Tony Blair: Towards A Citizen’s Arrest of a Renowned War Criminal?

• Tony Blair: Towards A Citizen’s Arrest of a Renowned War Criminal?
  by Shenali D Waduge, Lankaweb, via http://www.globalresearch.ca/  
  With a bounty on his head for complicity that led to a million or more deaths an invasion based on lies and a dossier full of allegations of conflict of interest, Tony Blair declared guilty as a war criminal by the People’s Court has arrived in Sri Lanka for 2 weeks. More than suspicious having browsed through the portfolio of side-dealings associated with Blair ever since he left office in 2007. Not motivated by money, he says read on to understand how he represents the imperial agenda that is now slowly descending on Asia having destroyed the Middle East and neutralized the American public into a nation suffering the ills of Western liberalism.
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  If Iraq was an invasion based on lies it means that everything that followed were also lies. What about the highly classified program of secret detention and ‘extraordinary rendition’ of terrorist suspects who were seized and secretly flown across national borders to be interrogated by foreign governments that used torture, or by the CIA itself in clandestine “black sites” using torture techniques. Ranil Wickremasinghe PM in 2002 collaborated with the US torture/rendition program and allowed CIA to use the international airport as a transit point. These tortures were violations of international humanitarian law & Geneva Conventions.
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  In inquiry into Britains role in Iraq was ordered by PM Gordon Brown in 15 June 2009 and headed by Sir John Chilcot. That report is unlikely to be released on account of the damaging contents and the implications to the UK Govt and Tony Blair in particular.
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  Why Tony Blair is a War Criminal
  * Blair committed a crime against peace under Nuremberg Principles “planning, preparing, initiation or waging of a war of aggression”. Iraq war was a crime of aggression and violated Article 33 and Article 51 of the UN Charter
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  * Blair knowingly broke international law – 8 months before Iraq invasion Lord Goldsmith senior legal advisor in the British Government informed Blair that attacking Iraq would be a breach of international law/UN Charter. Lord Goldsmith stated that Britain could not use ‘self defense’ because Iraq had not threatened Britain. Blair ignored Goldsmith’s letter and banned him from attending cabinet meetings and denied him going public.
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  * Blair ignored his own Cabinet – Foreign Secretary Jack Straw’s advice that Britain had no legal conditions for war were ignored.
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  * Blair lied that the UN Security Council Resolution 1441 authorized war. This resolution passed on 8 Nov 2002 gave Iraq a final opportunity to comply with disarmament obligations but the Resolution did not authorize war.
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  * Blair lied, deceived and mislead the British to hype a false threat from Iraq to justify war. 
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  Example 1: In April 2002 Blair claimed Saddam Hussein had stockpiles of chemical & biological weapons (inspite of British intelligence saying the contrary a month before)
  Example 2: Blair claimed publicly that Iraq posed a regional threat. The previous month a cabinet paper says Saddam was not a serious threat to neighbors.
  Example 3: Bush and Blair in a joint press conference quoted IAEA to claim Iraq was 6 months away from developing a nuclear weapon. IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky denied the agency issued such a report.
  Example 4: Blair claimed in September 2002 that Iraq had “existing and active military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons which could be activated within 45 minutes” Another lie.
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  * Documents released by the US have revealed that thousands of pounds worth of gifts had been exchanged between George Bush and Tony Blair all of which were not declared. Mr Blair received undeclared gifts worth £2,700.
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  Blairs lies & illegal war on Iraq has resulted in
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  read more.

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