Fw: :Justice : Get a signature urgently!

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg@tin.it>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <omarsu@libero.it>
To: "comitatoperlapace" <comitatoperlapace@voxtel.it>
Cc: "napoli_palestina" <napoli_palestina@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2003 2:18 PM
Subject: Fwd:Justice : Get a signature urgently!



Daniel Amit, Istituto di Fisica, La Sapienza, Roma
tel (39-06)4991-3930 fax: 446-3158
 Jerusalem site   Rome site   (politics ) (articolo 11)



Justice for the victims of the US Army :
Please get a signature urgently !

18 Iraqis and 2 Jordanians just introduced a case in Brussels against
general Franks, head of the US Army in Iraq. Based on the law of universal
jurisdiction, characteristic of the Belgian law concerning genocide and war
crimes.

This action provoked great enthusiasm among the international public
opinion. Hundreds of messages are sent to Stop USA Brussels, coordinator of
the case.

But next week, immediately after the local elections, the Belgian government
is preparing to send the case to... Washington, pretending that US Justice
would be equitable ! Bush would be the judge of Bush! This would mean
assassinate the victims twice.

This only chance to save this case is to organize immediately a strong
international pressure. So we ask to each of you to mobilize and get
urgently one big personality signing this Appeal below : artists,
intellectuals, sportsmen, academicians, politicians, humanitarians, every
sort of well known personalities.

Defending Justice against the powerful = also defend the next countries
threatened by Bush.

Concretely, please send as soon as possible the signature (s) of the
personality (ies) that you can get to :
Stop USA International Secretariat       info@stopusa.be
Full text of the accusation on:     http://stopusa.be




Court case against General Franks in Brussels




No impunity for war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Iraq






Twenty victims of war crimes committed by U.S. troops during the recent war
against Iraq are filing charges before the federal prosecutor of Belgium for
violations of International Humanitarian Law.
The complaint is directed against soldiers who are not identified at this
stage who have committed war crimes. It mentions General Tommy Franks in
particular for ordering war crimes and for not preventing others from
committing them or for providing protection to the perpetrators.

The plaintiffs have been seriously injured or have lost relatives as the
result of:

*    the use of cluster bombs
*    attacks on the civilian population including journalists
*    acts of aggression against health services and other Iraqi
infrastructure
*    looting protected by or under orders from the U.S. army.





The plaintiffs and their relatives likewise have reason to fear the
devastating effects of depleted uranium munitions used by the U.S. army.
Their effects have already been highlighted in the previous wars against
Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.
Millions of demonstrators throughout the world have voiced their opposition
to the war on Iraq. Opinion polls showed that everywhere, between 70 and 80%
of the population condemned this war of aggression.

In defiance of the people's will, the Bush administration violated
international law by attacking Iraq without the permission of the Security
Council and refusing to respect the ban on the use of force included in the
UN Charter. In the field, U.S. troops also committed many war crimes, as
attested by many sources.




The plaintiffs demand an independent inquiry to identify those responsible
for the war crimes of which they were victims. They are also asking for
those guilty to be brought to justice.
The complaint was filed in Brussels on the basis of the Belgian law on
"universal jurisdiction" as amended on May 7, 2003. The law, as amended,
gives the Belgian government the option of filing a case before the
International Criminal Court (ICC) or forwarding it to the country of origin
of the accused.

The United States, however, has not ratified the Statutes of the ICC, thus
rendering a transfer to this court impossible. As for referring the case to
the courts of the country of origin, the law demands that the latter afford
guarantees of impartiality. That is not the case with American law courts
for the moment for a number of reasons:

1.    As soon as the possibility of filing charges was announced, the
spokesperson of the State Department demanded the intervention of the
Belgian government to prevent the judiciary from investigating the case.

2.    The attitude of the Bush administration clearly shows there is no
guarantee that the United States executive would not exercise the same type
of pressure on the courts of the country. It should be recalled that this
same administration refuses the prisoners detained in Guantanamo any kind of
legal status, has set up special secret courts to try people accused of "
terrorism " and detains hundreds of foreigners for unlimited periods and
without due process. It has this shown its intention to intervene in
judicial procedure and its total lack of respect for the most basic rights
of the defens e.

3.    Congressman Gary Ackerman of New York has introduced a bill to forbid
all collaboration with any state trying to exercise universal jurisdiction,
and in particular with Belgium.

The victims' testimonies have been documented by doctor Colette Moulaert and
doctor Geert Van Moorter, who were on a humanitarian mission for the NGO
Medical Aid for the Third World and stayed in Baghdad throughout the
offensive. The Coordination STOP USA, which was active against the war in
Belgium, will support the plaintiffs and will provide information on the
case worldwide.





International appeal :
No Impunity for War Crimes committed by U.S. Troops in Iraq!
The undersigned consider:




*    That U.S. Armed Forces should not remain unpunished if they have
committed crimes during the war on Iraq.
*    That it is important for an independent inquiry to investigate the
facts mentioned by the plaintiffs, for civil and criminal responsibilities
to be established and for the victims to receive a reasonable compensation.
*    That U.S. courts do not at the present time provide sufficient
guarantees of impartiality in this case.
*    That an inquiry by the International Criminal Court is impossible, as
the U.S. has not ratified its Statutes.
*    That consequently, the victims have no other option but to approach the
jurisdiction of a third country, in this case Belgium.
The undersigned call on the Belgian government not to give in to the
diplomatic pressure of the U.S. and not to hinder the judicial process by
forwarding the case to the U.S.






I sign:
In the name of my organisation:
Organisation:



Email:

On my own behalf:
Name:



Function:



Email:
Please send your signature only to info@stopusa.be

This appeal is coordinated by STOP USA International
53 Chaussée de Haecht, 1210 Brussels. info@stopusa.be
Full text of the accusation on:     http://stopusa.be