7 February 2011 Two torture victims were to have filed criminal complaints in Geneva against former US President George W. Bush, with more than 2,500-pages of supporting material, to coincide with his planned appearance at an event there on 12 February. Swiss law requires the presence of the torturer on Swiss soil before a preliminary investigation can be opened. When Bush cancelled his trip to avoid prosecution, the human rights groups who prepared the complaints made them public and announced that the Bush torture indictment would be waiting wherever he travels next.

The indictment will serve as the basis for further country-specific, plaintiff-specific indictments, which will also include additional evidence and updated information. According to international law experts at the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, former presidents do not enjoy special immunity under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).