Prosecute the war leaders.

On 7^th March 2003 Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General (Chief Law Officer of the Crown) told the Prime Minister in a secret briefing that “Force may be used if there is an actual or imminent threat of an armed attack”. But there was no threat. He warned that the International Criminal Court might prosecute infringements against the Geneva Conventions. The Attorney General also warned that the government risked an attempted prosecution in Britain “for murder, on the grounds that the military action is unlawful, and an attempted prosecution for the crime of aggression”. He concluded that “Aggression is a crime under customary international criminal law which automatically forms part of domestic law”.

Three years after the illegal war on Iraq there is still no peace. Terrible crimes are being committed by US forces who are now using heavy bombing against town and villages in Iraq. British forces are still supporting this illegal war; our government has not condemned the many breaches of laws against torture and ill-treatment of prisoners by their US allies. Human rights are being ignored.

Laws against war have not yet been invoked against the leaders, who are still in office. In 1945 the United Nations Charter pledged “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.  In 1999 120 member states established an International Criminal Court which is now in session in The Hague, Holland.

There will never a more critical time to bring the leaders to justice, including the principals, Prime Minister (Tony Blair) Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) and former Defence Minister (Geoff Hoon),

A week before the 3rd anniversary march in London, anti-war supporters should go to their local police stations and to the Crown Prosecution Service; write to the Attorney General, and demand criminal proceedings against the leaders of this illegal war. Local and national newspapers - and all other media - should be used to publicise the indictment.

The indictment is simple, as follows:-

 “That in March 2003 government ministers, Tony Blair, Jack Straw and Geoff Hoon misled parliament with threats of an imminent attack in order to conduct an illegal war, causing untold damage, death and injury to the people of Iraq.”