Amnesty calls on Canada to arrest George Bush

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was reportedly waterboarded 183 times in March 2003 [Reuters] Amnesty International has called on Canadian authorities to arrest and prosecute George W Bush, saying the former US president authorised torture in the course of the United States' "war on terror". Bush is expected to attend an economic summit in Surrey in Canada's westernmost British Columbia province on October 20. The human rights organisation said in a statement released on Wednesday that the Canadian government has "international obligations ... given [Bush's] responsibility for crimes under international law including torture". The London-based group also released a 27-page memorandum that it had submitted in September to Canada's attorney general laying out its legal case. "As the US authorities have, so far, failed to bring former president Bush to justice, the international community must step in," said Susan Lee, Amnesty's Americas director, in the statement. "A failure by Canada to take action during his visit would violate the UN Convention against Torture and demonstrate contempt for fundamental human rights." A spokesman for the Canadian government was not immediately available for comment. Bush cancelled a visit to Switzerland in February after facing similar public calls for his arrest. Continue reading...