Source: Daily Mail
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.
He had 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.'
