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NEW YORK - June 20 - Deep Dish TV, the first grassroots television network in the United States, will provide a global satellite uplink of the 16th and final session of the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) to be held in Istanbul, Turkey June 24-27, 2005.
Deep Dish is offering all media outlets a free one hour program for television or audio downlink each of the four days of the conference.
Program Availability * U.S. TV Broadcasts: To date the program is scheduled to be aired in the U.S at 8pm (EST) on Free Speech TV (Dish Network Channel 9415) and on over 100 public access stations throughout the U.S. * Satellite Downlink Coordinates and Times are attached to this release. All downlinks are free to all media outlets. * Web Streaming: The four one hour daily programs will be streamed on the Internet at http://www.deepdishtv.org and http://www.freespeech.org * DVDs of the programming will be available to journalists at the conclusion of the Istanbul World Tribunal on Iraq from Deep Dish TV. (212 473 8933) – deepdish@igc.org – 339 Lafayette St. New York NY 10012.
Press briefings and Interviews In addition to offering daily program coverage, Deep Dish will arrange for individual press briefings and interviews with World Tribunal participants, including distinguished members of the Panel of Jurists, expert witnesses, eyewitness journalists and Iraqi victims who are scheduled to testify.
The World Tribunal on Iraq The final session of the WTI in Istanbul is the culmination of two years of rigorous investigation documenting violations of international law and human rights by the United States and its allies leading up to and during the invasion of Iraq and in the continuing occupation. Previous sessions of the WTI have been held in Barcelona, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Rome, Genoa, Seoul, Osaka, Hiroshima, Mexico City, Mumbai and New York. They have compiled a definitive historical record of evidence on the illegality of the invasion and occupation. For a summary of the testimony and verdicts of these WTI sessions see http://www.worldtribunal.org
Hilal Kuey, the spokesperson for the upcoming WTI in Turkey stated, “Since the U.S. administration does not recognize the International Criminal Court … the citizens of the world have undertaken an initiative to reclaim justice. The world is calling for Bush and Blair to be held accountable for the crimes committed in Iraq.”
The Istanbul session of the WTI will summarize and present further testimony on the illegality and criminal violations in the U.S. pretexts for and conduct of this war. The expert opinion, witness testimony, video and image evidence will address:
- The torture of prisoners’
- The unlawful imprisonment of Iraqi civilians without charges or legal defense;
- The use and health risks of depleted uranium weapons;
- The effects of the war on Iraq’s infrastructure, including the U.S. mandated privatization and sale of Iraq’s industries.
- The destruction of Iraqi cultural institutions and the liability of the invaders in international law for failing to protect these treasures of humanity.
WTI Participants WTI witnesses and jurors will include: Booker Award-winning author and activist Arundhati Roy; professor of international law Richard Falk; former assistant UN Secretary general Denis Halliday; former UN weapons inspector Hans von Sponeck; Baskin Oran, professor and member of the Human Rights Advisory Council in Turkey; Iraqi museum founder and curator Amal Al Khedairy; and journalist Dahr Jamail. A complete listing of sessions and speakers, along with additional background information on The World Tribunal on Iraq can be found at www.deepdishtv.org. A documentary on the New York World Tribunal is also available on the web site.
The WTI and Mounting Opposition to the War The Istanbul Tribunal occurs at a time of growing crisis for the U.S. – UK war. In Washington, Congress people are demanding the Administration explain the “Downing Street” memo which strongly indicates that it had planned the war long before and had manipulated or manufactured “intelligence” to create a public justification. Meanwhile polls show a drastic decline in Americans’ support of the war. The evidence presented at the final session of the Tribunal in Istanbul will likely add to this momentum.
Bush and Blair Invited to Appear in Istanbul On May 17 a formal letter was delivered to the White House and U.S. and UK embassies in capitals around the world—including Istanbul, Tokyo, Lisbon, and Brussels—on behalf of the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI). The summons requested the attendance of President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to defend charges that they are in “violation of common values of humanity, international treaties, and international law” for waging war in Iraq. The summons was signed by leading international figures, including international legal scholar Richard Falk and former Assistant UN Secretary General Dennis Halliday. White House press secretary Scott McLellan denied any knowledge of the summons. President Bush is not expected to attend.
Deep Dish TV is a not for profit television production company based in New York City. For over 15 years it has produced and delivered programming via satellite to hundreds of outlets around the world. http://www.deepdishtv.org
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