1.

Press Release

WORLD TRIBUNAL ON IRAQ TO COMMENCE TOMORROW

WorldTribunal.org
June 23, 2005

http://www.worldtribunal.org/main/?b=88

ISTANBUL -- "The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) has been convened to bring international law to bear on America's aggressive behaviour around the world, with particular emphasis on the Iraq war. This represents an historic attempt by the people of the world to hold states and their leaders responsible for severe violations of international law. The Tribunal has both symbolic and substantive significance as a step toward the establishment of global democracy," said Richard Falk, UNESCO peace prize holder and Professor of International Law, at a press conference held today at Darphane-i Amire in Topkapi Palace Grounds. The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) will start tomorrow, June 24, at 9:00 a.m.

Professor Richard Falk is the co-coordinator for the Tribunal's Panel of Advocates together with Turgut Tarhanlı, Professor of International Law and Human Rights Law. Speakers at the press conference also included Hilal Küey and Hulya Üçpınar from the Izmir Bar Association and Müge Sökmen from the WTI Coordination. The Tribunal will be launched by a concert at the same venue tonight at 20.30 with renowned artists from Turkey as well as Omar Bashir from Iraq.

The WTI participants from around the world include Iraqi witnesses and experts as well as distinguished international figures such as Dennis Halliday, former Assistant to the U.N. Secretary General and Director of the U.N. Humanitarian Aid Program, Souad Naji Al-Azzawi, Director of the Doctorate Program in Environmental Engineering in Iraq, and Phil Shiner, a human rights lawyer who has uncovered evidence that U.S. troops have tortured detainees in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The Jury of Conscience is chaired by award-winning author Arundathi Roy and is comprised of 15 people from different parts of the world with different areas of expertise.

The Tribunal will consist of three days of hearings investigating various issues related to the war on Iraq, such as the legality of the war, the role of the United Nations, war crimes and the role of the media, as well as the destruction of the cultural sites and the environment. The session in Istanbul is the culminating session of commissions of inquiry and hearings held around the world over the past two years.(1) They have compiled a definitive historical record of evidence about the invasion and the occupation.

The Istanbul session of the WTI will summarize and present further testimony on the (il)legality and criminal violations in the U.S. pretexts for and the conduct of this war. The expert opinion, witness testimony, video and image evidence will address the impact of war on civilians, the torture of prisoners, the (un)lawful imprisonment of Iraqis without charges or legal defense, the use of depleted uranium weapons, the effects of the war on Iraq's infrastructure, the destruction of Iraqi cultural institutions, and the liability of the invaders before international law for failing to protect these treasures of humanity.

The organizers of WTI have extended an invitation on the17th of May to U.S. President George W. Bush as well as the U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair to attend the Tribunal and present their case. No reply has been received as of today.

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 of the four days of the conference.(2)

The official web site for WTI will be offering live audio and video streaming of the Tribunal hearings in addition to the daily updates.

Notes:

1. Sessions on different topics related to the war on Iraq were held in London, Mumbai, Copenhagen, Brussels, New York, Japan, Stockholm, South Korea, Rome, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lisbon, and Spain.

2. Satellite Downlink Coordinates and Times for free rebroadcast:
June 24, 2100 - 2200 GMT / 1700 - 1800 US (ET) / 0000 - 0100 Turkish Time (6/25)
June 25, 2100 - 2200 GMT / 1700 - 1800 US (ET) / 0000 - 0100 Turkish Time (6/26)
June 26, 2100 - 2200 GMT / 1700 - 1800 US (ET) / 0000 - 0100 Turkish Time (6/27)
June 27, 1000 - 1100 GMT / 0600 - 0700 US (ET) / 1300 - 1400 Turkish Time (6/27)

Transponders:
Europe and the Middle East - Eutelsat WI, Transponder B3 U.S Galaxy 10R, Transponder 9K, Slot A.
For More Information Contact:
Deep Dish TV - tel: 212 473 8933 - email:
deepdish@igc.org - http://www.deepdishtv.org

You can click to read Richard Falk's statement at press conference

For more information and interview requests please contact:
Tolga Temuge, International Communications and Media Coordinator, on +(90) 533 644 4687 or
tolga.temuge@worldtribunal.org, WTI Office in Istanbul, + (90) 212 244 7370 or,

www.worldtribunal.org

2.

PROGRAM OF HEARINGS

World Tribunal on Iraq
June 23, 2005

http://www.worldtribunal.org/main/?

Place: Darphane-i Amire

Please click on names to read speaker profiles and click on presentation titles to read the abstracts. Full speeches will be uploaded after they are presented.

DAY ONE, 24 JUNE 2005

09:00 – 09:30 Arundhati Roy, Opening Speech of the Spokesperson of the Jury of Conscience and the Introduction of the Jury
09:30 – 09:50 Richard Falk, Opening Speech on behalf of the Panel of Advocates: Macro approach to the system; the "moral" responsibility underlying the constitution of the UN; the limits to the exercise of power for the states; violation of international law.

First Session / The Role of International Law and Institutions (Moderator: T. Tarhanlı)

09:50 – 10:00 Turgut Tarhanlı: The Framework of the Session
10:00 – 10:20 Phil Shiner: The Illegality of preventive attack and unilateral use of force; the illegality of use of force in inter-state relations; the illegality of the occupation.
10:20 – 10:40 Hans von Sponeck: The conduct of the UN before and after the 2003 invasion
10:40 – 11:00 Larry Everest: The history of US and UK Interventions in Iraq
11:00 – 11:20 Questions from the Jury

11:20 – 11:40 Coffee Break

11:40 – 12:00 Jim Harding: Neo-Colonization Trends
12:00 – 12:20 Amy Bartholomew: Empire's Law and Human Rights as Swords of Empire
12:20 – 12:40 Issa Shivji: Implications of the Decrease in Confidence in International Institutions and International Law
12:40 – 13:00 Tony Alessandrini: The Violation of the Will of Global Anti-War Movement as a Crime Against Peace
13:00 – 13:20 Questions from the Jury

13:20 – 14:30 Lunch

Second Session / The Responsibility of Governments (Moderator: Ahmet İnsel)

14:30 – 14:50 Baskın Oran: U.S. Attack on Iraq and the Policy of the Turkish Government
14:50 – 15:10 Khaled Fahmy: The Responsibility of Arab Governments in the Iraq War
15:10 – 15:30 Guglielmo Carchedi: The Responsibility of European Governments
15:30 – 15:50 Walden Bello: The Responsibility of the Coalition of the Willing and Their Supporters
15:50 – 16:10 Questions from the Jury

16:10 – 16:30 Coffee Break

Third Session / The Accountability of the Media (Moderator: Ömer Madra)

16:30 – 16:50 Saul Landau: Economic-Political Connections of Media
16:50 – 17:10 David Miller: Media Wrongs in the War and Occupation
17:10 – 17:30 Witness - Mete Çubukçu: Moral Responsibility of War Journalism
17:30 – 17:50 Jayan Nayar: Media Wrongs against Truth and Humanity
17:50 – 18:10 Ömer Madra: The Quest for an Alternative Media
18:10 – 18:30 Questions from the Jury

SECOND DAY, 25 JUNE 2005

09:00 – 09:10 Summary of the Previous Day

Fourth Session / The Invasion and Occupation of Iraq (Moderator: Haifa Zangana)

09:10 – 09:20 Haifa Zangana: The Framework of the Session
09:20 – 09:40 Witness - Dahr Jamail: Testimony on War Crimes and the Recent Situation in Iraq
09:40 – 10:00 Akira Maeda / Sayo Saruta / Koichi Inamori: The Excessive Use of Weapons and Banned Weapons
10:00 – 10:20 Thomas Fasy: The Health Effects of DU Weapons in Iraq
10:20 – 10:40 Witness - Denis Halliday: The Conduct of the UN
10:40 – 11:00 Questions from the Jury

11:00 – 11:20 Coffee Break

11:20 – 11:40 Hana Ibrahim: Gender Based Violence (security and gender based violence)
11:40 – 12:00 Eman Khammas: Ruin of Daily Life (security and education system)
12:00 – 12:20 Witness - Tim Goodrich: The Conduct of the US Army
12:20 – 12:40 Amal Sawadi: Detentions and Prison Conditions
12:40 – 13:00 Witness - Fadhil Al Bedrani: Collective Punishment
13:00 – 13:20 Questions from the Jury

13:20 – 14:30 Lunch

Fourth Session / Cont. ... (Moderator: Joel Kovel)

14:30 – 14:50 Joel Kovel: Effects of the War on the Infrastructure
14:50 – 15:10 Herbert Docena: Economic Colonization
15:10 – 15:30 Mohammed Al Rahoo: Iraqi Law Under Occupation
15:30 – 15:50 Abdul Ilah Al Bayaty: The Transfer of Power in Iraq
15:50 – 16:10 Niloufer Bhagwat: The Privatization of War
16:10 – 16:30 Questions from the Jury

16:30 – 16:50 Coffee Break

16:50 – 17:10 Nermin al Mufti: The Occupation as Prison
17:10 – 17:30 Barbara Olshansky: Covert Practices in the U.S. War on Terror and the Implications for International Law: The Guantanamo Example
17:30 – 17:50 Witness - Mark Manning / Rana M. Mustafa: Testimony on Falluja
17:50 – 18:10 Abdul Wahab Al Obeidi: Human Rights Violations and the Disappeared in Iraq
18:10 – 18:30 Johan Galtung: Human Rights and the U.S./U.K. Illegal Attack on Iraq

18:30 – 18:50 Questions from the Jury

THIRD DAY, 26 JUNE 2005

09:00 – 09:10 Summary of the Previous Day

Fifith Session / Cultural Heritage, Environment and World Resources (Moderator: Hilal Elver)

09:10 – 09:20 Hilal Elver: The Framework of the Session
09:20 – 09:40 Gül Pulhan: The Destruction of Cultural Heritage: A Report from the Istanbul Initiative
09:40 – 10:00 Witness - Amal Al Khedairy: Testimony on the Destruction of Cultural Heritage
10:00 – 10:20 Joel Kovel: The Ecological Implications of the War
10:20 – 10:40 Witness - Souad Naji Al-Azzawi: Tes. on Radioactive Contamination in Iraq
10:40 – 11:00 Questions from the Jury

11:00 – 11:20 Coffee Break

Sixth Session / Global Security Environment and Future Alternatives (Moderator: Ayşe Gül Altınay)

11:20 – 11:40 Ayşe Gül Altınay: Militarism and the Culture of Violence
11:40 – 12:00 Nadje Al-Ali: Gender and War: The Plight of Iraqi Women
12:00 – 12:20 Liz Fekete: Creating Racism and Intolerance
12:20 – 12:40 Samir Amin: The Economy of Militarization
12:40 – 13:00 Ahmad Mohamed Al-Jaradat: Relationship between Iraq, Palestine and Israel
13:00 – 13:20 Questions from the Jury

13:20 – 14:30 Lunch

Sixth Session / Continues

14:30 – 14:50 Camilo Meija : Video testimony
14:50 – 15:10 John Ross: Collateral Damage: The Mexican Example
15:10 – 15:30 Christine Chinkin: Human Security in Iraq
15:30 – 15:50 Ken Coates: The Future of the Peace Movement
15:50 – 16:10 Corrine Kumar: Towards a New Political Imaginary
16:10 – 16:30 Biju Matthew: Alternatives for an Alternative Future
16:30 – 17:00 WTI İstanbul Coordination: The WTI as an Alternative: An Experimental Assertion
17:00 – 17:20 Questions from the Jury

17:20 – 17:40 Coffee Break

17:40 – 18:00 Richard Falk - Closing Speech on Behalf of the Panel of Advocates
18:00 – 18:20 Arundhati Roy - Closing Speech on Behalf of the Jury of Conscience
18:20 – 18:30 The Closing of the World Tribunal on Iraq, Istanbul.

27 JUNE 2005

11.00 Press conference announcing the decision of the Jury of Conscience at Hotel Armada