Invasion of Iraq; ILLEGAL? OF COURSE it's ILLEGAL.

[LynnTheDem]

October 19, 2005; British Law lord damns "illegal Iraq war'

One of Britain’s most senior judges last night accused ministers of producing “half-baked” criminal justice reforms and then blaming judges for the failings of the system. Lord Steyn, a law lord, also launched a scathing attack on ministers over the Iraq war, accusing them of “scraping the bottom of the legal barrel” to justify their case.

He said it was a “fairytale” to suggest that the Iraq war did not make London a “more dangerous place”.

Lord Steyn echoed the views of Lord Alexander of Weedon, QC, his predecessor at Justice, with a robust attack on the legality of the Iraq war. Lord Alexander’s view that the war was illegal “reflected the overwhelming view of international lawyers and was undoubtedly correct”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1832270,00.html

But that's no surprise. It's what the vast majority of the world's experts have said from the start;

Canadian law professors declare US-led war illegal

The US-led coalition’s war against Iraq is illegal, declared 31 Canadian professors of international law at 15 law faculties.

A US attack “would be a fundamental breach of international law and would seriously threaten the integrity of the international legal order that has been in place since the end of the Second World War,”
http://www.casi.org.uk/discuss/2003/msg01357.html

Australian legal experts declare an invasion of Iraq a war crime

Forty-three Australian experts in international law and human rights legislation have issued a declaration that an invasion of Iraq will be an open breach of international law and a crime against humanity...

...the indictment of the German Nazi leaders at the 1945-1949 Nuremberg War Crimes Trials was precisely for carrying out preemptive military strikes against neighbouring countries. They were tried and convicted of “planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances”.
http://law.anu.edu.au/cipl/Media/Waging%20war%20crimes%20Feb03.pdf

War on Iraq was illegal, say world's top lawyers

-Professor Philippe Sands QC Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals, University College London

-Professor Robert Black QC Professor of Scots law, Edinburgh University, and architect of the Lockerbie trial in The Hague

-Professor Sean Murphy Associate professor of law at George Washington University, Washington DC

-Professor Vaughan Lowe Chichele Professor of Public International Law, All Souls College, Oxford

-Professor James Crawford Whewell Professor of International Law, Jesus College, Cambridge

-Professor Mary Kaldor Professor of global governance, London School of Economics
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/law/2003/0525warillegal.htm

Iraq War Illegal, Lawyers Say

Most experts in international law say they are not convinced either by the argument that military action against Iraq is authorized by earlier U.N. resolutions nor that the U.N. Charter allows self-defense against a perceived future threat.
http://middleeastinfo.org/article2270.html

War would be illegal

We are teachers of international law. On the basis of the information publicly available, there is no justification under international law for the use of military force against Iraq.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,3604,909275,00.html

Lawyers Tell Senate: Use of Force Against Iraq Without New Security Council Resolution Is Unlawful; Urge Congress to Uphold U.N. Charter
http://www.wslfweb.org/docs/iraqpr.pdf

Iraq War was Illegal and Breached UN Charter, Says Annan
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/16iraq.htm

Jack Straw admits case for war in Iraq is weak
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9126.htm

How about Mr. Tony "I'm a big fucking liar" bLiar himself!

"If military action proves necessary, it will be to uphold the authority of the UN and to ensure Saddam is disarmed of his weapons of mass destruction, not to overthrow him. It is why, detestable as I find his regime, he could stay in power if he disarms peacefully."
http://www.sundayherald.com/print31827

OOPS eh Tony? The UN said HELL NO. Forgot about this little bullshit speech you made to those kids, didn't you. Ouch...

Coz here's Mr. Lord Goldsmith admitting regime change would be ILLEGAL;
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=457242005

Ya know, bLiar, ya really should stop spewing on about how invading Iraq for REGIME CHANGE was a good thang; forgot what Goldie told you? You know, that little ILLEGAL thing.

And don't count on your military chiefs, bLiar;

British military chief reveals new legal fears over Iraq war

The man who led Britain's armed forces into Iraq has said that Tony Blair and the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, will join British soldiers in the dock if the military are ever prosecuted for war crimes in Iraq.

In a remarkably frank interview that goes to the heart of the political row over the Attorney General's legal advice, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, said he did not have full legal cover from prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

'If my soldiers went to jail and I did, some other people would go with me,' said Boyce.

Pressed by The Observer on whether he meant the Prime Minister and the Attorney General, Boyce replied: 'Too bloody right.'

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1474276,00.html


And as a star witness, bush's very own Richard "Prince of Darkness" Perle!

bush administration Richard Perle; War critics astonished as US hawk admits invasion was illegal

...influential Pentagon hawk Richard Perle conceded that the invasion of Iraq had been illegal. In a startling break with the official White House and Downing Street lines, Mr Perle told an audience in London:

"I think in this case international law stood in the way of doing the right thing."

Mr Perle, a key member of the defence policy board, which advises the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said that "international law ... would have required us to leave Saddam Hussein alone", and this would have been morally unacceptable.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1089158,00.html

HELL YES invading a sovereign nation that had been doing NOTHING WHATSOEVER to anyone is illegal. How many Pearl Harbors and 911s has America now perpetrated on the people of Iraq?

SHAME, AMERICA!

[Toots]

1. I particularly liked this little blurb

...the indictment of the German Nazi leaders at the 1945-1949 Nuremberg War Crimes Trials was precisely for carrying out preemptive military strikes against neighbouring countries. They were tried and convicted of “planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances”.
http://law.anu.edu.au/cipl/Media/Waging%20war%20crimes%...

[FreedomAngel82]

5. Same type of ordeal

Sad really. I just hope and pray justice does come down on Bush. This is the only reason why I'm glad he's there. So that we can hold trials and send his ass off to the Hague!

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. I agree that the war in Iraq is self-evidently illegal.

But I'm not sure that's a terribly strong argument.

Obviously, the war in Iraq has no shred of legal backing, but I can certainly conceive of military actions that didn't which I would never the less support - Kosovo, for example, was also illegal.

I think that to make the case against Iraq, it's necessary to be more specific - the reason it was a bad thing is not because it was illegal, but because the consequences (life getting worse for average iraqis, deterioration of international relations, expenditure of waste amount of money) were bad. Whether or not it was legal is a side issue.

[Bridget Burke]

4. Let's not make the illegality of the invasion a "side issue"

It's one of the many reasons the "war" was & is wrong.

Not so long ago, all the Republican sheep were bleating about "Rule of Law." Maybe what Clinton did was not so bad, they said. But his "perjury" was illegal, so impeachment was necessary.

The invasion was illegal AND Iraqis suffer AND Americans suffer AND international relations are going down the toilet.

[ladjf]

3. If the war is illegal, then the deaths it has caused are murders.

Those who started the are are murderers. Our military has been duped into committing crimes.

[countryjake]

6. Kick!

Thanks for assembling all that info!



SUPPORT Our Troops - Bring Them HOME!

End the Occupation NOW