While it seemed clear on the day of the protest that the vandalism and property damage were committed by a small number of people, a superseding indictment handed down in late April charged two hundred and twelve people with rioting, inciting a riot, and engaging in a conspiracy to "damage, destroy, or deface property".
No previous suit seeking damages for atrocities committed by the Imperial Army has made it this far in a Japanese court, lawyers and historians here say.
The possibility of trials has raised concerns among both corporations and the Bush administration over potentially embarrassing testimony -- and worry that a verdict could set a precedent that encourages thousands of foreign plaintiffs to seek damages for crimes committed by their own governments.
The collateral damage and outlandish crimes committed by these new foes seems infinitely worse than the protection rackets and corruption of the families.
U.S. courts have repeatedly refused to hear damages claims involving atrocities committed by Israeli authorities (see the Rachel Corrie decisions).
Similarly, as base expert Mark Gillem reports, between 1992 and 2003, the Korean and U.S. governments paid $27.3 million in damages because of crimes committed by U.S. troops stationed in Korea.
On Monday, Syria's prime minister, Wael al-Halqi, trudged through the rubble outside the central bank and told reporters that the bombing — which also damaged a nearby mosque — had been committed by terrorists who "seek to undermine the moderate and compassionate Islam which has been a mainstay of the Syrian people for centuries".
Allowing that idea to stand unchallenged does far more damage to the republic than any one crime committed by any one person (or the prosecution thereof), even if that person is the president.
They have been damaged or wrecked… REFLECTIONS about the atrocities committed by governments.
Mirza Hirkic, one of about 20 plaintiffs in the suit, said yesterday that the verdict was not about monetary damages, but about gaining recognition of the acts committed by Bosnian Serb ultra-nationalists.
Lib Dem insiders say that Pryce may have made general remarks about an action committed by her former husband that would damage him but insist that she did not give any details.
