The International Action Center (IAC) condemns the Trial and Death Sentence For Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein; Join us to Protest U.S. Colonial Injustice, War Crimes, and Crimes of Occupation

Emergency Demonstration:

In New York:
Saturday, December 30
2:00 pm
Times Square Recruiting Station
43rd St. & Broadway
call 212.633.6646 for more information

In Detroit, Michigan:
McNamara Federal Building
Saturday, December 30
4:30 PM
called by Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI)

** The International Action Center urges activists to organize local actions in response to the execution of Saddam Hussein and the continuing occupation of Iraq.  Check the IAC website (www.iacenter.org) for updates on protests and other activities.

The International Action Center (IAC) hold the U.S. government responsible for the decision of the “Iraqi High Tribunal" to carry out the death sentence against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and considers this execution part of the Bush administration’s plan to once again escalate the war.  The timing of the execution was clearly intended to pre-empt news that the death toll of U.S. service people has hit 3,000 while that of Iraqis is in the hundreds of thousands. Such an execution will be another war crime against the Iraqi people.

As we have made clear in prior statements and articles, the IAC does not consider the capture, trial and judgment of the Iraqi president to be legal under international, U.S. or Iraqi law.* This punishment has nothing to do with the alleged crimes of the Iraqi leader nor is it part of an historical judgment of his role. It is the act of a conquering power against a nation that is occupied against the will not only of its 2003 legal government but also against the will of the vast majority of its people.

No authoritative human rights body, including those who were and are opponents and severely hostile to President Saddam Hussein such as the Human Rights Watch, considers his trial fair or the sentence just (see Dec. 27, 2006 statement).

Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a founder of the IAC, who was part of the defense team for Saddam Hussein, told the media after hearing of the plan to execute that "SaddamHussein and his co-defendants are in the custody of the U.S. military in Iraq. They will be turned over to Iraq only on the order of or with the approval of President Bush. His pending decision will have long term consequences for the peace and stability of Iraq, and for the rule of law as a means to peace."

The Bush administration is preparing to announce its “new strategy” toward Iraq. This follows the November mid-term elections, which were an anti-war statement by the U.S. electorate. It follows the publication of the Iraq Study Group’s report, which was a recognition that the U.S. occupation of Iraq had collapsed and that disaster was near.

The execution of Saddam Hussein is a clear sign that the Bush administration is looking not to negotiate a way for the U.S. to leave Iraq, but is instead sending a signal that it will continue the war and escalate it despite the impending disaster. This conclusion is all the more obvious, as it accompanies the news out of Iraq that U.S. and puppet Iraqi troops are attacking, arresting and killing members and leaders of the Mahdi Army, led by Moqtada al-Sadr.

We in the IAC say no to the execution of Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants, no to the escalation of the Iraq war that will mean more deaths for Iraqis and for U.S. troops and for an intensified mobilization to stop the occupation of Iraq. We applaud the decision of the MECAWI organization in Michigan to call a protest outside of the McNamara Federal Building at 4:30 PM on the day the lynching of Saddam Hussein is set to be carried out.

*The following are URLS for prior statements on the trial and impending execution of Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi leaders:

Illegal and unfair trials of President Saddam Hussein and others by the Iraqi Special Tribunal...
RAMSEY CLARK
October 10, 2006 Memorandum with Exhibits for Each...
URL: http://www.iacenter.org/Iraq/hussein-2-102006.htm - 25KB - 14 Oct 2006

Verdict of the U.S. Occupation Court
Verdict of the U.S. Occupation Court - International Action Center Statement - November 06-06
URL: http://www.iacenter.org/Iraq/hussein_verdict-11-2006.htm - 9KB - 08 Nov 2006
 
Demonize to Colonize
Demonize to Colonize by Ramsey Clark "In the determination of any criminal charge ... everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by...
URL: http://www.iacenter.org/Iraq/rc-demonize2004.htm - 19KB - 28 Nov 2005

Ramsey Clark: Why I'm Willing to Defend Hussein
Why I'm Willing to Defend Hussein by Ramsey Clark Published on Monday, January 24, 2005 by the Los Angeles Times Late last month, I traveled...
URL: http://www.iacenter.org/Iraq/rc_whydefend-sh012405.htm - 13KB - 28 Nov 2005

The Trial of Saddam Hussein / Anti-war Movement Must Reject Colonial 'Justice'
The Trial of Saddam Hussein / Anti-war Movement Must Reject Colonial 'Justice' Le procès de Saddam, justice coloniale By Sara Flounders,...
URL: http://www.iacenter.org/Iraq/iraq_shtrial2005.htm - 34KB - 28 Jan 2006