How To Make Torture Charges Against George W. Bush

There is little more we can do -- little, but not nothing. Unlike almost all other crimes, no proceedings can be taken under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act (section 9(3)) without the personal consent in writing of the Attorney General, Irwin Cotler, who, like his colleagues is stonewalling us. HOWEVER, nobody?s consent is required to lay charges under the torture provisions of the Canadian Criminal Code (section 269.1). True, the Attorney General?s consent is required for the prosecution of a non-citizen within 8 days of the laying of charges, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime the charges would stand. To that end, LAW has prepared charges against Bush for being a party to torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and at the U.S. Naval Base Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. We will be emailing them and posting them on Monday on our website www.lawyersagainstthewar.org, along with a brief of evidence and the procedures to be taken to formally charge Bush with torture (as a party through counselling, aiding and abetting). We think it would be appropriate if Canadians all across the country welcomed the President by visiting their local justice of the peace and swearing out an information against him. LAW respects international law and has no desire to violate it, so it is important to note that laying an information would not in any way violate Bush?s immunity as a visiting head of state, because no process would be issued unless the Attorney General?s consent was obtained within eight days and a hearing was held and. But this is not a purely symbolic act. Most criminal proceedings start just this way. Furthermore, there is no risk at all to an informant who reads our material or any other material and concludes in good faith that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Bush has been a party to torture and then swears and information to that effect before a justice. So please download our material, read it and, if you agree that Bush has been a party to torture, please follow the instructions and visit your local justice of the peace when Bush arrives and before he leaves Canada. Don?t be discouraged if your information is rejected. Although Justices of the Peace are bound to accept any reasonable information, Justices are likely to be wary of charging the President of the United States. If you cannot find the material right away, please be patient. We will make it available as soon as we can. Yours truly, Michael Mandel and Gail Davidson Lawyers Against the War Tel: +1 604 738-0338 Fax: +1 604 736-1175 Email: law@portal.ca Website: www.lawyersagainstthewar.org