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Blair to the Hague for war crimes! ICC Prosecutor "one of the most significant" cases he had seen

by Open-Publishing - Monday 2 May 2005
5 comments

Wars and conflicts Justice International UK

Troops’ families demand public inquiry into war
By Severin Carrell

01 May 2005

The parents of British troops killed in Iraq are to demand that Tony Blair orders a public inquiry into the war or face legal action in the courts.

Six families will go to Downing Street on Tuesday to call for an independent inquiry into the legality of the war, after it emerged last week that the Attorney General warned the UK could lose in court if it failed to win the United Nations’ approval.

The families will hand in a legal notice to Mr Blair that warns they will petition the High Court for a full judicial review into the legality of the invasion if he refuses to set up an inquiry. The parents, who are being advised by human rights lawyers and supported by the Stop the War coalition, are led by Reg Keys and Rose Gentle, who are standing in the election against Mr Blair and Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces minister, respectively.

Their claim is one in a series of potentially embarrassing legal developments facing the Government following last week’s publication of Lord Goldsmith’s second legal opinion on the lawfulness of the war. The Independent on Sunday has learnt that a complaint of misconduct against Lord Goldsmith is expected to be made to the Bar Council, the ruling body for barristers in England and Wales.

This week, two groups lawyers andexperts are to send the 13-page legal opinion to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, claiming it substantiates their claims that the UK committed war crimes in Iraq. A third complaint will be made by the families accusing the Government of war crimes. The Bar Council complaint follows a similar allegation made last month by Clare Short, the former international development secretary, that Lord Goldsmith was guilty of "inadequate professional services".

PeaceRights, run by legal academics at Warwick University, was told by the ICC’s chief prosecutor in December that their case was "one of the most significant" he had seen. They allege that Britain used cluster munitions in civilian areas, put civilians at risk by targeting power stations, hit water supplies and hospitals, and used radioactive depleted uranium shells.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/story.jsp?story=634695

Forum posts

  • You all realize that the Hague Criminal Court has Zero influence in either the United States or Great Britain. They can rule what they want but I would wish them well in trying to enforce any ruling.

    • "The Dictator has responded with defiance. No matter what the dictator intends or plans, no tyrant can stand forever against the power of liberty"

      George W Bush

  • The Hague is only a stage for America or Britain in order to add some oppressions to other countries.
    Let’s see what cases the handle in this International Joke Court. Instead to accuse United Staates for the use of DU ammunintion in Kosovo and former Yugoslawia the handle minor criminmals.
    Kosovo and Yugoslawia has been intentionly polluted! So what.
    Blair, Bush or Sharon will never have to appear in courts for war crimes or crimes against humanity unless the remaining civilized world starts to ignore America, Britain and Israel or even put a strict boycott on these brutally acting of these countries.

  • People who care about peace and human life need to stand together and overthrow warmongers like Blair and Bush. These two care nothing for resolving conflict with negoiating and peaceful resolution. They are from the old school of might makes right. The word peace is the most threatening word in the English language to these two administrations. If the world’s people evolves to celebrate our differences and to love one another like Jesus said, they will be out of power and power coupled with endless greed are at the core of the old school thinking.

    With the vast majority of these two countries resources being dedicated to domination and corruption for money and power, the earth and all of its people are at risk. It is only a matter of time before they get their way and start another world war, and when this happens all of the nuclear nations will destroy each other and every living thing on earth.

    Blair has lived his life and Bush has lived his life, in their selfish meglomanic thinking, they do not intend to leave the planet in tact for the future generations. If they do not destroy it outright, they will make it uninhabitable with their pollution and exploitation.