gandalf grey

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-warcrimes-iraq-br
itain.html

July 28, 2003
ICC Looks at Allegations Against UK Troops in Iraq
By REUTERS


Filed at 4:21 p.m. ET

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The prosecutor of the world's first permanent war
crimes court will review a dossier containing allegations of human rights
abuses by British troops in Iraq, the court said on Monday.

Members of the Athens Bar Association have called on International Criminal
Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to investigate 22 alleged
incidents involving British forces in the war, the court said in a
statement.

The Greek lawyers handed a dossier containing 74 press reports and 13 video
tapes of news reports from the war in Iraq to the prosecutor.

content of the communication and the dossier,'' The Hague-based court said.

``Experts of the Athens Bar Association prepared 22 charges referring to
specific incidents and requested the Office of the Prosecutor to exercise
the jurisdiction of the Court in crimes against humanity, war crimes and
genocide,'' the ICC said.

A British Foreign Ministry spokesman said London was aware of the reports
but had ``nothing to add by way of comment, except to say the British
government has acted in accordance with international law throughout the
conflict.''

The ICC has received around 500 complaints from 66 countries since the
global court came into force in July 2002. It has not yet initiated a full
investigation. Britain and Greece are among 91 countries that recognize and
support the court.

More than 100 complaints so far have concerned the U.S.-led war in Iraq,
most of those protests against the war itself. The United States does not
back the court.

The ICC, set up to tackle war crimes and crimes against humanity, can act
only if national courts cannot or will not, and has jurisdiction solely
where crimes were committed by nationals of a state party to the court or on
such a state's territory.

The prosecutor said earlier this month he was focusing on the Democratic
Republic of Congo for what could lead to his maiden formal investigation.
His examination of complaints of atrocities in Congo's northeastern province
of Ituri could produce the court's first case.

Copyright 2003 Reuters Ltd.

--
--
FAIR USE NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am
making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of
environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and
social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any
such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so
long as I'm the dictator." - GW Bush 12/18/2000.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that
we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic
and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt

"I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of
Iraq."
-- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz,

gandalf grey

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-warcrimes-iraq-br
itain.html

July 28, 2003
ICC Looks at Allegations Against UK Troops in Iraq
By REUTERS


Filed at 4:21 p.m. ET

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The prosecutor of the world's first permanent war
crimes court will review a dossier containing allegations of human rights
abuses by British troops in Iraq, the court said on Monday.

Members of the Athens Bar Association have called on International Criminal
Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to investigate 22 alleged
incidents involving British forces in the war, the court said in a
statement.

The Greek lawyers handed a dossier containing 74 press reports and 13 video
tapes of news reports from the war in Iraq to the prosecutor.

content of the communication and the dossier,'' The Hague-based court said.

``Experts of the Athens Bar Association prepared 22 charges referring to
specific incidents and requested the Office of the Prosecutor to exercise
the jurisdiction of the Court in crimes against humanity, war crimes and
genocide,'' the ICC said.

A British Foreign Ministry spokesman said London was aware of the reports
but had ``nothing to add by way of comment, except to say the British
government has acted in accordance with international law throughout the
conflict.''

The ICC has received around 500 complaints from 66 countries since the
global court came into force in July 2002. It has not yet initiated a full
investigation. Britain and Greece are among 91 countries that recognize and
support the court.

More than 100 complaints so far have concerned the U.S.-led war in Iraq,
most of those protests against the war itself. The United States does not
back the court.

The ICC, set up to tackle war crimes and crimes against humanity, can act
only if national courts cannot or will not, and has jurisdiction solely
where crimes were committed by nationals of a state party to the court or on
such a state's territory.

The prosecutor said earlier this month he was focusing on the Democratic
Republic of Congo for what could lead to his maiden formal investigation.
His examination of complaints of atrocities in Congo's northeastern province
of Ituri could produce the court's first case.

Copyright 2003 Reuters Ltd.

--
--
FAIR USE NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am
making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of
environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and
social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any
such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so
long as I'm the dictator." - GW Bush 12/18/2000.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that
we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic
and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt

"I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of
Iraq."
-- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz,