On November 14th, 2012, 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. (link)
These men were held at Guantánamo Bay, an American military prison operated in Cuba, infamous for their "enhanced interrogation" techniques aka torture. Barack Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay in 2007, before he was elected President, but has yet to do so.
You have to read the 69 page draft indictment to really get a picture of what these men went through. Try to imagine being taken from your home in one country, never being told what you are charged with, a bag being put over your head as your flown to a prison in another country, where everyday you are subjected to beatings, being hung from walls or ceilings, sleep, food and water deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, and more. Your family not knowing anything, worrying what happened to you.
It is important to note that three out of four of these men were, after years, eventually released with no charges, and the fourth man, only detained when he was sixteen, is still in Guantanamo and has yet to be charged with a crime.
In his memoir, Decision Points, released November 9th, 2010, President Bush stated unequivocally that he authorized torture, including waterboarding, of individuals held in US custody. This man is a psychopath war-criminal, and needs to be in prison.
If we sit back and allow our "leaders" to authorize torture, with our money and our consent, this "enhanced interrogation" will soon make its way into our own justice system and be used on American citizens.
Related Links:
- Former CIA Director Says He Tortured People "To Help Them (link) (02/05/13)
- United States Military Admittedly Detained Over 200 Young Afghan Boys (link) (12/13/12)
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