U.S. War Crimes:Bush Tortured Logic

U.S. Officials to face War Crimes

The long anticipated report from the Non Governmental Organization, Human Rights Watch, released it findings on July 11^th, 2011. It concluded overwhelming evidence exists to justify the criminal investigation of senior Bush Administration Officials for War Crimes. Senior Level Officials partaking in the aforementioned allegations include Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, CIA Director Tenet, and former President G.W. Bush. The report entitled “Getting Away with Torture: The Bush Administration and Mistreatment of Detainees” concluded sufficient evidence exists, senior cabinet officials authorized “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques”, the use of CIA secret prisons, as well as detainee transfers to other countries for the purpose of torture otherwise known as rendition. Rendition of detainees transferred to other nations having a more lenient view on interrogation laws, such as Syria, Egypt and Jordan gives the appearance of an attempt to usurp U.S. policy.

The alleged enhanced interrogation techniques by any other name still amount to a violation of Convention agreement against Torture. Bush officials must answer to their admitted ordering of Waterboarding, which is the practice of simulated drowning. President Bush has publicly attempted to justify authorization of such actions on the grounds of keeping Americans safe as well as his Justice Department determination the practice was legal. In addition, he will be asked to respond to charges made against his cabinet of being complicit regarding additional interrogation techniques to include, but not limited to, sleep deprivation, physical beatings, sexual abuse and mock executions.

Under the agreement of International Law, the United States is obligated to investigate acts of Torture. This falls under the jurisdiction of the Obama Administration under Convention Agreement, which to date the President has decided to view as a policy choice of the previous Administration. President Obama is now faced with the possibility of the international community filing charges against Bush top level United States officials. The report notes the standing precedent of other countries to invoke universal jurisdiction if President Obama continues not to pursue a credible investigation of these high crimes against humanity.

Human Rights Watch is an international Non Governmental Organization founded in 1978 headquartered in New York City. Formerly known as Helsinki Watch, their focus is advocacy of human rights and conducts independent research with offices worldwide. In this scathing 107 page report, the NGO summarized its findings, concluding a criminal investigation should include Bush Administration Justice Department memos used in the justification of the unlawful treatment of detainees. The report went on to state the victims of such treatment should receive fair and adequate compensation as required under the Convention against Torture. Additionally, Human Rights Watch recommends the establishment of an independent and nonpartisan commission to examine policies and practices which led to detainee abuse. Failure to do so undermines efforts by the United States toward accountability for calling for human rights violations abroad in instances committed in places like Darfur, Libya and Sri Lanka. If the United States protects its own officials from the investigative process and potential prosecution, it establishes a double standard making it easier to dismiss global efforts to bring violators to justice of crimes against Humanity.

The Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, summed up the hypocrisy of the organizatons findings of the report in a paragraph. “There are solid grounds to investigate Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Tenet for authorizing torture and War Crimes. President Obama has treated torture as an unfortunate policy choice rather than a crime. His decision to end abusive interrogation practices will remain easily reversible unless the legal prohibition against torture is clearly reestablished.”