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November 2005

BRIEFING MEETING AND PRESS CONFERENCE

7.00.pm Tuesday 15th November, Grand Committee Room, Parliament

“The Prime Minister’s claim that the war was legal was false and deceived Parliament and the nation into waging an illegal war with Iraq in violation of international treaties.”

7.00.pm Tuesday 15th November, Grand Committee Room, Parliament

Hosted by John McDonnell MP, Legal Action Against War invites you to a briefing meeting for MPs, Peers and the media on

‘How the Prime Minister and the Attorney General deceived Parliament over the legality of the war with Iraq’

with

Michael Mansfield QC and Chris Coverdale

all crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”

Justice Robert Jackson, Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal

Legal Action Against War
Contact: Chris Coverdale 020 8944 7731 www.laaw.org or www.actionagainstwar.org

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8th August 2005

Human Rights group condemns illegal ‘shoot to kill’ policy and asks MPA to suspend Ian Blair

In a letter to Len Duvall, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Chris Coverdale of Action Against War today asked the MPA to:

Direct the Metropolitan Police to withdraw the illegal ‘shoot to kill’ policy and to revert to legal procedures of arrest and detention for terrorist suspects.
Suspend Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair and other officers involved in the planning and employment of the criminal ‘shoot to kill’ policy from duty.
Set up an independent criminal investigation of the offences involved in the ‘shoot to kill’ policy and to lay charges of ‘conspiracy to murder’ against Government Ministers and Metropolitan Police commanders involved in its introduction.
Warn police officers and the general public of the criminal nature of the ‘shoot to kill’ policy and their criminal liability as an accessory should they support the policy.

Chris Coverdale claims that “Shooting an innocent visitor to London eight times in the back of the head, when he was already pinned to the ground, is the type of execution tactic used by the Mafia, and Chicago gangsters. Assassinations such as this are used by political tyrannies to impose control over a population and terrify those who dare to oppose, disobey or disagree. That a British Government or police force should employ such tactics and so brazenly break the law and abuse the fundamental human right to life, is a national disgrace, and should be of immense disquiet to law-abiding Londoners and anyone concerned to uphold the rule of law.”

“When the Birmingham police used a stun gun to arrest a man suspected of the London bombings, they demonstrated that it is perfectly possible to arrest a suspected terrorist in a legal manner. If a dangerous arrest can be made legally in Birmingham, why can’t a similar approach be used in London? Why is the MPA supporting a Commissioner of Police who openly promotes the use of illegal, criminal policing methods? Why are the MPA allowing plain-clothed armed police officers to roam freely around London using assassination techniques favoured by military dictators such as Augusto Pinochet? Why won’t the police arrest their own commanders when they so conspicuously break the law? The public needs answers to these questions and they need the police to uphold the rule of law.”

For more information, the letter to the MPA, details of the crimes and relevant criminal law: www.actionagainstwar.org Contact : Chris Coverdale chriscoverdale@actionagainstwar.org tel: 020 8944 7731

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Action Against War

preventing war promoting peace

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Human Rights group calls for the prosecution of Tony Blair and 413 MPs for genocide

Action Against War, a new human rights group, and the Stop the War Coalition are calling for Britain’s law enforcement authorities to arrest, charge and prosecute Tony Blair and other political, civil and military leaders for genocide in Iraq.

Chris Coverdale, a spokesman for the group, claims that “By voting in favour of war with Iraq, MPs are criminally liable for the actions of Britain’s armed forces. The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq using cruise missiles, cluster bombs and depleted uranium shells led to the killing of at least 20,000 innocent Iraqi men, women and children. None of them had committed a capital crime, attacked British interests or threatened Britain; yet Tony Blair and 413 other MPs ordered British forces to attack Iraq. In British and International law this massacre of innocent Iraqis constitutes genocide.

“Britain’s law enforcement authorities have repeatedly refused to investigate, arrest or prosecute British leaders responsible for these crimes, preferring instead to prosecute soldiers for murder and torture. We are calling on chief constables and the Crown Prosecution service throughout Britain to uphold the law and to arrest and prosecute every MP who voted in favour of the war against Iraq, for crimes of genocide and conduct ancillary to genocide under the International Criminal Court Act 2001.”

"War is essentially an evil thing. Its consequences are not confiend to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression therefore, is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime, it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it

contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole."

The Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal

Letters sent to the police are attached with a summary of the violations of war law and war crimes committed by Britain’s leaders. For a report on The Illegal War and further information, see latest reports or contact Chris Coverdale Tel: 020 8944 7731.

Killing 20,000 Iraqis is genocide

21 March 2005

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Action Against War

Preventing war promoting peace

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Public Meeting

Holding Blair to account for genocide

Tuesday 15 March 1.00pm QB 146

Roehampton University, London SW15

“War is essentially an evil thing. Its consequences are not confined to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression therefore, is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”

Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal

Action Against War, a new human rights group is calling for law enforcement authorities to arrest, charge and prosecute Tony Blair and other British leaders for genocide in Iraq.

Chris Coverdale, an anti-war lawyer and spokesman for the group, claims that “By voting in favour of war with Iraq, 414 MPs are criminally liable for the actions of Britain’s armed forces. The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq using cruise missiles, cluster bombs and depleted uranium shells led to the killing of at least 20,000 innocent Iraqi men, women and children. In British and International criminal law this massacre of innocent people constitutes genocide and a crime against humanity. This was the fifth war involving British forces since Blair became Prime Minister. At least 50,000 people have died violently. Five times our leaders committed the supreme international crime, and five times they got away with it. But not for much longer……”

The meeting will address the reasons why the war was illegal, the Attorney General’s deception of Parliament, the crimes committed by MPs, and how to hold political, civil and military leaders to account for their crimes in court.

A copy of The Illegal War which details the violations of law and war crimes committed by Britain’s leaders together with the letter sent to chief constables is attached.

For more information go to www.actionagainstwar.org or contact Chris Coverdale on 020 8944 7731.

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