Citizens' Hearings
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK ON FEB 3rd --
CITIZENS' HEARING ON THE LEGALITY OF U.S. ACTIONS IN IRAQ
THE CASE OF LT. EHREN WATADA
Brooklyn Law School
Saturday, February 3, 2007, 4 -7 pm
elainebrower@worldcantwait.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Peter Cobb 415.686.109
Media Contacts: Elaine Brower
www.thankyoult.org/content/view/71/51/
For immediate release: January 22, 2007
http://www.wartribunal.org TACOMA, WA
The following press release was issued at the conclusion of the Citizens' Hearing in Tacoma, Washington, January 20-21, 2007, and pending publication of the findings by the citizen panel.
Veterans, Military Families, Community Leaders Deliberate
on Two Days of Testimony Charging that the Iraq War is Illegal:
Citizens' Panel to Announce Findings Before Watada Court Martial
In an unprecedented two-day Citizens' Hearing held over the weekend, more than 600 citizens joined a distinguished tribunal panel in listening to testimony about the legality of the US invasion of Iraq. The Hearing was convened to present evidence that Lt. Ehren Watada would have presented in his February 5 court martial on the question that the military ruled barred from entry last week – the question of the Iraq War's legality. Lt. Watada has repeatedly asserted that because the Iraq War is illegal, it is his duty to refuse orders to deploy. He is the Army's first commissioned officer to take such a stand.
Panel Chair David Krieger asserted: "If Lt. Watada cannot get a full hearing about the war's legality in a military trial, then his case should at least be presented in the court of public opinion. This Citizens' Hearing was about giving Lt. Watada's position equal time."
Many of those who testified, most of whom would have been called to testify at the court martial if the judge had allowed that evidence, agreed that Lt. Ehren Watada had not only the right to refuse to deploy to Iraq in an illegal war, but had a duty to do so. Whether violations of the Nuremberg Principles or the US Constitution, some testifiers asserted that Lt. Watada should be recognized for his courage rather than undergoing a Court Martial.
Panelist Rich Moniak from Juneau, Alaska, whose son served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said during the deliberation: "The testimony presented to me highlighted how this war has failed the Iraqi people and placed our soldiers at risk of being accessories to war crimes."
Law professors Benjamin G. Davis and Richard Falk agreed that there are clear legal grounds on which the war is illegal. Falk, citing the sections of the US Army Field Manual, emphasized that international law is applicable to the behavior of US soldiers in a times of war and that soldiers have the duty to refuse unlawful commands. Davis sharply criticized the decision of the military judge to not hear Watada's full defense, stating that Americans have a right to have their defense heard.
The most compelling testimony came from former members of the US military, including five veterans of Iraq. According to Ann Wright, a former Army Colonel and US diplomat who served three and a half decades for the US government, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Powell created the preconditions that led to torture. She added: "We must ensure that members of the US military are not put in the position of being ordered to carry out crimes against humanity.
the rest of the press release is at the above link
This testimony came out at the trial that should be being held for Lt. Watada. Please support Lt. Watada if you can this weekend and on Monday.
www.thankyoult.org