Indictments Alleging Crimes Against Humanity Served by Citizens’ Delegation on Bush White House Tuesday
On Tuesday afternoon, a set of 5 indictments of indictments alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, in five separate areas, on moral, political, and legal grounds were delivered to the front gate of the Bush White House by a delegation organized by the Bush Crimes Commission.
The delegation included former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, authors Larry Everest and William Blum, and members of Progressive Democrats of America, After Downing Street, Code Pink, Democracy Rising, Spirit House, and World Can’t Wait(Drive Out the Bush Regime.
In front of rolling TV cameras, White House personnel refused to take the indictment papers, first telling the crowd of 40 the reason was ‘security’; when it was pointed out that the envelope was open and they could verify its contents, they said they were ‘not authorized to accept any material for the president from the public.’ In minutes a police hazardous materials squad showed up to examine the plain white envelope left at the gate and carry it off in a plastic bag, eliciting the comment at the press conference, ‘To a government that commits crimes against humanity, the truth is hazmat.’
The indictments (which were also sent by certified mail to the White House, and mailed and hand-delivered to the Department of Justice) allege war crimes and crimes against humanity authorized by the Bush Administration in relation to 5 areas: 1) Wars of Aggression, 2) Torture and Indefinite Detention, 3) Destruction of the Global Environment, 4) Attacks on Global Public Health and Reproductive Rights, 5) Knowing Failure to Protect Life During Hurricane Katrina.
The International Commission of Inquiry’s second tribunal will be held at Riverside Church and the Columbia University Law School in New York, January 20-22. Witnesses will include Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, former British ambassador Craig Murray, former arms inspector Scott Ritter, journalist Dahr Jamail, and many more. The administration has been offered the opportunity to present a defense. For details, go to www.bushcommission.org .