Bush Charged With Torture

217

October 22, 2011

Published in Neues Deutschland
(Germany) on 21 October 2011
by Olaf Standke (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Ron Argentati. Edited by Michelle Harris.

George W. Bush standing in the dock – many people around the world would welcome such a decision. Murat Kurnaz would especially welcome it because the German-Turkish citizen had to spend five years in Guantanamo, the prison camp in legal no-man's land where the United States warehoused terrorist suspects from all over the world after the 9/11 attacks. Many spent years in custody there without being charged with any crime, enduring inhuman conditions that included torture.

That's why Kurnaz and three other ex-prisoners have demanded Bush be subject to a criminal investigation. Charges were reportedly filed against Bush yesterday during the ex-President's visit to Canada. Several days earlier, several human rights organizations asked that charges be brought against Bush since Canada is legally bound to do so as a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Bush is also said to have approved the arbitrary CIA kidnapping of suspected terrorists.

Bush continues to justify torture practices such as the infamous simulated drowning practice known as waterboarding. Bush, like his Vice President Dick Cheney, has thus far refused to apologize to victims of these human rights abuses. During his administration, Bush suspended the constitutional rights of citizens and is now being rightly called upon to answer for his actions.

Auf die Anklagebank
von Olaf Standke
21.10.2011

George W. Bush auf der Anklagebank - viele Menschen in aller Welt würden eine solche Entscheidung nachdrücklich begrüßen. Murat Kurnaz im besonderen Maße. Denn der Deutsch-Türke musste fast fünf Jahre lang am eigen Leibe erfahren, was Guantanamo bedeutet, jenes Gefangenenlager im juristischen Niemandsland, in das der damalige USA-Präsident nach den Anschlägen vom 11. September 2001 Terrorverdächtige aus aller Herren Länder inhaftieren ließ, oft jahrelang, ohne Rechtsbeistand, ohne Anklage und unter inhumanen Bedingungen bis hin zur Folter.

Deshalb hat Kurnaz jetzt gemeinsam mit drei weiteren Ex-Häftlingen strafrechtliche Ermittlungen gegen Bush verlangt. Gestern sollte während eines Besuchs des Ex-Präsidenten in Kanada bei der dortigen Justiz eine entsprechende Klage eingereicht werden. Schon vor einigen Tagen hatten mehrere Menschenrechtsorganisationen die Regierung in Ottawa aufgefordert, gegen ihn vorzugehen. Dazu sei Kanada als Vertragsstaat der Anti-Folter-Konvention einfach verpflichtet. Zumal Bush auch das willkürliche Verschwindenlassen vermeintlicher Terroristen durch den Geheimdienst CIA genehmigt habe.

Bis heute rechtfertigt er wie sein damaliger Vize Dick Cheney Foltermethoden wie das berüchtigte simulierte Ertrinken (Waterboarding). Für Opfer dieser Menschenrechtsverletzungen wie Murat Kurnaz fand er bisher kein Wort der Entschuldigung. Bush hat in seiner Amtszeit den Rechtsstaat außer Kraft gesetzt, und mit Recht wird nun verlangt, dass er dafür zur Verantwortung gezogen wird.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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