Canadian Government Has Legal Obligation under UN Convention Against Torture
to Prosecute Alleged Perpetrators of Torture, Rights Groups Say; Prominent
Individuals and Organizations Sign on in Support
October 19, 2011, Surrey, BC--Tomorrow, four individuals who
allege they were tortured during George W. Bush's tenure as president of
the United States will lodge a private prosecution in Provincial Court
in Surrey, British Columbia against the former president, who is due to
visit Canada for a paid speaking engagement at the Surrey Regional
Economic Summit on October 20. The four men will take this step after
repeated calls to the Canadian Attorney General to open a torture
investigation of George Bush went unanswered. Human rights groups and
prominent individuals will sign on in support of the effort.
The four men, Hassan bin Attash, Sami el-Hajj, Muhammed Khan Tumani and Murat Kurnaz, each
endured years of inhumane treatment including beatings, chaining to
cell walls, being hung from walls or ceilings while handcuffed, lack of
access to toilets, sleep, food and water-deprivation, exposure to
extreme temperatures, sensory overload and deprivation, and other
horrific and illegal treatment while in U.S. custody at military bases
in Afghanistan and/or at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.While
three of the plaintiffs have since been released without ever facing
charges, Hassan Bin Attash still remains in detention at Guantanamo Bay,
though he too has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing.
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