It Is Preached, but …

Published in La Hora
(Ecuador) on 27 May 2012
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Gabriela Ullauri. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
Impunity, or the perception of being beyond the law, has long been the hallmark of certain regimes. In its annual report for 2011, Amnesty International castigated the impunity of human rights violations enjoyed by several officials of George W. Bush’s administration.

The organization also condemned Canada for its "failure last fall to arrest Bush when he visited British Columbia, ‘despite clear evidence that he was responsible for crimes under international law, including torture.’"

The reality is that no one, under the CIA program of secret detentions and transfer of prisoners, has been found guilty of crimes committed during the Bush era.

Amnesty also talks about "excessive use of force" on American soil, in Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This is not the first time that Amnesty has accused Bush and called for international action against the ex-president. In November 2010, another document referred to the defense of the use of techniques such as “waterboarding” in the fight against terrorism. Such techniques were used at Guantanamo and at secret CIA prisons around the world. And, in 2010, the former president canceled a visit to Switzerland, for fear of being arrested.

For its part, Washington also just denounced the "systematic repression" of human rights in Cuba. Everywhere, then, it is preached, but not practiced. Or, is it that just as we go ... we are going wrong.


La impunidad, o sea la percepción de estar más allá de la ley, ha sido durante mucho tiempo el sello distintivo de ciertos regímenes. Ahora, en su informe anual de 2011, Amnistía Internacional (AI) fustiga la impunidad de que gozan varias autoridades del gobierno de George W. Bush en materia de violación de derechos humanos.

De paso, la organización condena a Canadá por su “incapacidad para arrestar al expresidente estadounidense cuando estuvo de visita en Columbia Británica, pese a pruebas que demuestran su responsabilidad en violaciones de derecho internacional, como la tortura”.

La realidad es que nadie ha sido reconocido culpable por los crímenes cometidos durante la era Bush, en el marco del programa de la CIA de detenciones secretas y de transferencia de presos.

AI también habla de “el uso excesivo de la fuerza” en territorio estadounidense, en Yemen, Irak, Pakistán y Afganistán.

No se trata de la primera vez que AI acusa a Bush y pide la acción internacional contra el expresidente. En noviembre de 2010, otro documento se refirió a la defensa del empleo de técnicas como el ‘waterboarding’ (asfixia simulada) en la lucha antiterrorista y que fueron utilizadas en Guantánamo y las cárceles secretas de la CIA en todo el mundo. Y en 2010, el exmandatario canceló una visita a Suiza, por miedo a ser arrestado.

Por su lado, Washington también acaba de denunciar la “represión sistémica” de los derechos humanos en Cuba. En todas partes, entonces, se predica, pero no se practica. O sea que, así como vamos... vamos mal.
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