http://musliminsuffer.wordpress.com/
bismi-lLahi-rRahmani-rRahiem In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful === News Update === Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and Mechanisms for Accountability." Charles Jenks, Traprock Peace Center FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nick Mottern, Consumers for Peace - <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] 914-806-6179 Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and Mechanisms for Accountability." The report was published internationally by 10 organizations in October. "This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the evidence and an astute examination of international law. - Howard Zinn. The 37 page report, written by Consumers for Peace with the consultation of international humanitarian law expert Karen Parker, JD, is available for free download at <http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf>http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006. pdf It is also available through the websites of: Association of Humanitarian Lawyers <http://www.humanlaw.org>http://www.humanlaw.org Traprock Peace Center <http://www.traprockpeace.org>http://www.traprockpeace.org Voices for Creative Nonviolence <http://www.vcnv.org>http://www.vcnv.org Uruknet.info <http://www.uruknet.info>http://www.uruknet.info Information Clearing House <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info>http://www.informationclearinghouse.info AfterDowningStreet.org <http://www.afterdowningstreet.org>http://www.afterdowningstreet.org Socialist Worker newspaper <http://www.socialistworker.org>http://www.socialistworker.org The Brussells Tribunal (for International Anti-Occupation Network) <http://www.brusselstribunal.org>http://www.brusselstribunal.org Stop the War Coalition (UK) <http://www.stopthewar.co.uk>http://www.stopthewar.co.uk Nick Mottern, Director of Consumers for Peace.org, noted that Professor Zinn, in an interview with Tom Engelhard published in 2005, said that the American people believe in certain American principles, such as justice for all, and "they are very reluctant to accept the fact that they (these principles) have been crassly and consistently violated. This is the only way I can account for the stopping short when it comes to looking at the president and people around him as war criminals". "Our purpose in publishing U.S. War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and Mechanism of Accountability," Mottern said, "is to help breach this barrier, not only so that justice can be done but so that the war crimes will stop." *** Forward to War Crimes Report The violence of the Iraq War and the chaos that has come to Iraq, can be traced directly to the illegality of the invasion and occupation of that country and the illegality of the tactics and weapons being used to maintain the occupation. "U.S. War Crimes in Iraq and Mechanisms for Accountability" documents these violations and calls on us all to demand investigation and prosecution of violations of international law by military and civilian leaders. Howard Zinn, a historian, playwright, and social activist, is perhaps best known for A People's History of the United States, which presents American history through the eyes of those he feels are outside of the political and economic establishment. He writes: This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the evidence and an astute examination of international law. Dahr Jamail, noted independent journalist who spent more than eight months reporting from occupied Iraq, writes the following about the report: "I cannot endorse strongly enough this report prepared by Karen Parker regarding U.S. war crimes in Iraq. Having witnessed much of what is so well documented in this report, it is a clear and encompassing indictment of the Bush Administration for the war crimes they are directly responsible for in Iraq. Until evidence such as this begins to see the light of day in a court of law and the perpetrators brought to justice, the world remains unsafe and unstable from an administration determined to rule the world. After witnessing what they are capable of in Iraq, I have no doubt these people will not stop in their quest for world domination. Instead, they must be stopped. And the only way to do that is bring the guilty to justice. This document will help achieve that goal." Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence and three-time Noble Peace Prize nominee, has visited Iraq 28 times in the last 15 years. She writes: "After spending four days in the fortified and secure Green Zone, in Iraq, during September '06, former Secretary of State James Baker III assured that the investigative panel he led had not spent any time "wringing our hands over what mistakes might or might not have been created in the past." (NYT, September 20, 2006). The "Consumers for Peace" report on war crimes committed in Iraq helps us understand our responsibility not to wring our hands but rather to demand accountability from elected representatives by delivering this report to them and to local media. How many people killed? How many families torn apart? How many homes destroyed? How many livelihoods gone? How many lives ruined? How many cities sacrificed? We bear responsibility to end the war in Iraq, insist on just reparations for suffering caused, and promote careful, legal scrutiny of the crimes committed. This report beckons all who read it to stop collaborating with illegal, immoral warmongers who recklessly afflict Iraq." Neil MacKay, multi-award winning Home Affairs and Investigations Editor of the Sunday Herald (Scotland), writes: "What has happened in Iraq is a great sin and a great crime. The invasion and occupation have stained the concepts of democracy, freedom and liberty; and disgraced the good name of the people of both the United States of America and Great Britain. As a journalist who has investigated the roots of this war, and the on-going horror of what is happening in Iraq, I fully commend this report to readers. It is an important reminder of the blood which is on the hands of our leaders, and the shame that the governments of the UK and the USA have brought to the British and American people by perpetrating a criminal war in our name." Ann Wright, 29 year US Army veteran who retired as a Colonel and US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war in Iraq commented on the War Crimes Report: "While in the US Army at Ft Bragg, NC, I taught to US military officers and non-commissioned officers the responsibilities of military forces under the Geneva Convention and the Law of Land Warfare, as well as the obligations of an Occupying Power. The War Crimes Report is an extraordinarily comprehensive and important presentation of international law that governs the conduct of nations and their military forces. The Report documents the blatant violations of international and domestic law by the Bush administration and US military forces including the use of illegal military tactics and illegal weapons. Because of a huge media failure in the United States, many Americans do not realize how many times the Bush administration has violated international law. But, the rest of the world knows very well the extent of these crimes. As a retired military officer, I know that accountability is one of the foundation elements of the US military. The Bush administration has undercut the professionalism of our military forces by encouraging and condoning the violation of international and domestic war in treatment of detainees, torture and use of illegal tactics and weapons. For the sake of our own military we must demand accountability from civilian leaders, as well as our military forces. This report provides specific mechanisms for much-needed accountability of criminal behaviour by Bush administration policy makers and by US military forces." ### Charles Jenks Chair of Advisory Board Traprock Peace Center 103 Keets Road Deerfield, MA 01342 <http://www.traprockpeace.org>http://www.traprockpeace.org source: http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m28293&hd=&size=1&l=e === -muslim voice- ______________________________________ BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
