Archbishop Desmond Tutu branded Tony Blair and George Bush war criminals and called for both former leaders to be hauled before an international court.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said the former British prime minister and American president should be punished for leading the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Archbishop, a long-time critic of Mr Blair, believes they committed crimes of aggression.
In an article in the Observer, he writes: “Those responsible should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in The Hague.”
In Scotland a parliamentary proposal to prosecute Blair for “waging aggressive war against Iraq” has been backed by Scottish nationalists.
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald lodged a motion at the Scottish Parliament seeking “a simple amendment making illegal the waging of aggressive war with the intention of regime change so that Tony Blair could be brought to trial in Scotland”.
It gained early support from SNP backbenchers Annabelle Ewing, Gordon MacDonald, John Finnie, Chic Brodie and Jim Eadie.
Ms MacDonald, a former SNP deputy leader, said Scotland has a unique opportunity to incorporate international criminal law into Scots law which is historically distinct.
Her husband Jim Sillars, another former SNP deputy leader, has called on “Alex Salmond’s government or a bold backbencher” to “introduce retrospective legislation to indict the former prime minister on war crimes”.
Writing in The Scotsman newspaper, he suggested an amendment to the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001 or a short Bill to import the ICC’s definition of “aggression” into Scots law.
“We have to ask if it can ever be right that a leader who, through conspiracy with another power and who paved the way to aggressive war through lies, distortions and manipulation of a parliament and people, should go unpunished while the victims of that war are either lying destroyed in their many thousands, or are living with the terrible consequences of it?” he said.
“Blair knew aggressive war was a crime. He believed he was safe, there being no legal system that could touch him. There is one now – ours.”
In an interview on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, human rights lawyer Sir Geoffrey Bindman believes a war crimes prosecution against Tony Blair could stand up in court.
Dear Partner,
Since the United Nations determined in 1960 that colonialism is a crime against humanity, there is no longer a need for plebiscites. The solution is to give Puerto Rico her sovereignty.
But being the United States government does not want to, it continues to advocate the use of plebiscites to find out what Puerto Ricans want. Even if 100% of Puerto Ricans would want to continue being a US colony, Puerto Rico would still be obligated to accept her sovereignty to then decide what she wants to do.
The only thing these plebiscites are good for is to divide Puerto Ricans. A Puerto Rican didn’t invade us to make us a colony. When will we understand that we need to unite?
This is why we must peacefully protest at least 3 times a year until Puerto Rico is decolonized!
José M López Sierra
http://www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com