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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. Left-wing groups have also called for a protest on the day of his visit, leading organisers at Keren Hayesod's annual dinner to cancel Mr Bush's participation on security grounds. The New York-based Human Rights Watch and International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said the cancellation was linked to growing moves told him accountable for the use of torture, including waterboarding. Bush has admitted in his memoirs and TV interviews to ordering the use of the interrogation technique which simulates drowning.

Reed Brody, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch, said: 'He's 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. Habre has been charged by Belgium with crimes against humanity and torture and is currently exiled in Senegal. 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.'

Swiss judicial officials have said that the former president would still enjoy a certain diplomatic immunity as a former head of state. Dominique Baettig, a member of the Swiss parliament from the People's Party, wrote to the Swiss federal government last week calling for his arrest if he came to the neutral country....

Most human rights experts consider the practice a form of torture, banned by the Convention on Torture. Switzerland and the U.S. are among 147 countries that have ratified the 1987 treaty.

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ORIGINAL: Moonhead

I think the option you've missed ("Pissing itself laughing and letting them get on with it.") is the most apt.

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ORIGINAL: Fightdirecto

I kind of like the "Sending in a SEAL team to break him out of jail" option.

I think Chuck Norris is presently unemployed. He can be team leader.

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ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

No way.  No ****ing way.

If anything WERE to happen (extremely unlikely), it would go down like this:

1. Bush placed under house arrest, with a watch over him.
2. The US sends a letter (in Harry Potter terms, a Howler), demanding his instant release.  I would expect some saber rattling, such as fortification of nearby US bases as a warning.
3. At that point, Bush would be released since the incarceration would have been for symbolic purposes only.
4. In the unthinkable event that Bush was not released, rapid UN sanctions.  If that didn't work, invasion.

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ORIGINAL: tj444

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ORIGINAL: Moonhead

I think the option you've missed ("Pissing itself laughing and letting them get on with it.") is the most apt.

This..

Considering that the US can extradite people outside of the US that have not even been in the US (such as Marc Emery whose "crime" was to sell pot seeds), imo, Bush & Cheney, etc should also be extradited from the US, put on trial and thrown in jail..

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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ORIGINAL: tj444

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ORIGINAL: Moonhead

I think the option you've missed ("Pissing itself laughing and letting them get on with it.") is the most apt.

This..

Considering that the US can extradite people outside of the US that have not even been in the US (such as Marc Emery whose "crime" was to sell pot seeds), imo, Bush & Cheney, etc should also be extradited from the US, put on trial and thrown in jail..

I take it you do not believe in the death penality?

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx
What do you think would be the world reaction to the U.S. invading Switzerland?

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ORIGINAL: Fightdirecto

If former President Bush, or former Vice-President Cheney, were arrested in a neutral country such as Switzerland and indicted, tried and convicted for crimes against humanity, what actions should the United States government take?

* Do nothing and let him serve out his time in prison?
* Sending a strong diplomatic note of protest to the country where he is imprisoned?
* Severing diplomatic ties with the country where he is imprisoned?
* Sending in a SEAL team to break him out of jail?
* Invade the country where he is imprisoned?

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ORIGINAL: BitaTruble

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ORIGINAL: Fightdirecto

If former President Bush, or former Vice-President Cheney, were arrested in a neutral country...... what actions should the United States government take? .............

No actions. If either/both of them are fairly tried and duly convicted, then they should serve their time just like any other criminal.

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ORIGINAL: farglebargle

If "The Rule of Law" doesn't apply to everyone equally, is it really "The Rule of Law", or is it "Privilege for the Wealthy, and The Law for everyone else"?