Four survivors of torture will lodge a private prosecution in B.C. Provincial Court tomorrow against former U.S. president George W. Bush. Hassan bin Attash, Sami el-Hajj, Muhammed Khan Tumani and Murat Kurnaz all say that they endured years of torture during Bush's controversial tenure presiding over the so-called War on Terror.
Bush is scheduled to appear on Oct. 20 as a paid speaker at the Surrey Regional Economic Summit, together with his fellow ex-president Bill Clinton. Critics around the world have characterized Bush as a war criminal and called for his arrest while he is in Canada.
"I lost my family, my father, my health, my education because of George Bush. Although I was completely innocent, I lost nearly 10 years of my life," said former Guantanamo detainee and torture survivor Muhammed Khan Tumani. "I suffered greatly while detained at Guantanamo, and continue to suffer. I have restrictions on my travel and cannot travel to see my father who is ill. George Bush must face justice and be held accountable for his actions, which continue to cause me and so many harm."
On Sept. 29, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ ) submitted a 69-page page draft indictment to Canada's Attorney General Robert Nicholson, along with more than 4,000 pages of supporting material, setting forth the case against Bush for torture.
The indictment, incorporated into the criminal information to be lodged Oct. 20, contends that by Bush's own admission he sanctioned and authorized acts that constitute torture under the Canadian criminal code and the Convention Against Torture (CAT). Minister Nicholson has not responded to the organizations' call for Bush's arrest.
Former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, quoted in a press release from the CCR and CCIJ, said: "The main aim of the UN Convention Against Torture was to eradicate safe havens for persons who commit, order, or participate in acts of torture worldwide. States parties to the Convention, including Canada, have a legal obligation to arrest all persons suspected of torture with the aim of bringing them to justice. There is plenty of evidence that President Bush authorized enhanced interrogation methods against suspected terrorists, some of which clearly amount to torture, such as waterboarding."
Matt Eisenbrandt, legal director of the Canadian Centre for International Justice, who will submit the filing on behalf of the men, added, "Canadian law could not be clearer. If an alleged torturer is present in Canada, the government has the power to prosecute. As a signatory of the Convention Against Torture, Canada has an obligation to initiate an investigation when Mr. Bush sets foot in this country."
Tom Sandborn covers labour and health policy beats for the Tyee. He welcomes your feedback and story tips at tos@infinet.net.
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max von smartt
31 weeks ago
the empire rules
torturer, mass murderer, crimes against humanity?? no problem if yu are on the side of empire. just like the time suharto came to town to promote pacific trade.
the real ODB
31 weeks ago
vote
Municipal elections are coming in November. Up to the citizens of Surrey to turf Diane Watts out. She's the one who invited this scumbag.
Sooke
31 weeks ago
Al Qaeda Manual Drives Detainee Behavior at Guantanamo Bay
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 29, 2005 – If you're a Muslim extremist captured while fighting your holy war against "infidels," avoid revealing information at all costs, don't give your real name and claim that you were mistreated or tortured during your detention.
This instruction comes straight from the pages of an official al Qaeda training manual, and officials at the detention facility at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, say they see clear evidence that detainees are well-versed in its contents.
...
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed frustration over this effort during a June 21 interview on the "Tony Snow Show."
"These detainees are trained to lie, they're trained to say they were tortured, and the minute we release them or the minute they get a lawyer, very frequently they'll go out and they will announce that they've been tortured," Rumsfeld said.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=16270
Frank
31 weeks ago
Sooke
How far down the IQ ladder would one have to be to buy this line of defence hook, line and sinker?
Frank
31 weeks ago
This just in
Dateline Berlin.
Heinrich Himmler, one-time commander of the SS has also claimed the Rumsfeld defence should apply to his officers. He was quoted as saying, "Like the Arab terrorists, Jews too have been trained to lie about fantasies like concentration camps and torture and refuse to tell the truth that in fact they were all moved to summer holiday camps on the Baltic Sea for their own protection from Allied bombing."
Karl Donitz, commander of Germany's submarine fleet was also quoted as saying "Ja, what he said, and the British too. Always claiming we were sinking ships with women and children on them. Not true, our submarines served only as cruise ships for German tourists but the British they have been trained to lie"
We're still awaiting confirmation that Josef Stalin is also claiming the "Rumsfeld defence".
nutsnbolts
30 weeks ago
Municipal vote Surrey BC
Dianne Watts is a carbon copy of her friend Gordon Campbell, she is an active card-carrying member of the B.C. Liberals......Shame on her for spending billions of dollars we don't have. Her dream town centre on the north border?? She will not disclose most of what she does and the cost of it including the huge cost of bringing the war criminal Bush and Clinton to our city. *VOTE ROSS BUCHANAN* for mayor of Surrey. Way past time the voters were represented here in Surrey and not the corporates and developers.