Posted: 02/ 5/11 09:00 PM
GENEVA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George W. Bush has cancelled his visit to Switzerland. He was afraid of being arrested for alleged torture.
The Swiss government was expected to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he flew into Switzerland.
Criminal complaints against Bush had been filed in Geneva,
Human rights groups said they were going to submit a 2,500-page case against Bush in Geneva for alleged mistreatment of suspected militants at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. naval base in Cuba.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch and International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said Bush admitted in his memoirs and television interviews to authorizing the interrogation technique that simulates drowning.
"He's avoiding the handcuffs," said Reed Brody, counsel for Human Rights Watch.
Brody is an American-trained lawyer specialised in pursuing war crimes worldwide, especially those allegedly ordered by former leaders.Brody said:
President Bush has admitted he ordered waterboarding which everyone considers to be a form of torture under international law.
Under the Convention against Torture, authorities would have been obliged to open an investigation and either prosecute or extradite George Bush.
Swiss judicial officials indicated that Bush would still enjoy some diplomatic immunity as a former head of state.
Bush, in his "Decision Points" memoirs on his 2001-2009 presidency, defended the use of waterboarding as key to preventing further terror attacks against the US.
Bush was unapologetic about the water boarding, a technique used by the Chinese communists during the Korean War.
The Convention on Torture, an international pact prohibiting torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Switzerland and the United States are among 147 signatories to the 1987 treaty.
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GENEVA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George W. Bush has cancelled his visit to Switzerland. He was afraid of being arrested for alleged torture.
The Swiss government was expected to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he flew into Switzerland.
Criminal complaints against Bush had been filed in Geneva,
Human rights groups said they were going to submit a 2,500-page case against Bush in Geneva for alleged mistreatment of suspected militants at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. naval base in Cuba.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch and International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said Bush admitted in his memoirs and television interviews to authorizing the interrogation technique that simulates drowning.
"He's avoiding the handcuffs," said Reed Brody, counsel for Human Rights Watch.
Brody is an American-trained lawyer specialised in pursuing war crimes worldwide, especially those allegedly ordered by former leaders.Brody said:
President Bush has admitted he ordered waterboarding which everyone considers to be a form of torture under international law.
Under the Convention against Torture, authorities would have been obliged to open an investigation and either prosecute or extradite George Bush.
Swiss judicial officials indicated that Bush would still enjoy some diplomatic immunity as a former head of state.
Bush, in his "Decision Points" memoirs on his 2001-2009 presidency, defended the use of waterboarding as key to preventing further terror attacks against the US.
Bush was unapologetic about the water boarding, a technique used by the Chinese communists during the Korean War.
The Convention on Torture, an international pact prohibiting torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Switzerland and the United States are among 147 signatories to the 1987 treaty.
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