Spain Nabs Alleged Pilot in 'Dirty War'

Some 1,000 Argentines were hurled into sea

(NEWSER) - Two Argentines charged with piloting notorious "death flights" during the country's brutal military dictatorship are facing extradition. The pilots, one arrested in Argentina and the other in Spain, are accused of flying the flights from which more than 1,000 drugged and blindfolded students, intellectuals, and trade unionists were hurled into the sea. More than 30,000 people "disappeared" during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. More»

Interpol targets group's Latin American operations

(NEWSER) - Some 25 suspected members of the Anonymous hacking collective have been arrested in Europe and South America, according to Interpol. The international police agency says 250 items of IT equipment were seized in raids in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Spain, the BBC reports. The suspects—including "Pacotron," the alleged chief of Anonymous operations in Spain and Latin America—are accused of planning attacks against targets including Colombia's defense ministry and Chile's national library. More»

(NEWSER) - The Bush administration stonewalled human rights organizations and branches of the US government that sought an investigation into the alleged mass murder of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan in 2001, the New York Times reports. As many as 1,500 people may have died in the incident, under the command of a Northern Alliance general in league with the CIA. The general has held high posts in the Karzai government, leading some to believe the apparent reluctance to investigate was politically motivated. More»

(NEWSER) - Judges in Spain are pressing human rights cases against top officials around the world, prompting threats abroad and criticisms at home, the Washington Post reports. Invoking so-called universal jurisdiction, judges are probing 16 cases, including US approval of torture and Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. But nervous Spanish lawmakers reacted by voting to limit the nation's judicial reach. More»

Case would turn courts into political 'plaything,' he says

(AP) - Spanish prosecutors will recommend against opening an investigation into whether six Bush administration officials sanctioned torture against terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, the country’s attorney general said today. The case against former high-ranking figures like Alberto Gonzales was without merit, he said, because the men weren’t present when the alleged torture took place. More»