War Crimes Tribunal Tries Bush, Blair for War Crimes against humanity!

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Activists in Malaysia plan ‘war crime trial’ of George W. Bush and Tony Blair

Malaysian-led activists will hold a symbolic trial this month for former President George W. Bush and British ex-leader Tony Blair on charges of committing crimes against peace in the Iraq war, the event’s organisers said on Tuesday.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2003

Video: rightwaystan War crimes exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur : http://t.co/pjPgRlpY

Streaming Video: Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal –

The following URL will stream video of each session of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal within 1-2 hours after the specific session has ended. To access this streaming video please go to: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/war-is-a-crime-exhibition

Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal
Schedule of Sessions
Saturday Nov. 19, 2011   9AM – 5 PM Kuala Lumpur time;
Sunday Nov. 20, 2011     9AM – 5 PM Kuala Lumpur time;
Monday Nov. 21, 2011    9AM – 5 PM Kuala Lumpur time;
Tuesday Nov. 22, 2011   9AM – 5 PM Kuala Lumpur time;

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Sessions of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal will also be online on You Tube.

The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal is an initiative of Malaysia’s retired Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who staunchly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The tribunal will convene a four-day public hearing starting Saturday to determine whether Bush and Blair committed crimes against peace and violated international law in the Iraq invasion, said Malaysian lawyer Yaacob Hussain Marican.

“For these people who have been immune from prosecution, we want to put them on trial in this forum to prove that they committed war crimes,” Yaacob told The Associated Press.

Activists sent information about the charges to Bush and Blair recently but received no response, Yaacob said.

Francis Boyle, an American international law professor based in Illinois, will be among the prosecutors at the hearing, which follows two years of investigations by a Malaysian peace foundation founded by Mahathir that looked into complaints by people affected by the Iraqi war.

The effort is modelled after a 1967 Vietnam War crimes panel convened in Sweden and Denmark by philosophers Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre, Yaacob said. The Vietnam tribunal said the U.S. committed acts of aggression against Vietnam and bombarded civilian targets, but it was mostly ignored in United States.

The Kuala Lumpur tribunal will have a seven-member panel of judges including two retired judges from Malaysia’s highest court, peace activist Alfred Lambremont Webre of the United States and Mumbai-based lawyer Niloufer Bhagwat of India.

If the tribunal finds Bush and Blair guilty, it will enter their names into a symbolic “Register of War Criminals.”

The tribunal is also scheduled to hold a separate hearing next year on charges of torture linked to the Iraq war against former U.S. officials including ex-Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld and ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Yaacob said.

Bush and Blair to be Tried for War Crimes

From: Mathaba

First time that war crimes charges will be heard against the two former heads of state.

On November 19-22, 2011, the trial of George W. Bush (former U.S. President) and Anthony L. Blair (former British Prime Minister) will be held in Kuala Lumpur. This is the first time that war crimes charges will be heard against the two former heads of state in compliance with proper legal process.

Charges are being brought against the accused by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission (KLWCC) following the due process of the law. The Commission, having received complaints from war victims in Iraq in 2009, proceeded to conduct a painstaking and an in-depth investigation for close to two years and in 2011, constituted formal charges on war crimes against Bush, Blair and their associates.

The Iraq invasion in 2003 and its occupation had resulted in the death of 1.4 million Iraqis. Countless others had endured torture and untold hardship. The cries of these victims have thus far gone unheeded by the international community. The fundamental human right to be heard has been denied to them.

As a result, the KLWCC had been established in 2008 to fill this void and act as a peoples’ initiative to provide an avenue for such victims to file their complaints and let them have their day in a court of law.

The first charge against George W. Bush and Anthony L. Blair is for Crimes Against Peace wherein:

The Accused persons had committed Crimes against Peace, in that the Accused persons planned, prepared and invaded the sovereign state of Iraq on 19 March 2003 in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

The second charge is for Crime of Torture and War Crimes against eight citizens of the United States and they are namely George W Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, William Haynes, Jay Bybee and John Yoo, wherein:

The Accused persons had committed the Crime of Torture and War Crimes, in that: The Accused persons had wilfully participated in the formulation of executive orders and directives to exclude the applicability of all international conventions and laws, namely the Convention against Torture 1984, Geneva Convention III 1949, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter in relation to the war launched by the U.S. and others in Afghanistan (in 2001) and in Iraq (in March 2003); Additionally, and/or on the basis and in furtherance thereof, the Accused persons authorised, or connived in, the commission of acts of torture and cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment against victims in violation of international law, treaties and conventions including the Convention against Torture 1984 and the Geneva Conventions, including Geneva Convention III 1949.

The trial will be held before the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, which is constituted of eminent persons with legal qualifications.

The judges of the Tribunal, which is headed by retired Malaysian Federal Court judge Dato’ Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, also include other notable names such as Mr Alfred Lambremont Webre, a Yale graduate, who authored several books on politics, Dato’ Zakaria Yatim, retired Malaysian Federal Court judge, Tunku Sofiah Jewa, practising lawyer and author of numerous publications on International Law, Prof Salleh Buang, former Federal Counsel in the Attorney-General Chambers and prominent author, Prof Niloufer Bhagwat, an expert in Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and International Law, and Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi, prominent academic and professor of law.

The Tribunal will adjudicate and evaluate the evidence presented as in any court of law. The judges of the Tribunal must be satisfied that the charges are proven beyond reasonable doubt and deliver a reasoned judgement.

In the event the tribunal convicts any of the accused, the only sanction is that the name of the guilty person will be entered in the Commission’s Register of War Criminals and publicised worldwide. The tribunal is a tribunal of conscience and a peoples’ initiative.

The prosecution for the trial will be lead by Prof Gurdial S Nijar, prominent law professor and author of several law publications and Prof Francis Boyle, leading American professor, practitioner and advocate of international law, and assisted by a team of lawyers.

The trial will be held in an open court on November 19-22, 2011 at the headquarters of the Al-Bukhary Foundation at Jalan Perdana, Kuala Lumpur.

Bush and Blair to be ‘charged’

KUALA LUMPUR: Former US president George W. Bush and former British prime minister Tony Blair will be “charged” at a mock tribunal here for their war crimes today.

Perdana Global Peace Foundation president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who initiated the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, said the two former leaders would be charged for crimes against peace for planning, preparing and invading the sovereign state of Iraq on March 19, 2003, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

The tribunal would hold the proceedings for four days at No. 88, Jalan Perdana here.

Crime against humanity: (Right) Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Tan Sri Norian Mai and Dr Mahathir at the “War is Crime” exhibition in Kuala Lumpur Friday.

It would be open to the public.

Dr Mahathir said although the two could not be jailed if they were found guilty, society could reject them by not inviting them to talks or events.

“Don’t entertain these people or invite them to give talks,” he said after launching the “War is Crime” exhibition held in conjunction with the tribunal’s efforts to criminalise war.

Dr Mahathir alleged that Blair had lied to the British parliament and the British people.

“What do you want to learn from him? To learn how to lie?” he added.

Dr Mahathir said that voters of countries at risk of going to war should also hold politicians accountable by making them reject war as a way to resolve problems.

Tribunal counsel Avtaran Singh said the “charge” have been served on the two leaders.

“If they are found guilty of the charges, the tribunal would continue with the second charge of torture and war crimes,” he added.

Avtaran said the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court had failed to take action against Bush and Blair.

“Internationally, the system has failed,” he added.

– The Star

KL tribunal to try Bush, Blair for Iraq war crimes

By R. SITTAMPARAM KUALA LUMPUR  news@nst.com.my

Trial to go on despite absence of response from both leaders

Professor Gurdial S. Nijar will head the prosecution during the trial

The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal  on Saturday will  try former United States president George W. Bush and former British prime minister Tony  Blair on a charge of committing crimes against peace during the Iraq War.

Bush and seven  top US officials who served under him  will also face a separate charge of crimes of torture and war crimes at the tribunal.

The three-day hearing, conducted by  seven senior judges headed by retired  Federal Court judge Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman,  will go on although the two accused leaders and other defendants have yet to respond to the tribunal’s notice.

Datuk Dr Yaacob Hussain Marican, the secretary-general of the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War,  which is holding the tribunal, said the tribunal was being convened for the third time since 2007.

Yaacob said the tribunal of conscience was modelled on  the one convened by philosopher Bertrand Russell in 1966 to try the perpetrators of the Vietnam War.

Yaacob said although the tribunal  lacked enforcement powers, it would publish the verdict to get the world community to treat the accused as guilty persons.

“The charges are being brought against the accused by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission,  which comes under our foundation, following in-depth investigations into complaints received from war victims in 2009.

“The commission  acts as a peoples’ initiative to provide an avenue for  victims to file their complaints and let them have their day in a court of law.”

Professor  Gurdial S. Nijar, a  law professor and author of  law publications, and Professor Francis Boyle,  an American professor, practitioner and advocate of international law, will head the prosecution during the trial.

The trial, to be held in an open court at the headquarters of the Al- Bukhary Foundation in  Jalan Perdana here, is open to the public.

In conjunction with the tribunal, Perdana Global Peace Foundation will organise an exhibition, ” War is a Crime”,  with a conference on  Friday.

Its chairman, Tan Sri Norian Mai, said the conference’s theme, “The Arab Uprising”, to be opened by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, would see  speakers such as former US presidential candidate and congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and former United Nations assistant secretary-general Denis Halliday.

U.S., China set to face off at summit over sea dispute

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By Ben Blanchard

NUSA DUA, Indonesia | Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:37pm EST

(Reuters) – The United States and China are set to face off on Saturday at a regional summit over the thorny issue of how to resolve competing claims to sovereignty of the South China Sea, the latest point of friction between the two powerful nations.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao insisted on Friday that “outside forces” had no excuse to get involved in the complex maritime dispute, a veiled warning to the United States and other countries to keep out of the sensitive issue.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have claims to parts of the South China Sea, a major route for some $5 trillion in trade each year and potentially rich in resources. China claims large parts of the maritime region.

The Southeast Asian countries along with the United States and Japan are pressuring Beijing to try to seek some way forward on the knotty issue of sovereignty, which flared up again this year with often tense maritime stand-offs that an Australian think tank said could lead to conflict.

China wants to hold bilateral talks with other countries that claims parts of the South China Sea as their territory, but the Southeast Asian claimants, the United States and Japan are pushing for a multilateral approach.

“It ought to be resolved through friendly consultations and discussions by countries directly involved. Outside forces should not, under any pretext, get involved,” Wen told a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders on Friday, several of whose countries claim sovereignty to parts of the South China Sea.

Wen’s comments were carried on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

Obama has been more low key as far as public comments are concerned. He told the leaders of India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in bilateral meetings that the East Asia Summit, which draws together Southeast Asian nations and eight dialogue partners, was the right arena to discuss maritime disputes.

U.S. Deputy National Security adviser for strategic communications, Ben Rhodes, said earlier this week that “in the discussion about maritime security, the South China Sea will clearly be a concern.”

Obama and Wen plan to meet on the sidelines of the summit before the leaders start their formal meeting.

INFLUENCE

Their exchanges are the latest barbs between the two countries in recent weeks as Obama has sought to reassert U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific to counter the growing clout of the world’s second-largest economy, China.

Obama said in Australia on Thursday, on his last stop before jetting to the Asia meetings in neighboring Indonesia, that the U.S. military would expand its Asia-Pacific role, declaring America was “here to stay” as a Pacific power.

Days earlier, as host of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-Operation forum in Hawaii, Obama had voiced growing frustration at China’s trade practices and he pushed for a new Asia-Pacific trade deal with some of Beijing’s neighbors.

The moves are seen as an attempt to reassert U.S. leadership in the face of China’s rising influence around the Pacific Rim and reassure allies such as South Korea and Japan that it would remain a strong counterweight.

Obama also announced on Friday that he would send Secretary of States Hillary Clinton next month to Myanmar, which has drawn closer to China in reaction to Western sanctions, the first such trip to the isolated country in half a century.

That will add to some fears in Beijing of encirclement in the Asia Pacific as the United States increases its footprint in the region.

CLAIMS

China’s claims over the South China Sea is by far the largest, forming a U-shape over most of the sea’s 648,000 square miles (1.7 million square kms), including the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos.

The United States has irked China by declaring a national interest at stake in the South China Sea by ensuring the freedom of navigation and trade.

Estimates of proven and undiscovered oil reserves in the South China Sea range from 28 billion barrels of oil to as high as 213 billion barrels, U.S. figures showed in 2008. Gas deposits could be as high as 3.8 trillion cubic meters.

Both could supply China with energy for decades.

The Philippines has called for greater unity among Southeast Asian nations with claims in their stand against China. A strong position from the United States in support of open talks could embolden such unity.

(Writing by Neil Fullick)

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China cautions ‘outside forces’ on sea issue

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Wen Jiabao sounds warning against interference in dispute with neighbours over potentially oil-rich South China Sea.

 Wen wants any dispute over the South China Sea to be resolved by the countries that are affected [EPA]

Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, has said “outside forces” had no excuse to get involved in a complex dispute over the South China Sea.

Wen, who spoke on Friday at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, gave a veiled warning to the US and others not to interfere in the sensitive issue.

But he also struck a softer line during the ASEAN summit by offering loans and saying China only wanted to be friends.

China already claim a large swathe of the South China Sea, which straddles key shipping lanes and is potentially rich in energy resources.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei are the other claimants to parts of the sea, and along with the US and Japan, are pressuring China to try and seek some way forward on the knotty issue of sovereignty, which has flared up again this year with often tense maritime confrontations.

The Chinese news agency reported Wen as saying “the dispute which exists among relevant countries in this region over the South China Sea is an issue which has built up for several years”.

“It ought to be resolved through friendly consultations and discussions by countries directly involved. Outside forces should not, under any pretext, get involved,” he said.

Concerns expressed

Japan has also expressed concern over the dispute, and India has become involved via an oil-exploration deal with Vietnam in the South China Sea.

Marty Natalegawa, the Indonesian foreign minister, said that China had sent positive signals about further discussing  the code of conduct for the waters.

“I think this is an important development,” Natalegawa said.

China has offered loans of id=mce_marker0bn on top of a pledge of  id=mce_marker5bn in loans made two years ago [AFP]

In July, China and Southeast Asian countries agreed on a preliminary set of guidelines in the South China Sea, a rare sign of co-operation in a row that has plagued relations in the region for years.

The White House has said President Barack Obama, who is also in Bali, will bring up the issue at the summit.

China has said it does not want it discussed, preferring to deal with the problem bilaterally amongst the states directly involved.

Beijing accuses the US of trying to consolidate its own position in Southeast Asia.

Obama has agreed to to deploy up to 2,500 troops and boost air force co-operation with Australia.

China sees US action as a deliberate ploy to counterbalance the rise of China as an economic and military in the region.

Despite the disagreements over the South China Sea, China has been keen to deepen trade and economic ties with Southeast Asia, and has a free trade agreement with the bloc.

“The China-ASEAN relationship is solidly based and has great potential and a promising future,” Wen said in his speech.

To this end, Wen said China would offer $10bn in loans, on top of a pledge $15bn of loans made  two years ago.

China will also set up a $473 million fund to expand practical maritime co-operation by promoting cooperation in environmental protection, navigational safety and combating transnational crimes.

Source: Agencies

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