UN official wants Bush prosecuted
Jan 20, 2009
The UN’s special torture rapporteur called on the US yesterday to pursue former president George W. Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld for torture and bad treatment of Guantanamo prisoners.
Berlin
The UN’s special torture rapporteur called on the US yesterday to pursue former president George W. Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld for torture and bad treatment of Guantanamo prisoners.
“Judicially speaking, the United States has a clear obligation†to bring proceedings against Bush and Rumsfeld, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, said in remarks to be broadcast on Germany’s ZDF television yesterday evening.
He said Washington had ratified the UN convention on torture which required “all means, particularly penal law†to be used to bring proceedings against those violating it.
“We have all these documents that are now publicly available that prove that these methods of interrogation were intentionally ordered by Rumsfeld,†against detainees at the US prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Nowak said.
“But obviously the highest authorities in the US were aware of this,†added Nowak, who authored a UN report on the Guantanamo prison.
Bush stepped down from power yesterday, with Barack Obama becoming the 44th president of the United States.
Asked about chances to bring legal action against Bush and Rumsfeld, Nowak said: “In principle, yes. I think the evidence is on the table.â€
The UN’s special torture rapporteur called on the US yesterday to pursue former president George W. Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld for torture and bad treatment of Guantanamo prisoners.
“Judicially speaking, the United States has a clear obligation†to bring proceedings against Bush and Rumsfeld, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, said in remarks to be broadcast on Germany’s ZDF television yesterday evening.
He said Washington had ratified the UN convention on torture which required “all means, particularly penal law†to be used to bring proceedings against those violating it.
“We have all these documents that are now publicly available that prove that these methods of interrogation were intentionally ordered by Rumsfeld,†against detainees at the US prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Nowak said.
“But obviously the highest authorities in the US were aware of this,†added Nowak, who authored a UN report on the Guantanamo prison.
Bush stepped down from power yesterday, with Barack Obama becoming the 44th president of the United States.
Asked about chances to bring legal action against Bush and Rumsfeld, Nowak said: “In principle, yes. I think the evidence is on the table.â€