Indict.org.uk
Title
Indict - Home
Description
INDICT was established in late 1996 to campaign for the creation of an ad hoc International Criminal Tribunal - similar to those established for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda - to try leading members of the former Iraqi regime on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and torture. The campaign was launched in the House of Commons and in the US Senate and remained dependent on voluntary donations and assistance until it was awarded a financial grant through the Iraq Liberation Act, passed by the US Congress in December 1998, which allocated funds to various Iraqi opposition groups and specifically allocated money for war crimes issues.
Despite overwhelming evidence that Saddam Hussein and other members of his regime committed such crimes, the UN Security Council has failed to respond to the demands of the victims for justice. The proposed permanent International Criminal Court will not have jurisdiction over the crimes already committed by Hussein and his henchmen, who continued to violate human rights until the regime fell.
Faced with these obstacles, in 1999 INDICT began to focus on collecting evidence to seek indictments by national prosecutors. The arrest in October 1998 of former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet in the UK, based on a warrant issued by a Spanish judge, showed that prosecution of crimes against humanity could occur anywhere - when law enforcement authorities are willing to take action.
