Amnesty International calls for arrest of George W. Bush on torture charges

(Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper) –– Former President George W. Bush began a tour of Africa during the week of Nov. 28 and, according to Amnesty International, he needs to see the inside of a jail cell while he’s there.

The human rights group is calling for the arrest of Bush for authorizing the use of torture techniques of suspected terrorists while he was president.

“All countries to which George W. Bush travels have an obligation to bring him to justice for his role in torture,” Matt Pollard, senior legal advisor for Amnesty International, said in a statement. “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.”

According to Pollard, there is enough evidence from prisoners, American Red Cross reports and Bush himself for the two-term president to be investigated for approving waterboarding as a method of interrogation. Bush told NBC’s “The Today Show” last year that the practice was approved by his legal team.

“The lawyer said it was legal,” Bush said. “He said it did not fall within the anti-torture act. I’m not a lawyer. But you gotta trust the judgment of people around you, and I do.”

Amnesty International has written to the ministers of justice in each country and provided supporting documentation to make their case.

Waterboarding has been banned by President Barack Obama.

This article was originally published in the December 12, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper