U.S. Proposal for Iraq Tribunal is “Wrong
Plan” at “Wrong Time”
LCHR Favors UN Led Commission to Look at Range of Accountability
Options
Click here to see LCHR
previous statement on Iraq Tribunal
NEW YORK - The United States is prepared to establish “an
Iraqi-led” tribunal to prosecute past crimes of Ba’ath
Party government officials like Saddam Hussein, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large
for War Crimes Pierre Richard Prosper announced at the Pentagon yesterday.
The Lawyers Committee believes that it would be a mistake to pursue
this approach rather than working with the United Nations to establish
a tribunal that will be seen as fair and impartial by the Iraqi
people and the world.
“This is the wrong plan at the wrong time,” said Mike
Posner, the Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee. “There
will be serious questions about how impartial and how credible a
U.S.-sponsored, Iraqi-led tribunal can be.”
The Lawyers Committee is urging that an international body -
including representative from Iraq - examine the possible accountability
options in post-war Iraq.
Appointing a UN sanctioned commission of inquiry into this subject
would signal to all those involved in the conflict and to the Iraqi
people as a whole, that the international community is serious about
bringing to account those responsible for international crimes.
At this critical juncture, such a signal could also help to prevent
further crimes being committed.
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