PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday July 7th

Privatisation of Iraq on Trial
- POSSIBLY POSTPONED

In amendment to earlier press releases sent out regarding the trial of peace activists Pennie Quinton and Ewa Jasiewicz, charged with aggravated trespass of the Iraq Procurement Conference, expect to have their trial adjourned tomorrow (Thursday 8th of July) to a later date .
This is due to the Crown’s failure to disclose related materials concerning their arrest. The Crown will also need more time to respond to the political nature of the defence’s arguments.

The Iraq Procurement Conference was sponsored by Erinys, the oil giants Chevron, Exxon and Shell plus arms dealers Raytheon. The conference was supposed to serve three purposes:

(i) To allow the suppliers of goods and services to meet.
(ii) To form partnering agreements.
(iii) To sign procurement contracts.

The conference website described the event as, ‘not a talking shop but a place where deals are made and contracts signed’.

During the protest the pair unravelled banners and addressed the delegates, as collaborators, complicit in massacres in Iraq. They went on to declare the conference illegal under international law.

The defendants have been charged with 'disrupt[ing] a lawful meeting’
The defence will argue that the meeting was not a lawful event as it was facilitating acts of pillage - illegal under the Hague Regulations of 1907 which Britain and the US are both signatories to.
In a leaked memo dated March 26th 2003, UK Attorney General, Lord Peter Goldsmith advised Prime Minister Blair that in his view, 'the imposition of major structural economic reforms would not be authorised under international law'. (Source: Guardian, 7 November 2003, ‘Pillage is forbidden: Why the privatisation of Iraq is illegal’ Aaron Mate).

The defendants have asked the Attorney General to give evidence. It is not yet known whether he will attend.
Expert legal evidence plus statements of Governing Council ministers declaring the Privatisation plans as coercive and illegal will also be heard.

This case will set a legal precedent by putting the pillage of Iraq on trial. The defendants hope the court will rule that the conference was unlawful based on international law.

The new trial date will be announced tomorrow.

Friday’s solidarity picket and breakfast is postponed along with the trial.


For information, contact the defendants - Ewa at  freelance@mailworks.org or Pennie at  pennieq@yahoo.com.