Darren Johnson, Green Party Mayoral Candidate will tell CND supporters tomorrow at Friends Meeting House that Blair and Hoon would resign if they had any integrity and Allied leaders should face a war crimes tribunal – similar to those set up after the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan Genocide in the 1990s – to answer charges of systematic violations of humanitarian and human rights law in the ongoing occupation of Iraq.
Darren Johnson said "The images we see coming out of Iraq daily are horrific – there can now be no doubt that Iraqi prisoners are being abused and civilians are being killed by allied forces with apparent impunity. There is a complete breakdown of trust in the ability of the US and UK to deal with the current situation in Iraq."
Darren Johnson added: "The UN must be given immediate access to all prisoners held in Iraq and the allegations must be brought out into the open at an appropriate war crimes tribunal with the likes of Donald Rumsfeld and Geoff Hoon in the dock – not a handful of scapegoated soldiers paying the penalty.
"Only then can we rid us of the idea that war crimes prosecutions are only for the less powerful countries."
The Green Party together with CND, CATT, Greenpeace and Mark Thomas founded the White Ribbon Campaign after commissioning Matrix Chambers for an opinion on the legality of the war. Rabinder Singh QC and other top international lawyers confirmed that the war was illegal and that proceeding should begin in the International Criminal Court. Unlike the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party has consistently campaigned against the war in Iraq. Caroline Lucas, Green MEP is one of the Vice Presidents of the Stop the War Coalition and Greens have played an active part in organizing the demonstrations whereby 2 million people marched in London.
Darren concluded, "Much as I respect Ken Livingstone’s personal commitment and pronouncements on the illegality of the war in Iraq, I find it astonishing that he has been able to reconcile his personal beliefs by rejoining the pro-privatisation, pro- war Labour Party and standing as the official Labour candidate in these mayoral elections."
NOTES TO EDITORS
· Darren Johnson is 38 and was selected as the Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of London in May 2003. He was elected to the London Assembly in May 2000 where he is Leader of the Green Party Group. He was also elected to Lewisham Council in May 2002.
· The Mayoral election will be held on June 10th at the same time as the elections for the London Assembly and the European Parliament. At the last Assembly elections the Greens scored one of their best ever results in the Party’s history, securing 11.1% of the vote across London and winning three seats on the 25-member Assembly.
· Darren Johnson’s vision for a sustainable Green London can be found on his website www.johnsonformayor.org.uk
· Jean Lambert is London’s Green Member of the European Parliament and she is No 1 on the list for the London Green Party. Her website is www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk
· Green Party Assembly Members are Cllr. Darren Johnson AM, Deputy Mayor Jenny Jones AM and Noel Lynch AM
· Biographies for all candidates are available from London Press Officer, Penny Kemp 07711 760692 or penny.kemp@virgin.net
· Published and promoted by Chris Cotton on behalf of London Green Party both at 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ
· Printed by Penny Kemp, Press Officer on behalf of London Green Party at 1a Waterlow Rd, London N19 5NJ
Further information, interviews: Penny Kemp 07711 760692