There is a tiny chance Tony Blair could face prosecution for his role in the Iraq War
Earlier in the week it was widely reported that the International Criminal Court had already ruled out prosecuting Blair, however Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the ICC has now clarified the court's position.
According to the Times, Bensouda says that the ICC can investigate anyone accused of war crimes.
However for Blair to be prosecuted, there would have to be hard evidence that Blair knew about, and approved, any war crimes that took place on the ground in Iraq. The ICC would only be able to prosecute Blair if Britain refused to investigate such allegations.
So there is a possibility, albeit incredibly slim, that Blair may face prosecution. Despite this, a high ranked QC has suggested that it would be a "legal impossibility" to do so.
Despite the belief that there is some means for Blair to be prosecuted for war crimes, Geoffrey Robertson, a former United Nations appeal judge says that it is impossible that it will happen.
"This hypothetical, however engaging for television, is a legal impossibility. We need to concentrate on how the law should be changed to ensure that future leaders who wage wars of aggression can be brought to account," Robertson wrote in the Guardian on Tuesday.
Even though it seems highly unlikely that Blair will be prosecuted, protestors have gathered outside the former Labour leader's house on Wednesday to demand his trial.
179 British troops died during the 2003 invasion in Iraq and since then, 251,000 combatants and civilians in total have been killed in the country, according to the database The Iraq Body Count.
A range of politicians, including current Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and former SNP chief Alex Salmond have already hinted that their response to the much anticipated Chilcot Report will be to call for Blair's prosecution for war crimes. The families of many of those who died during the war have also called for Blair to be prosecuted.
"I just think it was all based on lies. I think everything that comes out of that man's mouth has been a lie regarding Iraq. I think the people who lied should be held to account for what they have done," said Karen Thornton, the mother of Lee Thornton who was killed in 2006, on BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier on Wednesday, according to the Daily Telegraph.
When asked what that would mean, she said: "Charged with war crimes. They are responsible for the deaths of so many people."
You can follow Business Insider's live coverage of the Chilcot Report here.
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- Foreign tourist arrivals in India will cross pre-pandemic level in 2024
- Upcoming smartphones launching in India in May 2024
- Markets rebound in early trade amid global rally, buying in ICICI Bank and Reliance
- Women in Leadership
- Rupee declines 5 paise to 83.43 against US dollar in early trade
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market