George W. Bush Cancels Appearance at Swiss Charity Gala Over F of Arrested

While Barack Obama and the U.S. Justice Department appear prepared to ignore their obligations under international law to prosecute George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, et al, for war crimes and torture crimes, even dimwitted Chimperator Bush realizes that by leaving American territory, he risks arrest by nations who do not ignore their obligations international law.   Hence Bush's cancellation of his scheduled appearance at a Swiss charity event in Geneva in February.  The Daily Mail has details.  Here are highlights:

Former U.S. President George W. Bush has cancelled a visit to Switzerland over fears he could have been arrested on torture charges.

Mr Bush was due to be the keynote speaker at a Jewish charity gala in Geneva on February 12.
But pressure has been building on the Swiss government to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he enters the country.

Criminal complaints against Mr Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials said.  Human rights groups said they had intended to submit a 2,500-page case against him in the Swiss city tomorrow for alleged mistreatment of suspected militants at Guantanamo Bay.

Reed Brody, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch, said: 'He's [Bush] avoiding the handcuffs.'

The action in Switzerland showed Mr Bush had reason to fear legal complaints against him if he travelled to countries that have ratified an international treaty banning torture, he said.

Mr Brody is a U.S.-trained lawyer who specialises in pursuing war crimes, including Chile's late dictator Augusto Pinochet and Chad's ousted president Hissene Habre.

He said: 'President Bush has admitted ordering waterboarding which everyone considers to be a form of torture under international law.  'Under the Convention on Torture, authorities would have been obliged to open an investigation and either prosecute or extradite George Bush.'

Switzerland and the U.S. are among 147 countries that have ratified the 1987 treaty.

Of course, the one I truly want to see in handcuffs and standing trial is the entreatingly foul Dick Cheney.  Better yet, I would love the opportunity to see Cheney convicted as a war criminal and punished accordingly.  I will leave it to readers to surmise the punishment that would please me the most.