Respect international law: Amnesty

LONDON, March 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Leading representatives of international human rights group Amnesty International are Sunday, March 30, to deliver a petition to British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling on forces involved in the Iraq invasion to abide by international law.

"We ask for an immediate assurance that U.K. forces will abide by international law. Blair must do everything in his power to get a similar assurance from his coalition partners," Amnesty's Secretary General Irene Khan said in a statement, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Amnesty International bosses from Chile, Israel, Tunisia, Japan, the United States and Britain were expected to arrive at Blair's official residence in London around 1200 GMT to hand over the petition on behalf of Amnesty's 1.6 million members worldwide.

"The section directors who are in London represent all of Amnesty's 1.6 million members," spokesman Alistair Hodgett told AFP.

"My knowledge is that has never happened before. I don't think they (the directors) have issued a statement all together representing all the countries, all the 1.6 million members."

The petition also calls for an immediate investigation into allegations of unlawful killings by both sides involved in the war, reported AFP.

It also demands to know what steps have been taken to limit civilian casualties, including an assurance that indiscriminate weapons, such as cluster bombs and land mines, will not be used in battle.

Amnesty is asking the U.S. and British forces to account for war crimes including the targeting of the Iraqi national TV building.

Neil Durkin, spokesman for Amnesty, said: "You simply cannot target civilian resources and buildings. It's a breach of the Geneva Convention. It has to be justified. Was (the building) being used for military purposes?"

Claudio Cordone, senior director for international law at the London-based group, said in a statement.  "Attacking a civilian object and carrying out a disproportionate attack are war crimes," she said.

"The onus is on the coalition forces to demonstrate the military use of the TV station and, if that is indeed the case, to show that the attack took into account the risk to civilian lives," Cordone said.

Khan added: "The rights and needs of the Iraqi people must be put first in this conflict and its aftermath. The U.K. government and its coalition partners will be judged by the extent to which they do this.

"Together we represent over 1.6 million Amnesty International members who are watching the conflict in Iraq and are gravely concerned that human rights are not being respected." (Click here for Amnesty's 10 point appeal to all parties attacking Iraq.)

On Wednesday, March 26, AI issued a statement saying: "As fighting increasingly moves into urban areas it is essential that the military authorities step up their attempts to protect civilians."

"We have seen reports from Basra of the impact that urban warfare can have on civilians and we are seeking explicit information from the military authorities on the steps they have taken to minimize civilian casualties," Amnesty said.

The organization called on "all parties" in the conflict to "adhere strictly to the rules of international humanitarian law regarding the protection of civilians or civilian objects."

Amnesty said there should be "no direct attack on civilians or civilian objects" and "no attack on the infrastructure even if used for military purposes."

It also warned against "attacks on media outlets solely because they are being used for propaganda purposes," concluding that all parties should refrain from using civilians as 'human shields'.

The use of indiscriminate weapons in the war on Iraq was also denounced by Amnesty International, on Thursday, March 27.

The organization reiterated its call to the U.S., U.K. and Iraqi authorities to immediately halt the use of "weapons which are inherently indiscriminate or otherwise prohibited under international humanitarian law".

Both U.S. and U.K. officials have refused to rule out the use of cluster bombs. Amnesty International's concern is heightened as allegations emerge that cluster bombs have been dropped on Basra and may be responsible for civilian deaths and injuries.

Cluster bombs release numerous bomb lets over a large area. At least 5% of these 'dud' bomb lets do not explode upon impact, turning them into de facto anti-personnel mines because they continue to pose a threat to people, including civilians, who come into contact with them.

"An immediate moratorium on the use of cluster weapons must be established because such weapons present a high risk of violating the prohibition on indiscriminate military attacks," Amnesty International said.

"The 'dud' bomb lets remain a continued threat to people, including civilians on the move, who suffer loss of life and limb when coming into contact with them."

Iraqi troops were reportedly laying anti-personnel mines and using landmine booby-traps in southern Iraq. There have been other reports that Iraqi forces were laying mines around Kirkuk in the north and elsewhere in the country.

The U.S. Pentagon has stated that "it retains the right to use landmines." The International Campaign to Ban Landmines has stated that the U.S. has already deployed about 90,000 landmines to the region for possible use in Iraq. U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair has so far refused to rule out the use of cluster bombs by U.K. forces.

Amnesty International also said Monday, March 24, that it feared the spread of humanitarian crises in Iraq such as the situation in the besieged southern city of Basra, whose residents have been without water for over a week.

"We are concerned that the situation in Basra may be mirrored in other cities and regions in Iraq," Amnesty said in a press statement released in London.

The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Monday that Basra, a city of 1.2 million people, "may be facing a humanitarian disaster," prompting United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to call for the warring parties to restore water and electricity as soon as possible.

Amnesty added: "With the escalation of military activity in Iraq it is vital that the health and safety of ordinary civilians is given increasing consideration."