Lawyers Against the War (LAW) | Iraq Veterans Against the War
About Us
LAW is affiliated with:
o Lawyers Against the War in the United Kingdom,
o Lawyers for Peace in the Netherlands and
o the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research (TFF), based in Sweden.
LAW members reside in: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Syria, the United Kingdom and the United States.
LAW calls for:
• an immediate end to the bombing and other illegal use of force in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly and the Secretary General of the United Nations to discharge their legal duties and institutional responsibilities to maintain international peace and security and to ensure that member states’ reactions to threats to international security, whether such threats are perceived or demonstrated, conform in all respects with international law and principles of justice.
• national government and responsible organs of the United Nations to ensure that all actions taken internationally by states in response to inter-state crimes and disputes including the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of crimes adhere to international law.
• national governments and the responsible organs of the United Nations to ensure
o the rights of combatants and non-combatants,
o fair trials for offenders suspected of or charged with inter-state crimes,
o no impunity for human rights offenders.
LAW is a volunteer is a volunteer organization. There is no membership fee. Legal Articles
(*)Denotes Actions/Articles by LAW or LAW Members
Warren Richey: Secret 9/11 Case before High Court
Thomas Catán: Iraq business deals may be invalid, law experts warn
Phyllis Bennis: Back to the UN...
Marjorie Cohn: Bush and company fear prosecution in the ICC
INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN
"We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…"
A rational examination of international law makes clear that the bombing of Afghanistan not only lacks legal justification, but also expressly violates a number of international laws, including the UN Charter and several international treaties on terrorism. The simple fact is that Canada is engaged in illegal military strikes against Afghanistan, and in the process has violated a number of principles embodied in international law, including, tragically, the right to life of Afghan civilians -- a right promised to all people when the UN was established in 1945.
The legal foundation of the UN is embodied in the UN Charter, and expressly outlines for Member States, among them Canada, the US, UK and Afghanistan, obligations regarding the use of force (Article 2), the right to self-defence (Article 51), and the obligation of regional agencies such as NATO to act in accordance with the Charter (Article 52).
Article 2 of the Charter prohibits the use or threatened use of force against another state. The Article 2 prohibition applies to all force and is a rule of customary international law, and, as such, is universally binding even on the few states not members of the United Nations. This Article specifically prohibits "the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state." Evidence of the coalition’s willful violation of this mandate is abundantly clear in Tony Blair’s much-publicized October 2nd speech: "I say to the Taliban: surrender the terrorists; or surrender power. That is your choice." While such a statement might get a warm reception from the three countries bombing Afghanistan, the demand has no legal basis.
Gail Davidson Article
Lawyers Against the War (LAW) | Iraq Veterans Against the War
About Us
LAW is affiliated with:
o Lawyers Against the War in the United Kingdom,
o Lawyers for Peace in the Netherlands and
o the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research (TFF), based in Sweden.
LAW members reside in: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Syria, the United Kingdom and the United States.
LAW calls for:
• an immediate end to the bombing and other illegal use of force in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly and the Secretary General of the United Nations to discharge their legal duties and institutional responsibilities to maintain international peace and security and to ensure that member states’ reactions to threats to international security, whether such threats are perceived or demonstrated, conform in all respects with international law and principles of justice.
• national government and responsible organs of the United Nations to ensure that all actions taken internationally by states in response to inter-state crimes and disputes including the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of crimes adhere to international law.
• national governments and the responsible organs of the United Nations to ensure
o the rights of combatants and non-combatants,
o fair trials for offenders suspected of or charged with inter-state crimes,
o no impunity for human rights offenders.
LAW is a volunteer is a volunteer organization. There is no membership fee. Legal Articles
(*)Denotes Actions/Articles by LAW or LAW Members
Warren Richey: Secret 9/11 Case before High Court
Thomas Catán: Iraq business deals may be invalid, law experts warn
Phyllis Bennis: Back to the UN...
Marjorie Cohn: Bush and company fear prosecution in the ICC
INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN
"We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…"
A rational examination of international law makes clear that the bombing of Afghanistan not only lacks legal justification, but also expressly violates a number of international laws, including the UN Charter and several international treaties on terrorism. The simple fact is that Canada is engaged in illegal military strikes against Afghanistan, and in the process has violated a number of principles embodied in international law, including, tragically, the right to life of Afghan civilians -- a right promised to all people when the UN was established in 1945.
The legal foundation of the UN is embodied in the UN Charter, and expressly outlines for Member States, among them Canada, the US, UK and Afghanistan, obligations regarding the use of force (Article 2), the right to self-defence (Article 51), and the obligation of regional agencies such as NATO to act in accordance with the Charter (Article 52).
Article 2 of the Charter prohibits the use or threatened use of force against another state. The Article 2 prohibition applies to all force and is a rule of customary international law, and, as such, is universally binding even on the few states not members of the United Nations. This Article specifically prohibits "the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state." Evidence of the coalition’s willful violation of this mandate is abundantly clear in Tony Blair’s much-publicized October 2nd speech: "I say to the Taliban: surrender the terrorists; or surrender power. That is your choice." While such a statement might get a warm reception from the three countries bombing Afghanistan, the demand has no legal basis.
Gail Davidson Article Just keeps posting
