THE HANDSTAND
MAY 2005
World
tribunal on iraq
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-Mieussy
BUSH 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. __________________________________________________ |
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