Being a Canadian currently living in the United States and interning at Human Rights Watch, this story was very interesting to me.
Even more so was the lead up.
The gist of the story is that rights activists and just concerned memebrs of society in general were urging Canadian officials to arrest former US vice president Dick Cheney when he visited Vancouver as part of the book tour for his recently published memoir.
Vancouver is the first city outside of the US that Cheney is visiting as part of this tour. This is significant according to the article, Human Rights Watch says that, "Canadian law provides for jurisdiction over an individual for torture and other crimes, even for offences commited outside of Canada."
In Cheney's memoir, and in many recent interviews, he has admitted to his authorization of the use of controversial interrogation techniques such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation, and his continued support of them.
There are many people throughout the world who think that Cheney, as well as many others, should be arrested for war crimes because of the use of such techniques. This is why protests were sparked against the venue in Vancouver who hosted Cheney as well as the guests who paid $500 to attend the event.
However, even if Canada has the authority to make such an arrest, I do not think that it is that simple. Even if the authorities agree with the protestors, and think that Cheney should be prosecuted, if they were to do so, what would the state of Canadian/American relations become? Is there any country that would arrest Cheney upon his arrival?
- Danielle Foster
This is really interesting and I am wondering does International Law says anything about this? As far as I know, Canada has been, one one hand helping international court and other countries prosecute criminals travel/ flee to its territory, while on the hand, it has been known for heavens for individuals wanted by foreign governments for corruption. If the US law protect Cheney's safety, is it actually legal for Canada to prosecute him even if it maybe legal as for Canada law?
ReplyDelete--Yinan Hu
Yinan, I think that your question is the main basis for debate. It is a very controversial topic. Apparently Canadian law makes it possible for Canadian officials to arrest anybody for war crimes, no matter where these crimes took place.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with this is that it is still an international issue. That means there are many important players and many different opinions which makes it difficult to take action. The problem is magnified by Canada's close ties with the United States.
- Danielle