In the wake of the release of 400,000 documents by Wikileaks, the United Nations has called on U.S. President Barack Obama to order a full investigation of crimes committed against the Iraqi people following the invasion and occupation that was directed by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. UN special rapporteur on torture Manfred Nowak declared that the Obama administration had a legal and moral obligation to fully investigate credible claims of US forces' complicity in torture. Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister in the UK has, in the wake of the recent revelations, also called for an investigation into the reports of mass torture disclosed in the newly released documents.
The released intelligence logs prove that the Bush administration concealed tens of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths, that Blackwater and other mercenaries hired by the Bush administration committed grievous crimes against civilians and that U.S. authorities concealed rather than investigated hundreds of reports of abuse, torture, rape and murder by Iraqi police and soldiers whose conduct was systematic at they acted as proxy forces for the U.S. military.
A refusal to investigate, Mr Nowak suggested, would be a failure of the Obama government to meet its obligations under international law.
In response to these explosive revelations, the IndictBushNow movement is launching a new, massive, nationwide and international campaign that will highlight the imperative need to hold Bush Administration officials accountable for criminal acts. We need your support now!
Ramsey Clark, when he was recently chosen as chairperson of an international campaign to investigate Bush-era war crimes, emphasized that it is the imperative responsibility of the American people to relentlessly pursue this investigation, and to seek prosecution and indictment inside of the United States.
The release of the 400,000 documents paints a grotesque and lurid picture of murder, systematic abuse, brutality and torture. These crimes didn’t just happen accidentally or aberationally. Bush and Cheney gave a green light to and sanctioned the worst criminal acts under the banner of the “war on terror,” as a matter of policy in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
It is up to each and every one of to act. To demand accountability. To defend the constitution and to make certain that it is impossible to sweep Bush-era war crimes under the rug.
IndictBushNow announced today that it is launching a major lobbying initiative, media campaign and grassroots outreach effort that can reach people in all fifty states. We will be initiating major call-in days to congressional offices, rallies, petition drives, and taking out newspaper ads. We are asking everone to seize the momentum and support this effort to indict Bush.
We encourage you to use the video clip of the interview with Brian Becker of the ANSWER Coalition that articulates the need for the American people to demand the investigation, indictment and prosecution of George W. Bush for crimes against humanity. You can forward this interview to your friends on email lists and through Facebook.
Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General has led the way in this historic effort.
To you and other IndictBushNow supporters, Mr. Clark states: “This effort can succeed because of the work of thousands of people here and around the world who are unflagging in their pursuit of justice and government accountability. This is a struggle that will be defining not only for this but for future generations. The outcome will send a message to current and future leaders that criminal conduct will never be tolerated or condoned.”