International Citizen's Tribunal on Lebanon
International Action Center
actioncenter at action-mail.org
Tue Feb 5 11:52:57 EST 2008
*International Citizen's Tribunal on Lebanon
ENDORSE THE TRIBUNAL AT http://www.iacenter.org/LebTribunalEndorse2008
Tribunal Schedule <#schedule>
** <http://www.iacenter.org/LebTrilbunalEndorse2008>** *
An international citizen's tribunal on the crimes committed by the
Israeli army in Lebanon will be held at the International Associations
Center in Brussels, Belgium, on February 22-24, 2008. The International
Action Center has endorsed this tribunal and the work of the Commitee of
International Citizens that is organizing the tribunal. Included below
is a letter from the organizers, a program for the Tribunal and the
original call with the first list of signers. To contact the organizers:
Email: contact.tribunal at yahoo.fr <mailto:contact.tribunal at yahoo.fr>
Blog: WWW.tciccg.over-blog.com <http://WWW.tciccg.over-blog.com>
*An international citizen's tribunal on
the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon
Brussels, 22-23-24 February 2008*
The crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon during the summer
2006 are a violent affront to the universal human conscience. These are
criminal acts, as many people feel instinctively. They are different
from the acts that take place in all armed conflict committed by the
aggressor as well as by the aggressed. But feeling is not enough. The
facts must be established. They must then be assessed in light of
existing international law. This should be done with the detachment and
rigor of a process that excludes any a priori
*ENDORSE THE TRIBUNAL AT **http://www.iacenter.org/LebTribunalEndorse2008*
conclusions, the results of which will convince all people of good will.
The international community is not an autonomous political and
juridical body. It is but a summation of positions adopted by a certain
number of governments. In many situations it has proved incapable of
applying existing law by distancing itself from geopolitical or
ideological contingencies. This impunity has covered up the numerous
war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since
the end of World War II.
The unilateral attitude of the United States of America, like the
double-speak of many European governments, make it necessary for those
defending the law to take the place of failed political powers. The
American administration is against any questioning of Israel's role in
acts committed in Lebanon. EU countries like Germany, Great Britain,
Finland and France refuse to support a request formulated at the UN
Human Rights Council to investigate the use by the Israeli armed forces
of arms that are prohibited by international law. The systematic
disinformation practiced by an overwhelming majority of the media
deprives Western public opinion of balanced information. All this
justifies an initiative by the citizens themselves.
A group of citizens gathering human rights or ecological activists,
humanitarian workers, jurists, political scientists, all friends of
Lebanon, enjoying the support of more than 300 opinion leaders all over
the world, is planning to organize, in Brussels (Belgium), on 22-23-24
February 2008, the meeting of an *"international jury of conscience".*
During the opening session, a statement of charge will introduce the
process. It is based on a report issued by the Human Rights Committee of
the Lebanese Parliament about the crimes committed by the Israeli
Defense Forces (IDF -- official name of the Israeli armed forces)
between 12 July and 14 August 2006 in Lebanon. The following sessions
will give the opportunity to testify to Lebanese victims and survivors,
to Lebanese and foreign witnesses, to Lebanese jurists, to
representative of international human rights organizations. The Israeli
side will have the possibility to present explanations. The jury, formed
by prominent magistrates from the 5 continents, will present
conclusions. On Saturday evening, a roundtable will give the floor to
international experts on Lebanon.
Such an initiative requests funds. The organizing team has to buy
flights tickets and to book hotel rooms for all the people coming from
Lebanon but also for the 5 members of the jury. The renting of the rooms
in the conference center and the fees for the translators have also to
be paid. The total budget reaches 125.000 US dollars.
Feel free to support a citizen's initiative that must take place due to
the lack of concern by official sides.
Raoul Marc JENNAR & Leila GHANEM, co-organizers
Hosting Bank account : URFIG, Bruxelles, IBAN : BE60 0682 3497 7170 ;
BIC : GKCCBEBB
with this message : "support to the International Jury of Conscience
Lebanon"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*JUSTICE FOR LEBANON!
INTERNATIONAL JURY OF CONSCIENCE FOR LEBANON
International Associations Center
Washington Street, 40
Brussels, February 22 - 23 - 24, 2008*
*Program*
*Friday February 22*
8:30 to 11:15 p.m.:
. Opening, reception and general presentation (15 min)
. Declaration of the International Peoples Tribunal (15 min)
. Declaration of Jury on the decision to consider only the actions of
the Israeli army (15 min)
. Reading the indictment (90 min)
. Reaction of the defendant (30min)
*Saturday February 23:*
*The morning: victims*
>From 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.:
. 8 victims will testify (15 min each one)
>From 11:30-to 11:45 a.m.: coffee/tea break
>From 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
. testimony from the mayor of a village (30 min)
. testimony from the mayor of a city (30 min)
>From 12:45 to 2 p.m.: Lunch break
*
The afternoon: witnesses *
>From 2 to 4:30 p.m.:
. the Lebanese Red Cross (30 min)
. Green Peace Lebanon (30 min)
. A Lebanese economic institute (30 min)
. The international NGOs (20 min each one)
>From 4:30 to 4:45 p.m.: coffee/tea break
>From 4:45 to 6:45: statements by 4 Lebanese lawyers (30 min each one)
*The evening: round table with Lebanese and international journalists*
>From 8:30 to 11 p.m.: four Lebanese journalists will dialog with a
French journalist, a British journalist and a Belgian journalist. The
debate will be chaired by a European member of Parliament.
*Sunday February 24:*
>From 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.: statement of Dr Hugo RUIZ DIAZ BALBUENA,
attorney and representative of The Association of American Attorneys at
the Human Rights Council of the United Nations
>From 10:00 to 10:45 a.m.: statement from a representative of Amnesty
International and a representative of Human Rights Watch
>From 10:45 to 11:00 a.m.: coffee/tea break
>From 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: statement from a representative of the
Human Rights Council of the United Nations
>From 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.: Lunch break
>From 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: indictment
>From 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.: reaction of the defendant
Starting 4:00 p.m.: Jury deliberation
At 5:00 p.m.: Read the verdict
The jury is composed of five people, one from each inhabited continent,
each of them judges by profession.
The entire hearing will be recorded and filmed. The debates will be
translated simultaneously into English, Arabic and French.
Various documents and reports/ratios will be placed at the disposal of
the public. A bookstore will be accessible.
The hearing will take place in a room holding 250 people. Videos will be
shown in an adjoining room.
The "International Jury of Conscience for Lebanon" is a project which
intends to develop the struggle against impunity regarding the crimes
committed, which intends to promote international law and in particular
human rights and which places the respect of fundamental human rights
above any other consideration. The discussion will proceed in greatest
serenity and the publicity that arises from it will reside exclusively
within the framework of human rights. It will question only the facts
that occurred during the conflict of July-August 2006 in connection with
the respect of these rights. This project does not include a political
debate on the question of the relationship between Israel and its
neighbors, nor about the Palestinian question.
*Proposal for setting up an international citizen's tribunal on the
deeds committed by the Israeli army and secret services in Lebanon and
the occupied Palestinian territories *
The deeds committed by the Israeli army and secret services in
Lebanon, as in the occupied Palestinian territories, is a violent
affront to the universal human conscience. These are criminal acts, as
many people feel instinctively. They are different from the acts that
take place in all armed conflict committed by the aggressor as well as
by the aggressed. But feeling is not enough. The facts must be
established. They must then be assessed in light of existing
international law. This should be done with the detachment and rigour
of a process that excludes any a priori conclusions, the results of
which will convince all people of good will.
The international community is not an autonomous political and
juridical body. It is but a summation of positions adopted by a
certain number of governments. In many situations it has proved
incapable of applying existing law by distancing itself from
geopolitical or ideological contingencies. This impunity has covered
up the numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been
committed since the end of the second world war.
The unilateral attitude of the United States of America, like the
double-speak of many European governments, make it necessary for those
defending the law to take the place of failed political powers. The
American administration is against any questioning of Israel's role in
acts committed in Lebanon as well as in the occupied Palestinian
territories. Germany, Great Britain, Finland and France refuse to
support a request formulated at the UN Human Rights Council to
investigate the use by the Israeli armed forces of arms that are
prohibited by international law. The systematic disinformation
practised by an overwhelming majority of the media deprives Western
public opinion of balanced information. All this justifies an
initiative by the citizens themselves.
This initiative must aim at being of the same high quality as the
tribunal initiated by Bertrand Russell during the Vietnam war. It
should be carried out with the same rigour, the same credibility and the
same concern to go beyond divisions which have no place when it is a
question of the rights of people. It must bring together highly
qualified experts and personalities who are universally recognized for
their moral authority. It must not limit itself up to a restricted
circle. For this reason I believe it should not follow in the footsteps
of similar initiatives taken in the past, whatever the quality that such
work has achieved in the past.
Such an action cannot be carried out properly in a hurry. It
requires the formulation of a comprehensive project, together with a
precise timetable, the mobilization of appropriate human and financial
resources and an irreproachable moral framework. These requirements
demand an international mobilization to support such an initiative.
For this purpose we propose that a preparatory committee be set up
which will carry out as rapidly as possible all the tasks necessary for
launching this initiative. We ask your active participation in creating
this preparatory committee.
*Coordinateurs:
*_*Raoul Marc JENNAR*_
chercheur URFIG / Fondation Copernic
consultant de la GUE/NGL au Parlement européen (bureau 4E202)
7, place du Château, F 66500 Mosset
Tél. (PE) : 00 32 2 283 10 43
Tel. : 00 33 468 05 84 25
Port. : 00 33 632 16 65 52
www.urfig.org
raoul.jennar at wanadoo.fr
_*Leila Ghanem*_
Anthropologue
Forum Mondial des Alternatives
Lilia.ghanem at yahoo.fr
Tel Port: 06 15 26 31 14
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*To view the proposal with initial signers, go to
http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/Leb_tribunalcall-0208/*
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