World Tribunal on Iraq - UPDATE DAY 1

[WTI <tolga.temuge at worldtribunal.org>]

*WORLD TRIBUNAL ON IRAQ
PRESS UPDATE*

* *

*Istanbul, 24 June, 2005 -  *The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) commenced
at 9am this morning with an opening speech by Arundathi Roy, Chair of
the Jury of Conscience, and Professor Richard Falk, Co-coordinator of
the Panel of Advocates.



The following is an excerpt from the speech by Arundathi Roy: "The Jury
of Conscience at this tribunal is not here to deliver a simple verdict
of guilty or not guilty against the United States and its allies. We are
here to examine a vast spectrum of evidence about the motivations and
consequences of the U.S. invasion and occupation, evidence that has been
deliberately marginalized or suppressed. Every aspect of the war will be
examined - its legality, the role of international institutions and
major corporations in the occupation, the role of the media, the impact
of weapons such as depleted uranium munitions, napalm, and cluster
bombs, the use of and legitimation of torture, the ecological impacts of
the war, the responsibility of Arab governments, the impact of Iraq's
occupation on Palestine, and the history of U.S. and British military
interventions in Iraq. This tribunal is an attempt to correct the
record. To document the history of the war not from the point of view of
the victors but of the temporarily - and I repeat the word temporarily -
vanquished." The full speech may be downloaded from the official web
site of the WTI, www.worldtribunal.org <http://www.worldtribunal.org/>

* *

The full text of each presentation is being uploaded to the web site as
each speaker concludes.

*The web site is also offering LIVE audio and video streaming of each
day's hearings.*

* *

A United States television network, Deep Dish TV, will provide a global
broadcast of the World Tribunal on Iraq. Deep Dish is offering all media
outlets a free one hour program for television or audio downlink each
day of the conference that will conclude on June 26th, followed by a
press conference on June 27th at 11 am at the Hotel Armada.
Award-winning author and activist *Arundathi Roy* will be one of the
main speakers at the final press conference.



*For more information and interview requests please contact:*

Tolga Temuge, International Media Coordinator, on + (90) 533 6444687

tolga.temuge at worldtribunal.org <mailto:tolga.temuge at worldtribunal.org>

www.worldtribunal.org <http://www.worldtribunal.org>