Iraq Veterans Against the War Calls for Prosecution of Bush Administration Officials for War Crimes

At its seventh annual national convention in Austin, Texas, IVAW
called for the prosecution of senior Bush administration officials for
allegedly conspiring to manipulate intelligence in order to justify the
U.S. invasion of Iraq.

IVAW alleges that Bush administration officials conspired to create
the perception that Saddam Hussein presented an imminent threat to the
United States in order to bypass an uncooperative U.N. Security Council
and secure a congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force
against Iraq. The growing body of evidence, including testimony from
British officials in the ongoing Chilcot Inquiry, indicates that Bush
officials could be charged with criminal offenses against the United
States and violations of international law for making false claims to
national self-defense.

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution vests the power to
authorize use of military force in the Legislative Branch, not the
Executive. In order to do so responsibly the Congress must be provided
with accurate and objective intelligence. Bush officials' alleged
distortion of the intelligence picture created a climate of fear and
uncertainty in which the constitutional power of Congress was subverted.

IVAW further alleges that the Bush administration's alterations to
Iraqi laws were made for the intended benefit of U.S. multinational
corporations and are illegal under international law. Efforts to
pressure Iraqi officials to open up the country's oil industry to
foreign investment exacerbated the insurgency and undermined the U.S.
military's ostensible mission there.

IVAW finally asserts that senior Bush officials are responsible for
the illegal treatment of Iraqi and Afghan officials in U.S. custody and
that this treatment was detrimental to the security of American
citizens.

Tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of deaths have resulted from
the Bush administration's disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Millions of Iraqis have been internally displaced and hundreds of
thousands are forced to subsist as refugees in neighboring countries.
Thousands of American men and women have lost their lives and tens of
thousands suffer from wounds sustained while fighting there. Families
and communities across the United States are now suffering from veteran
suicides, homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence. The
long-term cost of this war, including the provision of VA support for
our returning veterans, is estimated to run into the trillions.

It is time for America to hold the officials responsible for this
war to account for their decisions. On behalf of the Iraqis and
Americans who have sacrificed everything to restore stability to Iraq,
IVAW calls for justice.