Amnesty International says by using waterboarding Bush 'tortured' terror suspects
Amnesty
International called on Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia - where Bush is traveling
to raise awareness of cervical and breast cancer and HIV/AIDS - to detain the
former president pending an investigation into his role in authorizing
waterboarding of suspected terrorists held by the U.S. between 2001 and 2009.
"All
countries to which George W. Bush travels have an obligation to bring him to
justice for his role in torture," Matt Pollard, a senior legal adviser for
Amnesty International, said in a statement.
The
London-based group said it "recognizes the value of raising awareness
about cervical and breast cancer in Africa," but that the aim of the Bush
visit "cannot lessen the damage" to the fight against torture caused
by the 43rd president's actions.
The
call is a continuation of a campaign by Amnesty International urging countries
to arrest Bush for authorizing waterboarding, an interrogation technique that
simulates drowning.
In
October, Amnesty called on Canada to arrest Bush when he visited British
Columbia for an economic summit. Bush cancelled a visit to Switzerland in
February after human rights groups sought his arrest there.
The
former president was in Tanzania on Thursday, where he joined President Barack
Obama and former President Bill Clinton by satellite for a World AIDS Day
commemoration. Obama praised his predecessor "for his bold
leadership" in combating the disease.
Bush
said in his memoir that he personally approved use of waterboarding against
alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. The former president wrote he
would make the same decision again to save lives.
Obama
later banned waterboarding, calling it a form of torture and a mistake. The
president reiterated his view last month after GOP presidential hopefuls Herman
Cain and Michele Bachmann said during a Republican candidates' debate they
would reinstate the practice.
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