Malaysian war crimes tribunal to hear complaints against Bush and Blair
Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad today launched a war tribunal that plans to hold trials based on complaints by Iraqis and Palestinians against world leaders including Tony Blair and US President George Bush.
The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, which opened with a preliminary meeting, would not have the legal authority of an international organisation and could not impose penalties, but its main aim is to condemn leaders in history books.
The nine-member tribunal is tasked with hearing cases recommended to it by a separate commission chaired by Mahathir.
The commission today received its first petition signed by 10 people who called themselves victims of crimes against humanity, mostly in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestinian territories.
“We of the commission look upon these (cases) as a human tragedy, not confined to any particular race, religion, creed or faith,” Mahathir told more than 1,000 peace activists.
It is not clear how long the commission will take to investigate the petition before the tribunal can start working.
Most of the tribunal members are Malaysian legal experts and former judges, including chairman Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, a former judge in Malaysia’s highest court.
