(Web Blog)

DECEMBER 3, 2011

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR BUSH'S ARREST DURING TRIP TO AFRICA

Updated: Thursday, 01 Dec 2011, 10:10 AM MST

Published : Thursday, 01 Dec 2011, 10:13 AM MST

With former President George W. Bush traveling this week in Africa to promote AIDS relief efforts and to raise awareness of cervical and breast cancer, Amnesty International is urging three nations to arrest him during his visit for "crimes under international law."

The world's largest human rights group said Thursday that "there is enough evidence in the public domain" to justify either Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia arresting the former president during his expected visit to the region, which started Thursday and lasts until Monday. Bush is traveling with his wife, Laura, and daughter, Barbara.

The three nations should investigate "his alleged involvement in and responsibility for torture," the group said.

"All countries to which George W. Bush travels have an obligation to bring him to justice for his role in torture," said Matt Pollard, senior legal adviser for the American branch of AI.

Saying the president's visit is notable for its public awareness campaign on women's cancer, the group said the humanitarian nature of the mission does not "lessen the damage to the fight against torture caused by allowing someone who has admitted to authorizing waterboarding to travel without facing the consequences prescribed by law."

"International law requires that there be no safe haven for those responsible for torture; Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia must seize this opportunity to fulfill their obligations and end the impunity George W. Bush has so far enjoyed," said Pollard.

Congress ended the legality of waterboarding during Bush's presidency after complaints, including by former prisoner of war and Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, that the practice, used on Al Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and other terror suspects, defied Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war.

But some in the former administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney, defend it to this day, and claim that it "probably" played a role in tracking down Usama bin Laden.

"It was a good program. It was a legal program. It was not torture," Cheney told Fox News Sunday shortly after bin Laden's capture and killing. "I would strongly recommend we continue it."

Bush was in Tanzania on Thursday to commemorate World AIDS Day, and appeared alongside Tanzanian President Kikwete in a global satellite broadcast hosted by the ONE campaign.

During the broadcast, President Obama thanked Bush for his work on expanding access to drugs through the Global Fund that Bush expanded during his administration. The president credited Bush for "his bold leadership on the issue."

"I believe that history will record the president's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief as one of his greatest legacies," Obama said. "That program -- more ambitious than even leading advocates thought was possible at the time -- has saved hundreds of thousands and thousands and thousands of lives, spurred international action, and laid the foundation for a comprehensive global plan that will impact the lives of millions."

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/Amnesty-International-Calls-for-Bushs-Arrest-During-Trip-to-Africa_48150300

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COMMENT:

Hmmm, So this is how it goes. We'll inject them with the virus to kill off untold millions over a few decades. Then we'll go back and give them some relief from the disease we caused. They will have more side effects from the drug cocktail and die slower now from other diseases. What a legacy!!

Their days are numbered, the evil-doers will be rooted out of the earth. God's Kingdom of Love & Peace will be established.

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