On the eve of the filing of complaints with the Swiss authorities by the IRCT and a coalition of other NGOs, former US President George W Bush has cancelled his planned trip there.
While it is regrettable that there is now no chance Bush will face trial in Switzerland, however, the cancellation of his trip is at least a particle victory and helps bring attention to the global movement to bring Bush to justice.
There must be no impunity for torturers anywhere, including Bush’s home country, and therefore the IRCT repeats it call on President Obama to pursue legal action against the former President.
Once again we refute Mr Bush’s recent claim that torture saves lives.
The claim that torture can be justified if it saves lives is both morally, legally and operationally bankrupt. Morally because one extreme violation can never justify another. Legally because once torture has been legalised, the idea that it will only be applied in “exceptional cases” becomes void – it is either legal or it isn’t. Operationally because information obtained through torture is inherently unreliable, and of course, beyond this, torture breeds hatred and radicalisation.
Click here for the public version of the letter in support of two plaintiff-specific criminal complaints that the ÍRCT and other signatories had intended to file with the prosecutor in Geneva.
