World Tribunal on Iraq

Roy also countered the accusation (in some newspapers) that the Tribunal was a “kangaroo court”: “Now this view seems to suggest a touching concern that in this harsh world, the views of the U.S. government and the so-called Coalition of the Willing headed by President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair have somehow gone unrepresented. That the World Tribunal on Iraq isn’t aware of the arguments in support of the war and is unwilling to consider the point of view of the invaders. If in the era of the multinational corporate media and embedded journalism anybody can seriously hold this view, then we truly do live in the Age of Irony, in an age when satire has become meaningless because real life itself is more satirical than satire can ever be. Let me say cate- gorically that this tribunal is the defense.” 

I will not attempt to summarize all of the grueling testimony (which made me weep more than once) that we heard. For that, I urge you to explore the website. I was deeply disturbed by the description of young former U.S. soldier Tim Goodrich—of house raids, systematic torture, and the culture of militarism that makes it all seem ordinary. Goodrich described how young U.S. recruits practiced shooting on targets with human forms, were taught to follow orders without questions, to consider all Moslems infidels who should be killed, and how they de-humanized Iraqi people in a way that makes brutality seem acceptable. “Don’t be fooled by my youthful appearance,” he said, “the war has aged me.” He added, “Resistance in the military is increasing.” 

Iraqi lawyer Amal Sawadi gave details of arbitrary detention and systematic torture of ordinary civilians, including women. “All Iraqi land has turned into a prison. Even a ten-year-old child can be arrested.” Iraqi journalist Fadhil al Bedrani described mass murders during the attack on Fallujah, including the incineration of 420 women and children with Bunker Busters, and the killing of 680 civilians before his eyes, 260 of them children.  

Many of us were stunned nonetheless when U.S. scientist, Joel Kovel, stated the U.S. is waging a nuclear, biological, and chemical war in Iraq, setting loose “an eco- catastrophe.” Iraqi environmental engineer, Dr. Souad Naji Al- Azzawi, who with six other scientists had done a survey on the radiation in the air, land, and water in Iraq, described the devastating radioactive contamination whose effects will spill into the future long after the war ends. “The Admin- istration and the Pentagon decided to make the Iraqi people and Iraq’s environment a guinea pig laboratory for the testing of all types of depleted uranium, radioactive, thermaboric, chemical, robust earth penetrators, microwave, and other types of weapons,” she said, and added: “They’re killing scientists who dare to do research on the effects of depleted uranium—55 scientists have been killed in Iraq and many are detained.” 

The witnesses (or “advocates”) described how the U.S. deliberately provoked various factions in Iraqi society in order to divide and rule the country, and how it has devastated the heritage of thousands of years of history in Mesopotamia, wiping out the memory of Western civilization. An ancient, deeply rooted culture is being destroyed, brutalized, thrown into chaos. 

Argentinian jury member Taty Almeida (wearing a white head -scarf with Madres de la Plaza de Mayo written on it) stood up to tell Iraqi witnesses that the Argentinian Madres were in unconditional solidarity with Iraqi women. 

I felt both a crazy longing to remain with the people and a crazy shame that, while I would resume my modest life in Ankara, the Iraqi participants would re-enter their imperial hell. Yet the sense that solidarity is not a sentimental nicety, but a huge, transforming reality, has remained with me. 

The jury’s verdict was announced on Monday, June 27 by Arundhati Roy (see Preliminary Declaration, pages 5-7). The tribunal has judged and condemned the U.S. and its allies. It has defined this war as one of the most unjust in history, and has established charges against the Security Council of the UN for failing to stop war crimes and crimes against humanity, among other failures.