Amnesty International has called on the Canadian government to arrest former US President George W. Bush.

Amnesty opines that enough evidence exists in the public domain to give rise to an obligation for an arrest by Canadian authorities if Bush arrives for a planned visit on the 20th of October.

Former President Bush is accused of having authorised the CIA to conduct a secret detention programme where acts of torture were committed and of publicly stating that he himself authorised the use of waterboarding on individuals whose torture has been confirmed.

As the former Commander-in-Chief for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Amnesty also holds George Bush responsible for the torture and other mistreatment of individuals committed by US military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq during his tenure.

Amnesty also pointed out that Bush signed an order permitting US officials and US forces to detain and interrogate individuals without requiring the application of “the principles of law and the rules of evidence generally recognised in the trial of criminal cases in the United States district courts”.

"As the US authorities have, so far, failed to bring former president Bush to justice, the international community must step in," said Susan Lee, Amnesty's Americas director, in the statement.

"A failure by Canada to take action during his visit would violate the UN Convention against Torture and demonstrate contempt for fundamental human rights." said Lee.

"Torturers must face justice, and their crimes are so egregious that the responsibility for ensuring justice is shared by all nations," Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International's Canadian branch told a news conference.

"Friend or foe, extraordinary or very ordinary times, most or least powerful nation, faced with concerns about terrorism or any other threat, torture must be stopped."

Bush had previously cancelled a trip to Switzerland, fearing arrest after public calls for his prosecution were made.