Good News! Evidence and Accountability via the Merchants of Death (War Crimes) Tribunal
Employing the citizenry to hold the powerful to account
[Image: the banner of the website of the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal with images of some participants or supporters added.]
Published: 2023-05-11
Background: Tribunals
The use of Public Tribunals to bring evidence of crimes, often government crimes, to public attention began with the "International War Crimes Tribunal" organized by Bertrand Russel in 1968, commonly known as the "Russel Tribunal". Its purpose was to gather evidence of war crimes committed during the war which was occurring on the territory of Vietnam (the American War, as the Vietnamese refer to it).
Azadeh Shahshahani for the (USA) National Lawyers Guild wrote a brief and extensively referenced paper on a history of public tribunals beginning with the Russel Tribunal. The paper highlights that citizen organized tribunals are a powerful mechanism of raising public awareness about issues of public concern. Although they lack the teeth of a government court, the ability to demand attendance and the ability to issue government enforced punishment, they usually replicate the form of a court. The event is held in a suitable location, providing transcripts and recordings of evidence given and using professional lawyers to define the process and conduct the hearings. If jurors are convened they are usually respected members of the community from a range of backgrounds including legal, religious, elected, and various other professions.
The USA's first amendment provides for both freedom of assembly and freedom of publication (the press). The (USA) National Press Club and some other venues have held what amount to tribunals even if that label has not been used. Examples at the National Press Club would include "9/11 Unanswered Questions" (see Sources) and "National Summit to Reassess the U.S. - Israel ‘Special Relationship’".
Recently, residents in Canada have established the National Citizens Inquiry a citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative that is hearing testimony from Canadians and experts examining the nature, the legality and the effects of the Canadian governments' COVID mandates and restrictions. Again, the term tribunal is not employed, rather inquiry. It is, to all intents and purposes, a traveling tribunal.
Definitions of "tribunal" from three dictionaries are provided in the Annex below for the curious.
The Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal
This article is another follow-up to the "peace" article recently published. It was inspired by an excellent article "War for Profit: A Very Short History" by Brad Williams, published at Common Dreams and republished in ScheerPost.
Being the inquisitive soul that I am I followed the final link in the article to the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal website. There can be found information on the persons behind the organisation, its goals, other organizations supporting their efforts and contact information.
This tribunal would appear to be a combination of the Canadian "Inquiry" and a traditional public tribunal. Evidence is to be gathered ahead of time, presumably in a legal manner (involving a Justice of the Peace). A two day event will be held on the weekend beginning November 11th 2023. On the first day jurors will be presented with the gathered testimony. On the second the jurors will discuss the evidence and offer their opinions and recommendations. The entire event is to be recorded and livestreamed. The location of the event has yet to be published, so no times or timezone information are available.
[Image: partner organisation logos.]
Media/News
A collection of written publications, interviews with persons like Dr. Cornell West and Richard Falk, an interview with tribunal member Kathy Kelly on WBAI and other video clips are available at the tribunal's website.
Should you wish to learn more about the initiative I recommend the video included below, which was taken from their website, in which Bill Quigley, Emeritus Professor of Law and Kathy Kelly peace activist, author and board president of World BEYOND War are interviewed by Massachusetts Peace Action.
Bill remarks that although he has followed Kathy to many dangerous places he knows enough to not follow her in a presentation. To describe the stories that Kathy relates as alarming or impactful would be a serious understatement.
Its all sown up, so why bother?
Given the huge profit margins realized from public funds, USA weapons manufacturers have the wherewithal to pay for influence operations at all of the key pressure points to continue their funding. They have offices in every, or most, depending on the manufacturer, congressional districts. They pay lobbyists to write laws or sections thereof. The pay huge sums to the USA's MSM (commercial media) theoretically for advertising, but in actuality to apply editorial influence.
We all know of Eisenhower's farewell address about the Military Industrial (Congressional) Complex obtaining undue influence whether sought or unsought.
This corruption requires action. It will not solve itself. More correctly, it considers the situation requiring no action at all.
I praise the efforts of those behind the tribunal. I will be watching carefully during and after the tribunal proceedings to observe who reports on it and how.
There are opportunities for all. One could contact the group via their website, join an action/event, or …
Why not create a little event for a few people, to watch the testimony and invite a local journalist along? Maybe a week later hold another gathering to review the opinions and recommendations of the jurists and provide a summary of your responses to that journalist?
Or, forget the journalists, set up your own local newsletter and become the journalist!
Just a thought.
Annex
Here are a collection of definitions of tribunal. Note the variation.
Sources
War for Profit: A Very Short History, Brad Williams, Common Dreams (republished at ScheerPost), 2023-05-09
People’s Tribunals: Holding Power to Account, Azadeh Shahshahani, National Lawyers Guild, 2021-03-??
Against the crime of silence; proceedings of the Russell International War Crimes Tribunal, Stockholm, Copenhagen, International War Crimes Tribunal, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, 1968
Academic References to the Russell International War Crimes Tribunal which are behind paywalls or other restrictions of academic publishers:
NATIONAL SUMMIT TO REASSESS THE U.S. - ISRAEL "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP", 2014-03-07
National Citizens Inquiry - #SolutionsWatch, James Corbett, Corbett Report, 2023-04-25
9/11 unanswered questions, at the National Press Club, 2002-06-10
Jumped to the presentation by John Judge
Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal, Massachusetts Peace Action interview Bill Quigley and Kathy Kelly, Massachusetts Peace Action, uploaded 2023-01-18
Merchants Of Death WBAI Radio Interview December 5 2022, World BEYOND War, their soundcloud channel, uploaded (today [2023-05-11] minus "5 months ago") [the idiots at soundcloud don't provide upload dates]
Culture
Excuse Me Mr., Ben Harper from his 1995 "Fight for Your Mind" album, Virgin, first performed 1993-10-11
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Comments: on topic, no abuse.
We know who bertrand russell was and his communist socialist views and who were those who served in russell tribunal. Who are those from today's "tribunal", a kind of rubbing of the wooden foot. Reiner Fuellmich also mimicked a trial related to the pandemic crimes and nothing happened.