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Planning the first Gulf war before it started and fooling Saddam
into thinking he had permission to invade Kuwait was a crime
against peace.
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In 1989, General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and General Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander in Chief of
the Central Command, completely revised U.S. military operations
and plans for the Persian Gulf to prepare to intervene in a
regional conflict against Iraq.
In 1989, CIA Director William Webster testified before the
Congress about the alarming increase in U.S. importation of Gulf
oil, citing U.S. rise in use from 5% in 1973 to 10% in 1989 and
predicting 25% of all U.S. oil consumption would come from the
region by 2000.
In July 1990, General Schwarzkopf and his staff ran elaborate,
computerized war games pitting about 100,000 U.S. troops
against Iraqi armored divisions.
When Saddam Hussein requested U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie
to explain State Department testimony in Congress about lraq's
threats against Kuwait, she assured him the U.S. considered the
dispute a regional concern, and it would not intervene.
At the same time the US congress was still approving loans of
food, and medical supplies. While US companies were still selling
him arms.
On August 2, 1990, Iraq occupied Kuwait without significant
resistance.
On August 3, 1990, without any evidence of a threat to Saudi
Arabia, and King Fahd believed Iraq had no intention of invading
his country, President Bush vowed to defend Saudi Arabia. He
sent Secretary Cheney, General Powell, and General Schwarzkopf
almost immediately to Saudi Arabia where on August 6, General
Schwarzkopf told King Fahd the U.S. thought Saddam Hussein
could attack Saudi Arabia in as little as 48 hours.
This violates Principal VI a of the Nuremberg Tribunal, 1950
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Bribing and subverting the UN security council is against it's
charter.
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To obtain Security Council votes, the U.S. corruptly paid member
nations billions of dollars, provided them arms to conduct regional
wars, forgave billions in debts, withdrew opposition to a World
Bank loan, agreed to diplomatic relations despite human rights
violations and threatened economic and political reprisals. A
nation which voted against the United States, Yemen, was
immediately punished by the loss of millions of dollars in aid. The
U.S. paid the UN $187 million to reduce the amount of dues it
owed to the UN to avoid criticism of its coercive activities.
This violates the Charter of the United Nations and the
Constitution and laws of the United States.
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Blowing up nuclear reactors in Iraq is a crime against the
environment.
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The U.S. intentionally bombed alleged nuclear sites, chemical
plants, dams and other dangerous forces. The U.S. knew such
attacks could cause the release of dangerous forces from such
installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian
population.
This violates Protocol I Additional, Article 56, to the Geneva
Convention, 1977.
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Using Fuel-Air bombs (suck up all the air and everything dies) and
some of the even newer nasties is a war crime. Weapons
shouldn't cause unnecessary pain and suffering.
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Fuel air explosives capable of widespread incineration and death.
Napalm.
Cluster and anti-personnel fragmentation bombs.
"Superbombs," 2.5 ton devices, intended for assassination of
government leaders.
Also don't forget "cruise missiles" if your check the boeing.com
site you'll see that many of these are sub-kiloton nuclear
warheads. They may have modified the site since I was there but
a few years back they openly showed that they were making
nuclear cruise missiles for the US.
The conduct violated the Hague and Geneva Conventions, the
Nuremberg Charter and the laws of armed conflict.
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Burning civilians in mass graves in Panama is a war crime.
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On December 20, 1989, President Bush ordered a military assault
on Panama using aircraft, artillery, helicopter gunships and
experimenting with new weapons, including the Stealth bomber.
The attack was a surprise assault targeting civilian and non-
combatant government structures. In the E1 Chorillo district of
Panama City alone, hundreds of civilians were killed and between
15,000 and 30,000 made homeless. U.S. soldiers buried dead
Panamanians in mass graves, often without identification. The
head of state, Manuel Noriega, who was systematically
demonized by the U.S. government and press, ultimately
surrendered to U.S. forces and was brought to Miami, Florida, on
extra-territorial U.S. criminal charges.
The U.S. invasion of Panama violated all the international laws
Iraq violated when it invaded Kuwait and more. Many more
Panamanians were killed by U.S. forces than Iraq killed Kuwaitis.
President Bush violated the Charter of the United Nations, the
Hague and Geneva Conventions, committed crimes against
peace, war crimes and violated the U.S.Constitution and
numerous U.S. criminal statutes in ordering and directing the
assault on Panama.
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Firing on unarmed troops fleeing combat is a war crime.
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The U.S. ground forces moved into Kuwait and Iraq attacking
disoriented disorganized, fleeing Iraqi forces wherever they could
be found, killing thousands more and destroying any equipment
found. The slaughter continued after the cease fire.
March 2, 1991, U.S. 24th Division Forces engaged in a four-hour
assault against Iraqis just west of Basra. More than 750 vehicles
were destroyed, thousands were killed without U.S.
casualties. "Highway of death".
This violated the Charter of the United Nations, the Hague and
Geneva Conventions, the Nuremberg Charter, and the laws of
armed conflict.
Most of this information comes from the Commission of Inquiry for
the International War Crimes Tribunial.
These are the commissioners:
Olga Mejia, Panama
President of the National Human Rights Commission in Panama, a
non-governmental body representing peasants' organizations,
urban trade unions, women's groups and others.
Sheik Mohamed Rashid, Pakistan
Former deputy prime minister. Long-term political prisoner during
the struggle against British colonialism and activist for workers'
and peasants' rights.
Dr. Haluk Gerger, Turkey
Founding member of Turkish Human Rights Association and
professor of political science. Dismissed from Ankara University by
military government.
Susumu Ozaki, Japan
Former judge and pro-labor attorney imprisoned 1934-1938 for
violating Security Law under militarist government for opposing
Japan's invasion of China.
Michael Ratner, USA
Attorney, former director of the Center for Constitutional Rights,
past president of the National Lawyers Guild.
Lord Tony Gifford, Britain
Human rights lawyer practicing in England and Jamaica.
Investigated human rights abuses in British-occupied Ireland.
Rene Dumont, France
Argonomist, ecologist, specialist in agriculture of developing
countries, author. His 45th book, This War Dishonors Us, appears
in 1992.
Bassam Haddadin, Jordan
Member of Parliament, Second Secretary for the Jordanian
Democratic Peoples Party. Member of Parliamentary Committee
on Palestine.
Dr. Sherif Hetata, Egypt
Medical Doctor, author, member of the Central Committee of the
Arab Progressive Unionist Party. Political prisoner 14 years in
1950s and 1960s.
Deborah Jackson, USA
First vice president of the American Association of Jurists, former
director of National Conference of Black Lawyers.
Opato Matarmah, Menominee Nation of North America
Involved in defense of human rights of indigenous peoples since
1981. Represented the International Indian Treaty Council at the
Commission of Human Rights at the U.N.
Laura Albizu, Campos Meneses, Puerto Rico
Past President of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and current
Secretary for Foreign Relations. Honorary president of Peace
Council.
Aisha Nyerere, Tanzania
Resident Magistrate of the High Court in Arusha, Tanzania.
Researched the impact of the Gulf war on East Africa.
Peter Leibovtich, Canada
President of United Steel Workers of America, USWA, Local 8782
and of the Executive Council of the Ontario Federation of Labor.
John Philpot, Quebec
Attorney, member of Board of Directors of Quebec Movement for
Sovereignty. Organizing Secretary for the American Association of
Jurist in Canada.
John Jones, USA
Community leader in the state of New Jersey. Vietnam veteran
who became leader of movement against U.S. attack on Iraq.
Gloria La Riva, USA
Founding member of the Farmworkers Emergency Relief
Committee and Emergency Committee to Stop the U.S. War in the
Middle East in San Francisco.
Key Martin, USA
Member of Executive Committee of Local 3 of the Newspaper
Guild in New York. Jailed in 1967 for taking message of Bertrand
Russell Tribunal on Vietnam to active duty Gls.
Dr. Alfred Mechtersheimer, Germany
Former member of the Bundestag from the Green Party. Former
Lieutenant Colonel in the Bundeswher; current peace researcher.
Abderrazak Kilani, Tunisia
Tunisian Bar Association. Former President, Association of Young
Lawyers; founding member, National Committee to Lift the
Embargo from Iraq.
Tan Sri Ahmad Noordin bin Zakaria, Malaysia
Former Auditor General of Malaysia. Known throughout his
country for battling corruption in government.
P. S. Poti, India
Former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court. In 1989 elected
president of the All-lndia Lawyers Union.
-Ben