AGENDA FOR THE “JUSTICE ROBERT H. JACKSON CONFERENCE”: PLANNING FOR THE PROSECUTION OF HIGH LEVEL AMERICAN WAR CRIMINALS
September 13 – 14, 2008 Andover, Massachusetts
Registration details available at: http://war-crimes.info
“The common sense of mankind demands that law shall not stop with the punishment of petty crimes by little people. It must also reach men who possess themselves of great power and make deliberate and concerted use of it to set in motion evils which leave no home in the world untouched.”
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“The Charter of this Tribunal evidences a faith that the law is not only to govern the conduct of little men, but that even rulers are, as Lord Chief Justice Coke put it to King James, ‘under God and the law.'”
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“And let me make clear that while this law is first applied against German aggressors, the law includes, and if it is to serve a useful purpose it must condemn aggression by any other nations, including those which sit here now in judgment.”
From Opening Statement of The Chief Prosecutor, Supreme Justice Robert H. Jackson, at Nuremberg.
“The same disaster has now happened twice in forty years, in Viet Nam and Iraq. It must never happen again. As at Nuremberg, we need to take steps to insure that leaders will never do it again.”
Saturday – – 9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks Brief introductory remarks stressing that crimes and misconduct have now occurred twice in forty years – – in Viet Nam and then again in Iraq – – and the high level perpetrators need to be punished (as occurred at Nuremberg and Tokyo in 1945 and 1946) in order to insure that people will not do these things again (as the Germans and Japanese have not committed their crimes again). Speaker: Lawrence R. Velvel, Dean of the Massachusetts School of Law
9:30 a.m. Panel Discussion And Subsequent Audience Participation On: The Crimes Of Torture And Degrading And Abusive Conduct, And Perpetrators and Punishments.” Speakers: Joshua Dratel, Esq. Christopher Pyle, Mount Holyoke College Philippe Sands, University College London
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Panel Discussion And Subsequent Audience Participation On: “Crimes Against the Peace – – Preemptive War And Aggressive War.” Speakers: Amy Bartholomew, Carleton College Jordan Paust, University of Houston Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army and author of “Dissent”
12:15 noon Luncheon
1:00 p.m. Panel Discussion And Subsequent Audience Participation On: “Murder, Conspiracy To Defraud the United States, and Various Other Domestic Crimes Under State and Federal Laws.” Speaker: Vincent Bugliosi, former prosecutor and author of “Prosecuting George W. Bush For Murder”
2:15 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. Panel Discussion And Subsequent Audience Participation On: “The Torture Team: The Actions of Bush Administration Lawyers, Their Criminal Liabilities, And Potential Disbarment.” Speakers: Ben Davis, University of Toledo Joshua Dratel, Esq. Barbara Olshansky, Stanford Law School Philippe Sands, University College London
3:45 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. Panel Discussion And Subsequent Audience Participation On: “Existing And Potential Domestic, Foreign and International Court Cases On Torture, Rendition, and War.” Speakers: Barbara Olshansky, Stanford University Laura Rotolo, ACLU Jordan Paust, University of Houston Peter Weiss, Center for Constitutional Rights
Sunday — 9:00 a.m. Sunday Forum I Topic for Panel and Audience: What must be done to make the question of prosecutions an issue in the fall political campaign and to have the question become a significant subject in the media and on the internet. Speakers: Vincent Bugliosi, author of “Prosecuting George W. Bush For Murder” Colleen Costello, Human Rights USA David Lindorff, Journalist David Swanson, Activist
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Roundtable Discussion Open microphone for group representatives present to discuss their organizations, plans and potential activities.
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:15 p.m. Sunday Forum II Topics for Panel and Audience:
A. Creating an umbrella coordinating committee with representatives from various organizations, including those that are already involved in cases.
B. Creating a Center to keep track of and organize relevant briefs, articles, books, opinions, facts, etc.
C. The possibility of having a Chief Prosecutor’s office a la Nuremberg.
Vincent Bugliosi, author of “Prosecuting George W. Bush For Murder” Harold Burbank, Esq. Colleen Costello, Human Rights USA Laura Rotolo, ACLU David Swanson, Activist Peter Weiss, Center for Constitutional Rights
1:30 p.m. Final Review and Event Summary
