the April 2003 deaths of a wombs where they go to work on the unborn. If babies Spanish television cameraman and a Ukrainian make it into the world alive, the poisons are waiting in journalist. The men were killed when a US tank crew their mothers’ milk." shelled their Baghdad hotel. A Greenpeace survey found substantial and, in some locations, severe contamination of land and water 17. Nanotech Particles Pose Serious DNA Risks supplies with heavy metals and chlorinated chemicals. Personal products that you may use daily—cosmetics, Overall contamination of the site and immediate — suntan lotion, socks and sports clothes—and think are surrounds is due both to routine spills and accidents harmless may all contain atom-sized nanotech particles, during the operation of the factory and to the continued = some of which have been shown to sicken and kill releases of chemicals from the toxic wastes that remain _ workers in plants using nanotechnology. Known human victims or not. The logic is that crimes against umanity are offences against every member of the uman species—a crime against all. Spain had been a venue for bringing high crimes charges against human rights violators in Guatemala, Argentina, China, Israel and elsewhere. Most of the awsuits have been against individuals linked to the untouchable political right, such as Chile's Augusto Pinochet, the Argentinian military officer Adolfo Scilingo, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, talian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and six of his senior advisers and, most recently, former George W. Bush administration officials. Calls to rein in the judges increased when Spanish magistrates announced probes involving Israel and the United States. In January 2009, Spanish National Court Judge Fernando Andreu announced that he would .. pain decided to limit its own jurisdiction in cases of genocide and crimes against humanity, thus closing one of the last windows of 17. Nanotech Particles Pose Serious DNA Risks Personal products that you may use daily—cosmetics, suntan lotion, socks and sports clothes—and think are armless may all contain atom-sized nanotech particles, some of which have been shown to sicken and kill workers in plants using nanotechnology. Known human ealth risks include severe and permanent lung damage. Cell studies indicate genetic damage. Extremely toxic 0 aquatic wildlife, nanoparticles pose clear risks to many species and threaten the global food chain. Nanotech particles have been embraced by industry as the wonder ingredient in personal hygiene products, ood packaging, paints, medical procedures and pharmaceuticals, even tyres and auto parts, among burgeoning numbers of other consumer products. Cosmetic companies add titanium dioxide on site. 16. Universal Jurisdiction on Crimes Against Humanity Dies in Spain In October 2009, under great pressure from the United States, the government of Spain decided to limit its own jurisdiction in cases of genocide and crimes against humanity, thus closing one of the last windows of accountability for the most serious crimes committed by the most powerful nations on Earth. Under international law, such crimes fall under the universal jurisdiction of any nation, whether its own citizens are Cosmetic _ companies add titanium dioxide nanoparticles to sun creams to make them transparent on the skin. Sports clothing firms have introduced 18 * NEXUS accountability... DECEMBER 2010 - JANUARY 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com