Survivors File U.N. Complaint Against Canada for Failing to Prosecute George W. Bush for Torture

[Hissyspit]

Last edited Wed Nov 14, 2012, 12:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Center for Constitutional Rights

Survivors File U.N. Complaint Against Canada for Failing to Prosecute George W. Bush for Torture

[e-mail]

November 14, 2012, Vancouver and New York— Today, four torture survivors filed a complaint against Canada with the United Nations Committee against Torture for the country’s failure to investigate and prosecute former President George W. Bush during his visit to British Columbia last year. As a signatory to the Convention against Torture, Canada has an obligation to investigate and prosecute a torture suspect on its soil. This is the first time a complaint concerning torture allegations against a high-level U.S. official has been filed with the U.N. Committee. The Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ) and the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed the complaint on the men’s behalf.

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The four men – Hassan bin Attash, Sami el-Hajj, Muhammed Khan Tumani and Murat Kurnaz – found their long quest for justice stymied in October 2011. Canada’s Attorney General refused to conduct a criminal investigation against Mr. Bush, and the Attorney General of British Columbia swiftly intervened to shut down a private criminal prosecution submitted to a provincial court in her jurisdiction during Mr. Bush’s visit. This occurred despite the groups’ submission of a 69-page draft indictment and approximately 4000 pages of evidence against Bush consisting of extensive reports and investigations conducted by multiple U.S. agencies and the United Nations.

The Committee against Torture can require Canada to explain the actions that led to the case being closed without any investigation and can then issue a decision on whether Canada has breached its obligations under the convention. If the committee finds Canada in violation, it can specify appropriate remedial measures.

“Through this process, the world can learn whether Canada’s actions were grounded in law or in politics. Canada’s refusal to investigate and prosecute George W. Bush marked a low-point in the ongoing struggle to end impunity for torturers and denied these men the opportunity to achieve some measure of justice,” said Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at CCR and legal representative for the men.“They now call upon the Committee to send a clear message that states must uphold their obligations under the Convention against Torture and cannot allow other factors – including political considerations – to interfere with the commitment to end impunity for torturers.”

Read more: http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/survivors-file-u.n.-complaint-against-canada-failing-prosecute-george-w.-bush-torture

[xtraxritical]

1. I hope some coutry "renditions" any and all of those Bush/Cheney/Rumsfield/Rice/Wu/Wolfowitcz

mother f^^kers.

[barbtries]

8. me too

motherfuckers.

[bongbong]

2. Darth was a smart guy

He got his drunk assistant (shrub) to take the fall for all his decisions.

[CanSocDem]

3. Our government is...

...a massive embarrassment, nationally and globally. My apologies to everybody and know that we are committed to removing them from the world stage.

.

[Posteritatis]

20. That's an insult to embarrassments. (nt)

[Darth_Kitten]

26. Oh, so Canada has to be held responsible for Bush?

[Ash_F]

28. If Bush was wanted everywhere except America

Maybe Americans will finally get it.
















Then again, maybe not.

[heaven05]

4. I

would love to see bushmonkey, darth, rove, rice, rumsfeld in the docket at the world court in the Hague. That would so make my day, week, month, year, decade and on and on.......

[texpatriot2004]

11. To the Hague!

With Bush and his criminal cabal.

[BanTheGOP]

5. Bush cannot leave the US in any case GREAT NEWS

Here is something that appears in the article:

In February 2011, the Center for Constitutional Rights, on behalf of two survivors and supported by CCIJ and other human rights organizations, attempted to initiate criminal proceedings against Bush ahead of a scheduled visit to Switzerland. Bush cancelled the trip after news of the prosecution..became known.

I'm so glad at least that if Bush leaves the country other than Canada, he WILL be arrested! Great news!!

[Jim Lane]

7. Well, he's apparently safe in the Cayman Islands.

Late in the campaign, while Bill Clinton was tirelessly stumping for Obama, Bush was doing Romney a favor of even greater value -- he was making himself scarce. Part of his itinerary was a trip to the Caymans to speak at some fat-cat conference. Maybe Mitt told him, "Say 'hi' to my money while you're there."

[heaven05]

15. he

was in the caymans recently to give some speech to some financial fat cats. God! I wish he had been taken in handcuffs to the Hague in full view of the world.

[crunch60]

24. I hope the world get's smaller and smaller for George Bush, until he is

relegated to sit on his ranch, getting drunk on little cocktails, unable to leave for fear of being whisked off to a dark hole somewhere.

[Berlum]

6. "Oh shit." - George AWOL Bush (R)

[texpatriot2004]

10. Oh, I like your pic

Nice!

[crunch60]

12. I want to put Cheney in there with him, as he was directing the entire show.

[texpatriot2004]

21. Indeed he was, the

Puppet master. Good idea.

[calimary]

14. I very much appreciate this photo! Gonna make a copy of it.

VERY helpful for visualization exercises! Thanks for posting, Berlum!

[Bragi]

9. I'm a Canadian, and I approve of this complaint

I was disgusted how Bush came to Canada to appear before big biz audiences.

And I was particularly appalled that Bill Clinton was PR wingman for this POS war criminal.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/20/bc-george-w-bush-protest-surrey.html

[heaven05]

16. exprezbigdog

is somewhat forgiven because of his surrogacy during the past election cycle of our present POTUS.

[Hydra]

17. Bill Clinton has been adopted into "The Family"

He did exceptional work for them despite all the crap they flung at him.

Anytime you see him do something, keep in mind Poppy is standing behind him.

[crunch60]

23. Bill Clinton, shame on you, putting yourself in company with the war criminal George Bush!

[Solly Mack]

13. K&R

[Hydra]

18. You know, a DUer told me the other day that

"It's too difficult to prove Bush's war crimes"

I think even the people here have a short memory. These people are living EVIDENCE of war crimes.

Maher Arar isn't even listed in the article, but he was picked up and shipped out for 9 months of torture. Ironically, he was a Canadian Citizen.

The BS of the Bush Era is not some fairy tale. It had real victims and real consequences...but somehow that's all faded from view, and the perps have gotten protection from prosecution.

Sad commentary on our "civilization."

[crunch60]

22. I agree with you completely, many suffered under the Bush'Cheney regime, and those that are

still alive, will continue to suffer for years. Because of the extraordinary, diligent, people such as Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust survivor, many Nazi war criminals were brought to justice, even though it took many years. Never Forget, It's never to late.
-------------------
The United States Congress is outraged because Russia appears to have imprisoned, tortured, and murdered a whistle blower. Meanwhile George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney are selling books in which they openly confess to the crime of war and all that comes with it, including lawless imprisonment and torture.

Tell Congress to punish Bush and Cheney first!

Freeze their assets. Ban their travel. Impeach them, convict them, and remove their pensions while banning them from ever again holding federal office. Censure them. Expose the evidence. Refer criminal prosecutions to the Department of Justice.

http://rootsaction.org/take-action/449-punish-bush-and-cheney-first

[JoeyT]

25. Yeah, it's way too difficult to prove it.

I mean, where would we get the evidence. Sure Cheney admitted to torturing people on national television, but other than that what could we possibly use for proof?

There, all the proof they need. The alleged non-torture he's admitting to was one of the things we convicted Japanese soldiers of war crimes for after WW2.

[Hissyspit]

27. If someone says "It's too difficult to prove Bush's war crimes" to you here,

it's not that they have a short memory, it's that they are tossing bullshit at you.

[libodem]

19. Not seeing them

Go to the slammer has been a great regret.