New York Session of the World Tribunal on Iraq

"The world does contain much ugliness and despair, but artists have the divine privilege of reshaping the world to incorporate not a minimum amount of involvement and interpretation, but a maximum amount." -Thomas Kinkaid

In the spirit of the quote above .... COME ONE COME ALL ...
Here is a chance to get out in the streets and act for change!!
This Saturday the New York Session of the World Tribunal on Iraq will be
held at Cooper Union - right on Astor Place.    STREET THEATRE - STREET
THEATRE - STREET THEATRE

The organizers have secured the rights to the area around Cooper Union and Kayhan Irani and Tricia Wagner are planning on doing some street theatre
to draw attention to the meetings and raise awareness.   We are planning
some newspaper theatre, some image work and short scenes.  Please contact
us through e- mail or phone if you would like to join us in this endeavor
-  paw233@nyu.edu or kayhanirani@msn.com

(646)335-3363 or (917)363-3481
We could use some planning help tomorrow as well as people to come act and
play with us on Saturday!  Attached is more information about the Tribunal
We will be meeting SATURDAY at 9:30 at Astor Place!  Hope to see you
there!!
Tricia & Kay

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
THE ISTANBUL PLATFORM TEXT
[Istanbul, October 29 2003]
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

  Origins of the project
The idea of organising an international tribunal against the invasion of
Iraq originated nearly simultaneously in several places around the world.
It  was discussed and in principle supported at  Anti-War Meetings during
2003  in Berlin, Jakarta and Geneva, Paris and Cancun. The Jakarta Peace
Consensus declared on May 25th, 2003 its commitment  to the realisation of
an international war crimes tribunal. The proposal was also discussed at
the Networking Conference (European Network for Peace and Human Rights)
organised by the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation in Brussels on June
26/27th 2003, and the idea was broadly supported at that meeting.  The
working group meeting in Brussels discussed the idea and possibilities of
convening an international tribunal to investigate and establish the
crimes perpetrated against the people of Iraq and humanity. It was decided
that it would consist of several hearings around the world, each of them
focusing on different aspects of this war and the strategies behind it.
The tribunal platform from Turkey was entrusted with the task of acting as
the secretariat and the clearing house, and carrying out the coordination
in close contact with the groups in Brussels, Hiroshima, New York, London
and other cities. This international Coordinating Committee convened a
meeting in Istanbul on October 27-29th 2003 to decide the concept, form
and aims of the project.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

  The legitimacy of the project
A war of aggression was launched despite the opposition of people and
governments all over the world. However, there is no court or authority
that will judge the acts of the US and its allies. If the official
authorities fail, then  authority derived from universal morals and human
rights principles can speak for the world.  Our legitimacy derives from:
·the failure of official international institutions to hold accountable
those who committed grave international crimes and constitute a continued
menace to world peace;  ·being part of the worldwide anti-war movement
which expressed its opposition to this invasion;  ·the Iraqi people
resisting occupation;
·the duty of all people of conscience to take action against wars of
aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other breaches of
international law;  ·the struggles of the past to develop systems of
peaceful co-existence and prevent future aggression and breaches of the UN
Charter;  ·giving voice to the voiceless victims of this war, articulating
the concerns of civil society as expressed  by the worldwide social
justice and peace movements;  ·the will  to bring the principles of
international law to the forefront.  Further, our legitimacy will be
earned as we proceed to achieve the aims stated in this document .
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

  The tasks of the tribunal
·The first task of the tribunal is to investigate the crimes committed by
the US government in launching the Iraq war. In spite of a world movement
condemning this war and its clear violations of  international law , the
US government forced its premeditated war strategy upon the world.
Moreover the US-government demands impunity and continues to put itself
above all international laws and conventions.  ·The second task is to
investigate allegations of war crimes during the aggression, crimes
against laws of occupation, humanitarian law and crimes against humanity,
including genocide. Such an inquiry may include the sanctions imposed
against Iraq and the use of illegal weapons which kill over generations,
such as depleted uranium.  ·The third task is the investigation and
exposure of the New Imperial World Order. The tribunal would therefore
consider the broader context of the doctrines of "pre-emptive war" and
"preventive war" and all the consequences of those doctrines : "benevolent
hegemony", "full spectrum dominance" and "multiple simultaneous theatre
wars"… As part of this process, some hearings will investigate the vast
economic interests  involved in  this rationalized war-logic.  ·The
tribunal, after having examined reports and documentary evidence and
having listened to witnesses (Iraqi and international victims and various
experts), will reach a decision.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

  The aims
In organising this International Tribunal we pursue four fundamental aims.

  ·To establish the facts about what happened in Iraq and to inform the
public about the crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes during the
occupation, about the real goals behind this war and the dangers of this
War logic for world peace. It is especially important to break the web of
lies promulgated by the war-coalition and its imbedded press.  ·To
continue and strengthen the mobilisation of the peace movement and the
global anti-war protest. It is intended that the tribunal will not be an
academic endeavour but will be backed by a strong international network.
Anti-war and peace movements, which carried out the big mass movements
against the attack on Iraq have in principle adopted the idea of indicting
the aggressors and of setting up a campaign to support the Tribunal
process.  ·The tribunal is to be considered a continuing process. The
investigation of what happened in Iraq is of prime importance to restore
truth and preserve collective memory against the constant rewriting of
history. We are  challenging the silence of international institutions and
seeking to put them under pressure to fulfil their obligations under
international law. In judging the recent past our aim is to prevent
illegal wars in the future. During this process the tribunal can formulate
recommendations on international law and expand notions of justice and
ethical-political awareness. It can contribute to providing alternatives
to  'victors' justice'  and give a voice to the victims of the war. In
doing so, we support the demands  by world public opinion and the Iraqi
people to end the occupation and restore Iraqi sovereignty.  ·The
International Tribunal initiative seeks to  be part of a broader movement
to stop the establishment of the new imperial world order as a permanent
'state of exception' with constant wars as one of its main tools. The
Tribunal can bring a moral, political and judicial judgment that
contributes to build a world of peace and justice.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

  Form of the tribunal
The general plan is to hold an independent world tribunal with: associated
events, associated commissions of inquiry, commissions of investigation,
hearings and specific issue tribunal sessions in various countries,
culminating in a final tribunal session in Istanbul. As for now, other
finalized locations for sessions are Brussels and Hiroshima. At the moment
other proposals for sites of hearings include New York, Copenhagen, Munich
and Mexico. Associated events will be held in London - Legal Inquiry into
the Invasion and Military Occupation of Iraq - and at the WSF in Mumbai -
World Court on War as Crime. The ICTI (International Criminal Tribunal for
Iraq) of Japan that is now preparing for public hearings of Iraq tribunal
throughout Japan and various Asian countries is a partner in the World
Tribunal on Iraq and will contribute to the final session of WTI in
Istanbul with all its findings.  Being confronted with the paradox that we
want to end impunity but we do not have the enforcement  power to do so,
we have to follow a middle way between mere political protest and academic
symposiums without any judicial ambition on the one hand, and on the other
hand, procedural trials of which the outcome is known beforehand. This
paradox implies that we are just citizens and therefore have no right to
judge in a strict judicial way and have at the same time the duty as
citizens to oppose criminal and war policies, which should be our starting
point and our strength.  Although these commissions of inquiry will be
working in conformity with an overall concept that will apply to the whole
tribunal (spelled out in the Charter), the hearings will also have some
autonomy oncerning format. By approaching the Iraq case from as many
angles as possible (international law, geopolitical and economical
analysis, we strengthen our common objective to end impunity and resist
the imperial wars. In this way the hearings will mutually enforce each
other and all the findings will be brought together in the final session
in Istanbul.  In order to be as inclusive as possible, we will support and
recognize endeavours to resist impunity. The project will endorse and
support the efforts to bring national authorities and warmakers to
national courts (like the complaints filed in various state courts under
the doctrine of Universal Jurisdiction ) and to international courts (like
the International Criminal Court in the Hague).
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

  Timing
The core series of hearings will start on Wednesday April 14th 2004 in
Brussels and end in a final tribunal session in Istanbul that will start
on March 20th 2005, the second anniversary of the start of the war in
Iraq. These will be preceded by intensive inquiries, networking and
campaigning.  Appeal to the national and international movements
We address an appeal to all organizations and individuals to support this
project. We invite organizations to endorse and participate at various
levels. They could:  1.Undertake to organize a hearing or an associated
event.
2.Host a hearing.
3.Contribute by contacts, names of people who would qualify to take part
in the various components of the tribunal and make initial contacts with
those people.  4.Contribute names & contacts of persons and organizations
of experts who are already researching  various aspects of the crimes and
violations in question.  5.Undertake to  prepare certain reports and make
them available for the use of the tribunal.  6.Build a web page in as many
languages as possible and see that information is timely posted .
7.Undertake to organize a local campaign in support of the tribunal.
8.Contribute financially towards meeting the expenses involved in
realizing this tribunal.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------"