Amnesty International calls for arrest of George W. Bush

By: Corbett B. Daly
Topics: Campaign 2012

Former President George W. Bush

(Credit: National Geographic)

Amnesty International has called for several African nations to arrest and detain former President George W. Bush for authorizing the use of waterboarding and other forms of torture.

Mr. Bush is visiting Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia this week to raise awareness about cervical and breast cancer and HIV/AIDS.

The international human rights group's written statement recognizes the value those goals, but says it "cannot 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."

The organization called for the governments of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia to arrest Mr. Bush and "to secure his presence during the investigation" of "his alleged involvement in and responsibility for torture."

It is not the first time human rights groups have called for Mr. Bush's arrest. Amnesty called for his arrest in October during a visit to Canada and the former president canceled a visit to Switzerland in February on fears that he may have faced legal action there.

Mr. Bush wrote in his memoir, "Decision Points," that he personally approved the use of waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, for alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

New York Rep. Peter King called Amnesty's action misguided.

""If Amnesty International had any intellectual honesty, it would give President Bush a medal to honor him for liberating so many oppressed Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan and for assisting millions of AIDS victims in Africa," said the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Corbett B. Daly
Corbett B. Daly is CBSNews.com's deputy politics editor.
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by a_chris80 December 11, 2011 2:26 AM EST

The governments of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia should leave Former President Mr. George W. Bush alone and he is not under arrest. He is a real man and he still innocent.

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by MoonShineProds January 1, 2012 7:29 AM EST: Please Google "107th Congress H.R. 2977" This was a Congressional ORDER DEMANDING that George Bush STOP WEAPONIZING SPACE...he obviously did not. It lists HAARP's capabilities, "CHEMTRAILS" & numerous other "Exotic" WMD's that Bush was NEVER supposed to use, let alone go to war. He blatantly said on LIVE TELEVISION(which is his own stupidity) that he himself COMMANDED the prisoners of Guantanamo be TORTURED. According to the Geneva Convention that the USA AGREED TO FOLLOW...this is ILLEGAL.

So I'm not sure where you're coming up with this "Bush is innocent" thing...his guilty as hell, of War Crimes and of BOMBING THE WORLD TRADE CENTER...everybody knows this. The only ones that don't are Government trolls.


by info-hunter December 9, 2011 12:33 PM EST: Thank God for liberals or we would be marching to the tune of the church with the most power at any given time. Liberals were invented to blunt the power of the conservative Gestapo who demand that I look, think and make noises like a conservative. I am to stay quiet and stay in line or be detained by the religious enforcers. Pray and beg to your God of choice for the liberals to vanish and suffer in your burning pits of Hell. We are here to stay Thank God! Much to my amusement I find we worship the same Gods it's just that liberals have a since of hummer and are forgiving.; Reply to this comment

by Transatlantique December 8, 2011 12:04 PM EST

They should also call for the arrest of "doctors" who promote male genital mutilation, euphemistically called "circumcision." Those quacks are violating the hypocritical oath which first states, "First do no harm." If 85% of men internationally are intact and doing fine, which they are, then that is proof it isn't necessary to cut a child's genitals without his permission, and that constitutes fraud and abuse, which is illegal, unethical, and malpractice. Also, the rules set forth by the Geneva convention prohibit the torture of individuals, which forced underaged male genital mutilation also violates.

Then Governor George Bush sat idly by while a mother called for him to arrest a quack in Dallas, Texas who mutilated the genitals of the child she had without her consent (but it should have been the child's consent). He should be charged for disallowing justice for that as well.

It seems as if this is becoming more an more of a politically correct, clown republic everyday, where even the seekers of justice are blind. Amnesty International refuses to include stopping male genital mutilation a part of their mission for justice. Shame, shame, shame on them!

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by bilrobi1 December 9, 2011 1:50 PM EST: Thank you for mentioning George Bush and circumcision in the same posting. The problem is that Here is Gorge was circumcised and they threw away the best part.

by Sherbet58 December 7, 2011 6:18 PM EST

I agree. Presidents should be held accountable for crimes committed. The President of the United States is not above the law. Period. Mr. Bush authorized torture. He is therefore, quite simply, a war criminal. He should be held accountable and should be prosecuted.

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by gg80108 December 8, 2011 12:07 AM EST: Bush + Cheney have killed thousand of american soldiers,, Lets put bring them out halftime at the super bowl, and lets the soldiers families had a little talk with them.....Now thats entertainment


by Celtic5584 December 8, 2011 5:42 PM EST: It's President Bush, have respect for the office and nation he once held and represented.

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by dudelookslikeachimp December 7, 2011 1:23 PM EST

seerclearly if you look hard you will see that we have signed treaties were we agreed not kill anyone in war, not firebomb, etc

now read some WWII stuff about what war really is -- yup war is defined as a state were the normal rules of law and expected human behavior break down and are held in a state of temporary abeyance. Thus the allies firebombed 3-4 major cities -- in Dresden most the civilians died. Yet the Geneva Convention was in effect saying that could not happen...except obviously during a state of total war. Very few Germans complained it was unfair at the time and no significant group has come forth to demand reparations even in today's exotic liberal times.

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by dudelookslikeachimp December 7, 2011 1:41 PM EST: bottomline: Treaties on the conduct of war are only guidelines. Adherence is a sliding scale based on the fierceness of war and the adherence of tactics already employed by the enemy.

That is treaties are by definition rules which are not expected to be enforced on one side side without equal compliance by the other.

Third parties not directly involved have essentially no say unless invited by both sides (e.g. Korean war talks).

OK domestic political expectations do play a role but that is limited
in part by domestic understanding of the situation and legalities.

Current US domestic activism shows quite a bit of contempt for such realities in their drive to promise ponies and rainbows for all. ("It may not stand long - but it will be enough if everyone BELIEVES for just one moment before the barbarians kill us all.") Sorry but suicidal stands on unrealistic ideals do not appeal to me -- no matter how desirable the pretty picture.

And frankly your activist groups are full of hypocrisy with your ideas of regimented and artificially enforced human behavior and really creep me out. Watch the movie Harrison Bergeron on continuous loop if you want but leave me out of your sick plans.


by dudelookslikeachimp December 7, 2011 12:53 PM EST: Yes its time for GW to serve time -- either as patriotic martyr or because he did something wrong. But he is too important of a symbol not to be in a glass cage for one reason or another.

(why doesn't amnesty international giving him amnesty - like any other ousted leader of a radical group? ...because the organization has more than one agenda and human rights is #2 not #1.); Reply to this comment


by Stev_S December 7, 2011 12:35 PM EST: I'm not an extremist in any way but, if laws were broken, prosecution should be a given.
Someone should have been prosecuted for the whole Iraq war anyway. A whole lot of lies and very little accountability put us into that war yet nobody is held responsible.
I think that was the straw that tipped our economy as well.; Reply to this comment


by julianpenrod December 6, 2011 7:03 PM EST: Shills for New World Order surveillance of people to destroy their sense of dignity and self respect always opine, "If you did nothing wrong, you wouldn't be afraid to have every second of your life taped." If Bush did nothing wrong, he wouldn't worry about going to places like Switzerland. You have to have the equivalent of a certificate of merit to get any case before a court. If they didn't have it, it would only be a minor inconvenience and delay for him. Out of office, he doesn't have those responsibilities as such. Unless, of course, Bush is stillpresident of the U.S. and the government has lied to the people.; Reply to this comment


by matrix0900 December 6, 2011 4:17 PM EST: To the Republican head of America's internal Gestapo, Opp's, (Homeland Security). I can only say,"Horse P-ky". Not only should he be brought to trial for torture, but he should be tried for treason in this country for what he and his fat cat buddies did to this counties economy.; Reply to this comment


by bruceben9 December 6, 2011 12:16 PM EST: hopefully they will come for the ignorant onlyme67 as she apparently has no idea what she is talking about. first every member of hamas, hezbowla, al kayduh , the taliban, etc...will need to be arrested and convicted of murder.; Reply to this comment