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George W. Bush: Human Rights Groups Seek Charges In Canada Against Former U.S. President

George W Bush Torture

First Posted: 09/29/11 02:15 PM ET Updated: 11/29/11 05:12 AM ET

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VANCOUVER - Human rights groups on both sides of the border hope Canadian law will snare a former U.S. president for allegedly authorizing torture against detainees.

The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights and the Canadian Centre for International Justice say Canada's attorney general must launch a criminal investigation against George W. Bush.

The groups say Bush has violated a United Nations convention against torture by admitting to authorizing treatments ranging from assault to secret detention of prisoners.

They say because Canada has signed the UN treaty, it must act against the former president when he appears at a speaking engagement in Surrey, B.C., on Oct. 20.

Protesters unsuccessfully appealed for similar action against former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney when he visited Vancouver and Calgary earlier this week as part of a book tour.

Rallies were held in both cities as demonstrators denounced Cheney for alleged war crimes, but the only person arrested and charged with assault was a 51-year-old Vancouver protester.

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VANCOUVER - Human rights groups on both sides of the border hope Canadian law will snare a former U.S. president for allegedly authorizing torture against detainees.The New York-based Center for Const...
VANCOUVER - Human rights groups on both sides of the border hope Canadian law will snare a former U.S. president for allegedly authorizing torture against detainees.The New York-based Center for Const...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Dave Harpe
Was young, now old.
211 Fans
11:05 AM on 10/11/2011
Don't hold your breath waiting for this to happen.
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headstrong
173 Fans
08:02 AM on 10/03/2011
Harpo would never allow his hero to be prosecuted.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kenl77
31 Fans
01:31 PM on 10/02/2011
"Human rights groups on both sides of the border hope Canadian law will snare a former U.S. president for allegedly authorizing torture against detainees."

If there was any chance whatsoever of this actually happening, PM Harper would change the law immediately. Given that he has not made any such move, the hope of the rights groups is obviously a pipe dream.
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bluefrost
70 Fans
11:23 AM on 10/02/2011
An incredible story has just come out which features 2 very prominent people in Paul Thompson and Sibel Edmonds. Its a fascinating read and should open a lot of peoples eyes to the burning questions about pre intelligence on 9/11 and the US involvment with different "terror" groups in the past 30 years.

http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2011/10/01/transcript-bfp-interview-with-paul-thompson-part-1-2/#more-7207
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ascoli
1436 Fans
07:13 AM on 10/02/2011
He'll never get consequences in Canada while his lapdog Stevie is here.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
JackHoffman
Pundit
7756 Fans
 
11:52 AM on 10/02/2011
Nailed it.
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CanadaStan
Cogito ergo spud, I think, therefore I yam
171 Fans
06:26 PM on 10/01/2011
Bush Derangement Syndrome....
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Jason Bullock
134 Fans
 
05:55 PM on 10/01/2011
Knowing Harper he'll give Bush a Humanitarian award instead of arresting him. Criminals loves to socialize with other criminals.
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CanadaStan
Cogito ergo spud, I think, therefore I yam
171 Fans
06:35 PM on 10/01/2011
Seems reasonable, after freeing the Iraqis from Saddam and the Afghans from the Taliban Bush should get some kind of award..
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Jason Bullock
134 Fans
 
06:44 PM on 10/01/2011
I don't know if you're joking, or dead serious.
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luckincan
That rug really tied the room together
1362 Fans
09:41 AM on 10/02/2011
wow, are you drunk?
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GohBokhor
www.ifamericansknew.org
330 Fans
03:01 PM on 10/01/2011
Crimes are crimes. No man is above the law lest he is King!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kappaangel
63 Fans
01:29 PM on 09/30/2011
How ridiculous! We lost more than 3000 people in 9/11, not to mention the first attack on the Twin Towers, the USS Cole, etc., and these nutty Canadians are worried that the terrorist might have been mistreated. The terrorists didn't have their heads sawed off. They should be grateful!

As for the UN, it has been a waste of American tax payers money for years.The US pays the majority of the bills for this organization that's run by a bunch of third world countries. Putting Cuba on a Human Rights Commission is like putting Hitler in charge of Israel. Let's move the UN to Toronto, and let the Canadians foot the bill!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Bill J4321
906 Fans
04:44 PM on 09/30/2011
Angel, hun, your shuttle leaves in 10 minutes. Don't miss it.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jules23
53 Fans
05:09 PM on 09/30/2011
If the USA claims to fight for its way of life, shouldn't this include the right to due process, free from cruel and unusual punishment? You have given up the moral high ground, why would China or Russia ever listen to the USA about human rights ever again? Not to mention that that their is zero evidence that torture has been remotely useful to advancing the US agenda. Its a double fail!
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CanadaStan
Cogito ergo spud, I think, therefore I yam
171 Fans
05:35 PM on 10/01/2011
There is pelenty of evidence that waterboarding the three enemies produced valuable information.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kappaangel
63 Fans
10:44 PM on 10/01/2011
Water boarding has been used for years, way before George W. Bush, to get our enemies to talk. Our military men have to go through water boarding in their military training. It doesn't damage anyone, but it is very effective.

We are engaged in a deadly war, not with a particular country, but with people, who have absolutely zero value for human life. They are willing to die, and to send even young children to die, to further their Muslim religion and their way of life. (A woman who has an illegitimate child is , by the way, buried up to her head and stoned to death.) There are not people who fear death, just being humiliated and dishonored.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jyrdfrd
88 Fans
11:42 AM on 09/30/2011
Socialists still grasping at straws.....
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jules23
53 Fans
05:26 PM on 09/30/2011
Is it only socialists who are anti torture?
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CanadaStan
Cogito ergo spud, I think, therefore I yam
171 Fans
06:37 PM on 10/01/2011
No, only socialists see the world in black and white terms.
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Robert Gudzikowski
free,natural,harmless,individual
108 Fans
10:01 AM on 09/30/2011
The only thing these culprits did? Nothing they did was right!
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flossophy
the unfamous anti-establishment classical liberal
2323 Fans
 
09:10 PM on 09/29/2011
oh those Canadians.
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luckincan
That rug really tied the room together
1362 Fans
09:42 AM on 10/02/2011
Stay focused on your on-going clown show, nothing to see here for you clowns.,
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tcoot166
21 Fans
10:21 PM on 10/03/2011
Nothing wrong with Canadians overall.They have the same type stupid little groups America has
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h60driver2
37 Fans
08:53 PM on 09/29/2011
The U N can pack sand. I believe the United States has given more in foreign aid to various countries. Whenever there is a disaster, the U.S. is almost always first to give aid. I will bet that almost every president, prime minister, or other head of state has committed some kind of crime against a group or individual. If the U. N. or Canada wants to prosecute someone, start with Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, or Ackmadinijerk of Iran, or Hugo Chavez. Pick your dictator. I am not defending Bush, but there are many who are worse. The U. N. is a worthless organization, and if it were up to me I would kick them out of the United States.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
greysells2
grey cells matter
919 Fans
09:46 PM on 09/29/2011
Torture is defined in the US Criminal Code and case law to include waterboarding. Bush admittedly authorized waterboarding. Canada is obligated under our treaty obligations to detain and investigate this human rights violation that Bush has apparently committed. He claims to be justified in breaking the law and is apparently prepared to defend himself on that basis. It would be important to know if the Canadian Government has made a prior agreement to not act if he comes to Surrey. I have no trouble with Bush coming to Canada to face the music over his actions. BC and Alberta seem to be the favorite haunts for neocons to promote their self serving books. Neither Bush nor Cheney travel anywhere else in the world except Western Canada. I presume they feel safe and secure that they will not be detained.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Kristopher Leang
training to take down the elite
109 Fans
07:38 AM on 09/30/2011
dont trya nd expalin the letter of the law to this misguided conservative. they only apply whichever laws are suitable for their elite at the time, and make excuses for th most heinous of crimes and acts. they believe in two laws, one for us poor peasants and one for the elite and their buddies.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Josh Steinhauer
Ex-Patriot, Europe
105 Fans
08:48 AM on 09/30/2011
You see here is the problem, you are trying to quote US Law in a war time environment. When we are fighting in Iraq, we were not operating under US law, We were not operating under some UN law either. We were operating under laws and regulations governed by the US Military. These were enemy combatives and not US citizens that were being interrogated. So no US law protections apply to these people.

Wars are completely different than civil affairs. Bush was the President and directed his military to carry out his orders. His officers execute those orders and if they screw them up, then they are held liable, not the President.

If you think the President or Prime Minister should be held liable any time one of its citizens screws up then everyone one would be going to jail for a violation or another.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Kristopher Leang
training to take down the elite
109 Fans
07:37 AM on 09/30/2011
firstly it depends who is in need of help the us is political about that too. can you tlel me the country to organize and help othrow more democratic governements (they have done this more than every other country combined, trained more terrorists,armed more terrorists, trained more tortures, manipulated events and assasinated people. the list of us crimes is indeed long and disgusting. we know and we understand who the real enemies of our democracy and it itsnt a handful of extremists accross the ocean who "hate out freedom".
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mherrera
Indigenous Troublemaker
827 Fans
05:02 PM on 09/29/2011
Hey, HP! These are not "alleged war crimes". There are clear admissions in print and these are clearly war crimes by UN definition. Bush is just a criminal who needs (he should love this) "to be brought to justice".
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TheNovak
21 Fans
06:18 PM on 09/29/2011
Yeah, when you're actively admitting in your autiobiography that you authorized actions legally defined under the Geneva Conventions as war crimes, I think you lose the right to the word "alleged."
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CanadaStan
Cogito ergo spud, I think, therefore I yam
171 Fans
10:21 PM on 10/01/2011
Since the terrorists never signed the Geneva convention, and never followed it's rules, it does not apply to them.
If it had been applied, every one of the Taliban could have been summarily executed for fighting out of uniform and hiding among civilians.

Look it up.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mherrera
Indigenous Troublemaker
827 Fans
04:59 PM on 09/29/2011
Bush and Cheney already have open arrest warrants in the State of Vermont. Dump him off there.
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