Lawyers ponder US, UK 'war crimes'

Agence France-Presse via The News - Australia ^ | 4-15-03 | From correspondents at the United Nations

[Oldeconomybuyer]

LAWYERS from British and US organisations are looking at the possibility of an international inquiry into war crimes that their governments might have committed in Iraq.

"We want to establish regular and impartial procedures to establish whether war crimes have been committed," said Phil Shiner, of the British group Public Interest Lawyers.

Shiner spoke at a news conference where Michael Ratner, president of the US Centre for Constitutional Rights, warned that the principle of "victor's justice" was legally unacceptable.

"It is not only Saddam's crimes that have to be examined," he said today.

The regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein collapsed under a fierce military onslaught led by the United States and Britain.

"We do not know if war crimes have been committed," Ratner said. But he added: "We should examine why so many people could have been killed on one side."

Shiner said the use of cluster bombs and ammunition containing depleted uranium in densely populated areas might breach the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter.

They and other instruments of international humanitarian law insisted on discrimination between military targets and civilians, he said.

Roger Normand, executive director of the Committee on Economic and Social Rights in New York, noted that under international law it was also "very clear that the United States has no legal basis to exploit Iraq's oil".

He recalled that the United States itself had reaffirmed that position when it did not allow Israel to extract oil from Sinai in eastern Egypt when it seized the peninsula.

Agence France-Presse

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Vermin.

[Dog]

Ellen Ratner's little brother....surfaces.

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[Retrofire]

I don't know about Britain, but here in America, these will be dismissed before ever seeing trial.

I'm fine with all of these seditious organizations wasting their money on a fruitless cause.

[RippleFire]

Michael Ratner = brother of the Botox babe herself, Ellen Ratner.

[Aria]

I wish we could gather all the lawyers in one place and bomb them.

[Wil H]

BAWWW WHAWWWW ! It's not fair !

Bush won, he must have cheated !

We are going to throw a tantrum and manufacture something for the pinko commies to gripe about because, right now, they aint got NUTHING !

[m18436572]

Kill the lawyers. Problem solved.

[LeftiesBinWhinin]

But he added: "We should examine why so many people could have been killed on one side."

I can answer this one for Rat Boy: SUPERIOR FIREPOWER!

[samuel_adams_us]

It sure would be nice to box up these lawyers and accidently drop their butts from high altitude over Iraq or Syria about now.

Do you know what a Lawyer should do, a Goose can do and a duck won't do? Stick their bill up their butt!

[mrsmith]

"under international law it was also "very clear that the United States has no legal basis to exploit Iraq's oil". "

An "international law expert" who never heard of the Hague Conventions- why am I not surprised?

" Art. 49.
If, in addition to the taxes mentioned in the above article, the occupant levies other money contributions in the occupied territory, this shall only be for the needs of the army or of the administration of the territory in question.
...Art. 52.
Requisitions in kind and services shall not be demanded from municipalities or inhabitants except for the needs of the army of occupation. They shall be in proportion to the resources of the country, and of such a nature as not to involve the inhabitants in the obligation of taking part in military operations against their own country. Such requisitions and services shall only be demanded on the authority of the commander in the locality occupied. Contributions in kind shall as far as possible be paid for in cash; if not, a receipt shall be given and the payment of the amount due shall be made as soon as possible. "

The Hague Conventions protect the Iraqis from the humanity-hating nonsense of these fools.

[Mark17]

"It is not only Saddam's crimes that have to be examined," he said today.

What this scum sucking POS dirt bag means, is that Saddam's crimes will not be investigated, or at least not by them. Maybe these POS SOBs are on his side.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Hey boys and ambulance just went by hurry hurry hurry.

[pierrem15]

But we were told that the ICC will never be politicized! /sarcasm

[SoAmerRepublican]

By the way, does anybody know what happened to Ellen Ratner?I remember reading something about her being there sent by Fox and she made some comments in favor of Sadam.

[antaresequity]

US Centre for Constitutional Rights

Interesting they dont have a website as far as I can tell...

Not surprising that when you google a closed quote search on this you get a handful of socialist America hating crap....Including Indy Media

I wish these people would take their money and start adopting school rooms and medical clinics in some of the impoverished villages of Iraq...

Too bad they would rather clog the courts then get their hands dirty actually helping Iraqis.

[MonroeDNA]

That law sheepskin better be about 14" thick.

For warmth, of course, against the coming cold winters.

[vpintheak]

I would love 5 minutes alone with these turds. Make that 10 minutes.

[chainsaw]

They can start with Saddam Hussein, and they can end with Saddam Hussein.