Withdraw Blair’s invitation now – Groups warns NBA

A group of advocates and non-profit organisations have written to the Nigerian Bar Association to withdraw the invitation of a former British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, to the NBA 60th annual conference.

The group made this known in a letter jointly signed by the African Network for the International Criminal Justice, Nigerian Coalition for the International Criminal Court, the Moyo Pan Afrikan Solidarity Centre, the Centre for Labour Studies, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, People’s Alternative Font and the Civil Society Network Against Corruption.

The letter was addressed to the Chairman, Technical Committee on Conference Planning, NBA, Prof. Koyinsola Ajayi, SAN, with the title, ‘Request to Withdraw the Invitation of Tony Blair to 2020 NBA 60th Annual Conference’.

It read in part, “Mr. Blair has been widely accused to have committed war crimes and crimes of aggression in Iraq along with former US President, George W. Bush. Both crimes are international crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

“He has been confirmed by the UK government inquiry into the US/UK-led invasion of Iraq to have lied that Saddam Hussein of Iraq stockpiled weapons of mass destruction when he had intelligence report to the contrary. It was on the basis of those lies that Iraq was invaded in 2003, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.”

The groups added that there had been legal proceedings in the UK as well as widespread legal campaigns around the world, including in Africa, to bring Blair to justice for committing crimes of aggression by invading Iraq in 2003 to overthrow its leader.