PARIS (Reuters) - The Paris prosecutors' office has dismissed a suit against Donald Rumsfeld accusing the former U.S. defense secretary of torture, human rights groups who brought the case said on Friday.
The plaintiffs, who included the French-based International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) and the U.S. Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), said Rumsfeld had authorized interrogation techniques that led to rights abuses.
The FIDH said it had received a letter from the prosecutors' office ruling that Rumsfeld benefited from a "customary" immunity from prosecution granted to heads of state and government and foreign ministers, even after they left office.
It said in a statement it was "astonished at such a mistaken argument" and said customary immunity from prosecution did not exist under international law.
The suit was filed in October during a visit to France by Rumsfeld.
It was the correct decision. If national leaders are allowed to be sued at the whim of a particular country's malcontents we'll have chaos in the international community.
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