please see STOPPRESS for
Updates:
LETTER FROM JOHN BERGER +
UPDATE ON SESSIONS
The records have to be kept and, by
definition, the perpetrators, far from keeping records,
try to destroy them. They are killers of the innocent and
of memory. The records are required to inspire still
further the mounting opposition to the new global
tyranny. The new tyrants, incomparably over-armed, can
win every war - both military and economic. Yet they are
losing the war (this is how they call it) of
communication. They are not winning the support of world
public opinion. More and more people are saying NO.
Finally this will be the tyranny's undoing. But after how
many more tragedies, invasions and collateral disasters?
After how much more of the new poverty the tyranny
engenders? Hence the urgency of keeping records, of
remembering, of assembling the evidence, so that the
accusations become unforgettable, and proverbial on every
continent. More and more people are going to say NO, for
this is the precondition today for saying YES to all we
are determined to save and everything we love.
John Berger
18.06.2003
Paris-MieussyBUSH AND BLAIR ARE CALLED TO
JUSTICE AT DIFFERENT EMBASSIES AROUND THE WORLD
17 May 2005 - At various Embassies around the world
today, representatives of the World Tribunal on Iraq
(WTI) delivered law summons and letters inviting US
President Bush and UK Prime Minister Blair to the
culminating session of the World Tribunal on Iraq to be
held in Istanbul between 23-27 June, 2005. The letter of
invitation is signed by leading international figures;
Prof. Richard Falk, Ken Coates, Prof. Baskin Oran, Dr.
Nadje Al-Ali, Prof. Joel Kovel, Denis J. Halliday, Dr.
Jayan Nayar, Hans von Sponeck, Haifa Zangana and Prof.
Johan Galtung.
In several Capitals around the world including Istanbul,
Brussels, Tokyo and Lizbon the Embassies of the United
States and the United Kingdom were the targets of the WTI
representatives delivering law summons reading Mr.
Bush you are being called to attend the World Tribunal on
Iraq in Istanbul. The activists also presented
letters to the Embassy officials. In addition, letters
were also sent by post in New York, Stockholm and
Amsterdam to to the US and UK officials.
Hon. George W. Bush
President
White House
United States of
America
17 May 2005
Dear Mr. President,
We are writing to you to
invite you to the culminating session of the
World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) that will take place
in Istanbul between 23-27 June 2005.
The
WTI is a worldwide undertaking to reclaim
justice. It aims to record the severe wrongs,
crimes and violations that were committed in the
process leading up to the war against Iraq,
during the combat operations, and throughout the
ensuing occupation. These continue to be
widespread to this day.
The
Tribunal consists of commissions of inquiry and
sessions held around the world over the past two
years, investigating various issues related to
the war on Iraq, such as the legality of the war,
the role of the United Nations, war crimes and
the role of the media.
The
session in Istanbul will reach a decision
following an examination of the results of the
previous sessions as well as new reports and
testimonies, while evaluating the implications of
the war against Iraq for the world at large.
We,
on behalf of the peoples of the world who believe
in justice, start from the conviction that you
have been acting in violation of common values of
humanity, international treaties and
international law, seek for you to attend the
culminating session of the World Tribunal on Iraq
on 24-26 June, 2005 in Istanbul, to respond to
the claims and to have your say or to
delegate a representative to offer
explanations on your behalf. You may find the
context of this undertaking and the claims raised
in a text appended to this letter.
Sincerely
yours,
On behalf of the Panel of
Advocates of the World Tribunal on Iraq
Prof. Richard Falk,
Ken Coates,
Prof. Baskin Oran,
Dr. Nadje Al-Ali,
Prof. Joel Kovel,
Denis J. Halliday,
Dr. Jayan Nayar,
Hans von Sponeck,
Haifa Zangana.
Prof. Johan Galtung
APPENDIX:
Context of Claims and
the World Tribunal on Iraq:
We, the peoples of the
world who believe in justice, claiming that you
have been acting in violation of the will of
millions of Iraqis and the will of the global
public against this war have taken the initiative
to investigate alleged violations of
international treaties and international law in
the face of the failure of official institutions
to do so.
Questions,
discussion and protests pertaining to the
illegality and illegitimacy of the military
operation against Iraq, its background and the
subsequent occupation; the ongoing resistance of
the people of Iraq; the evident inability and
failure of international institutions and
mechanisms to address the issue fully, to take
effective measures to address the grievances, to
undo the wrongs and to challenge the state of
exception single-handedly imposed by the US, have
altogether created the circumstances calling for
this civilian undertaking --the World Tribunal on
Iraq. The WTI process is a search for and
determination to establish the truth, which has
become a moral obligation for us all, with a
genuine desire and will to see justice
established as a driving force underlying the
whole endeavour.
The
World Tribunal on Iraq is constituted with the
purpose of establishing how the US administration
and its allies, through launching a
preemptive / preventive war on Iraq
and its subsequent occupation, violate the world
conscience and desire for dignity and justice and
whether or not these actions override
international law, and more specifically
humanitarian law and values in a way that
compromises our lives, security and futures. It
is on these terms that the Tribunal will reach a
decision.
The
Tribunal aims at determining and condemning such
crimes, if any, in a manner such that its
resolutions affect deep and lasting reactions,
arouse respect and confidence in the world public
opinion and register history in the collective
memory of humanity.
__________________________________________________
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The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) is a
worldwide undertaking to reclaim justice. It aims to
record the severe wrongs, crimes and violations that were
committed in the process leading up to the aggression
against Iraq, during the war and throughout the ensuing
occupation, that continue to be widespread to this day.
It is our intention to also record the social, political,
environmental and cultural devastation. In the end, the
evidence gathered and presented will serve as a
historical record that breaks the web of lies promulgated
by the war coalition and its embedded press.
WTI is a horizontal network of local groups and
individuals worldwide that work together in a non-
hierarchical system. The project consists of commissions
of inquiry and sessions held around the world
investigating various issues related to the war on Iraq,
such as the legality of the war, the role of the United
Nations, war crimes and the role of the media.
On June 23rd to the 27th 2005, at the start of the third
year of the occupation of Iraq, the culminating session
will take place in Istanbul. This session will reach a
decision following an examination of the results of the
previous sessions as well as new reports and testimonies,
while evaluating the implications of the aggression
against Iraq for the world at large.
UPCOMING SESSIONS/HEARINGS:
» Spain : May 2005
Iraqi civil society in front of the US colonial
domination project: facing the challenge of recovering
self-government.
» Istanbul : 23-27 June 2005
The Final Session
The Istanbul session will serve as a culmination point of
the WTI process until June, taking into account the
entirety of the above tribunal sessions. Based on this
also, the session will take the further step of examining
and exposing the implications of WTI findings.
BUSH AND BLAIR ARE CALLED TO JUSTICE
AT DIFFERENT EMBASSIES AROUND THE WORLD
Law Summons endorsed by former UN officals, renowned
Academicians, Writers and former EU Parliament Member
17 May 2005, Istanbul, Brussels, Tokyo, Lizbon- At
various Embassies around the world today, representatives
of the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) delivered law summons
and letters inviting US President Bush and UK Prime
Minister Blair to the culminating session of the World
Tribunal on Iraq to be held in Istanbul between 23-27
June, 2005. The letter of invitation is signed by leading
international figures including Denis Halliday, Prof.
Richard Falk, Ken Coates and Hans von Sponeck (1).
In several Capitals around the world including Istanbul,
Brussels, Tokyo and Lizbon the Embassies of the United
States and the United Kingdom were the targets of the WTI
representatives delivering law summons reading "Mr.
Bush you are being called to attend the World Tribunal on
Iraq in Istanbul". The activists also presented
letters to the Embassy officials (2). In addition,
letters were also sent by post in New York, Stockholm and
Amsterdam to to he US and UK officials.
t
In Istanbul, following the giving of the letter to a US
Embassy official who came out to meet the group, Mrs.
Hilal Kuey, the spokesperson for the WTI in Turkey, said
"Since the US administration does not recognize the
International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UK government
has used its power to avoid being prosecuted for an
illegal and illegitimate war, the citizens of the world
have undertaken an initiative to reclaim justice. The
world is calling for Bush and Blair to be held
accountable for the crimes committed in Iraq."
The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) is a worldwide
undertaking to reclaim justice. It aims to record the
severe wrongs, crimes and violations that were committed
in the process leading up to the aggression against Iraq,
during the war and throughout the ensuing occupation,
that continue to be widespread to this day. The project
consists of commissions of inquiry and sessions held
around the world investigating various issues related to
the war on Iraq, such as the legality of the war, the
role of the United Nations, war crimes and the role of
the media as well as the social, political, environmental
and cultural devastation.
On June 23rd to the 27th 2005, at the start of the third
year of the occupation of Iraq, the culminating session
will take place in Istanbul. This session will reach a
decision following an examination of the results of the
previous sessions as well as new reports and testimonies,
while evaluating the implications of the aggression
against Iraq for the world at large.
"We ask Mr. Bush and Blair to present their case in
front of the jury of concience in Istanbul. We believe
that the Istanbul hearing bears the responsibility of
culminating a process already initiated, and of
initiating a process yet to be imagined." concluded
Mrs. Kuey.
For more
information please contact,
WTI Office in Istanbul, +
(90) 212 244 7370 or,
Tolga Temuge,
International Communications and Media Coordinator, tolga.temuge@worldtribunal.org, + (356) 21 578 442
www.worldtribunal.org
UPDATE
JUNE 23RD:
The
WTI participants from around the world include Iraqi
witnesses and experts as well as distinguished
international figures such as Dennis Halliday,
former Assistant to the UN Secretary General and Director
of the UN Humanitarian Aid Programme, Souad Naji
Al-Azzawi, Director of the Doctorate Programme in
Environmental Engineering in Iraq and Phil Shiner,
a human rights lawyer who has uncovered evidence that
U.S. troops have tortured detainees in the northern Iraqi
city of Mosul. The Jury of Conscience is chaired by
award-winning author Arundathi Roy and is
comprised of 15 people from different parts of the world
with different areas of expertise.
The
Tribunal will consist of three days of hearings
investigating various issues related to the war on Iraq,
such as the legality of the war, the role of the United
Nations, war crimes and the role of the media, as well as
the destruction of the cultural sites and the
environment. The session in Istanbul is the culminating
session of commissions of inquiry and hearings held
around the world over the past two years (1). They have
compiled a definitive historical record of evidence about
the invasion and the occupation.
The
Istanbul session of the WTI will summarize and present
further testimony on the (il)legality and criminal
violations in the U.S. pretexts for and the conduct of
this war. The expert opinion, witness testimony, video
and image evidence will address the impact of war on
civilians, the torture of prisoners, the (un)lawful
imprisonment of Iraqis without charges or legal defense,
the use of depleted uranium weapons, the effects of the
war on Iraqs infrastructure, the destruction of
Iraqi cultural institutions, and the liability of the
invaders before international law for failing to protect
these treasures of humanity.
The
organisers of WTI have extended an invitation on the17th
of May to U.S. President George W. Bush as well as the
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair to attend the Tribunal and
present their case. No reply has been received as of
today.
A
United States television network, Deep Dish TV, will
provide a global broadcast of the World Tribunal on Iraq.
Deep Dish is offering all media outlets a free one hour
program for television or audio downlink each of the four
days of the conference (2).
The
official web site for WTI www.worldtribunal.org
will be offering live audio and video streaming of the
Tribunal hearings in addition to the daily updates.
Notes:
1.
Sessions on different topics related to the war on Iraq
were held in London, Mumbai, Copenhagen, Brussels, New
York, Japan, Stockholm, South Korea, Rome,
Frankfurt,Geneva, Lisbon and Spain
2.
Satellite Downlink Coordinates and Times for free
rebroadcast:
June
24, 2100 2200 GMT / 1700 1800 US (ET) /
0000 0100 Turkish Time (6/25)
June
25, 2100 2200 GMT / 1700 1800 US (ET) /
0000 0100 Turkish Time (6/26)
June
26, 2100 2200 GMT / 1700 1800 US (ET) /
0000 0100 Turkish Time (6/27)
June
27, 1000 1100 GMT / 0600 0700 US (ET) /
1300 1400 Turkish Time (6/27)
Transponders:
Europe
and the Middle East Eutelsat WI, Transponder B3
U.S
Galaxy 10R, Transponder 9K, Slot A.
For
More Information Contact:
Deep
Dish TV tel: 212 473 8933 - email: deepdish@igc.org - http://www.deepdishtv.org
For more
information and interview requests please contact:
Tolga
Temuge, International Communications and Media
Coordinator, on +(90) 533 644 4687 or tolga.temuge@worldtribunal.org,
WTI Office
in Istanbul, + (90) 212 244 7370
www.worldtribunal.org
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