War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity by U.S.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the United Nations:

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of the United States, and other interested parties, petition the United Nations, to launch investigations into the involvement of the following members of the United States government in crimes against humanity pursuant to the post-9/11 activities of the United States, both domestically and internationally: President George W. Bush; Vice President Richard B. Cheney; Attorney General John Ashcroft; Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Secretary of State Colin Powell; Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta; Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge; Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Robert C. Bonner; Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Eduardo Aguirre; Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Michael J. Garcia; Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response Michael D. Brown; Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Robert S. Mueller, III; and, other leaders of the various entities of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

International human rights violations have historically been matters of major concern in the United States. Today, we appeal to you, the international community, on behalf of the people of the United States and the international community to investigate the following crimes against humanity sanctioned and carried out by members of the aforementioned regime and its entities, as well as their disregard for the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

1. The unlawful detention of U.S. nationals and foreign nationals in territories occupied by the United States government. These territories include, but are not limited to: Iraq; Afghanistan; and, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Reported abuse, torture, and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of the detainees, as well as recently surfaced reports that said detainees are being denied access to legal council, their families, and are not being informed of the charges against them, should be given merit enough to investigate, as they are clear violations of multiple articles, principles, and standard set forth by the following U.N. sanctions: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners; the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners; the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Under Any From of Detention or Imprisonment; the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War; and, the Declaration on Human Rights of the Individuals who are not nationals of the Country in Which They Live.

2. The public endorsement and passage of a domestic law, the USA PATRIOT Act, and subsequent laws and codes, with the direct intent to curtail the human rights of citizens and aliens in the United States. The rights denied or expressly limited include various sections of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The main law in question, the USA PATRIOT Act, has effectively limited rights to freedom of speech, the press, and assembly, and has been used to take extreme measures against individuals whose political ideals do not coincide with those of the current regime.

3. The unlawful invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation under false pretenses made to the citizens of the United States and various governing bodies therein, as well as the international community. Under strong objection and caution from the United Nations, U.S. President George W. Bush authorized and carried out an invasion of Iraq, which posed no immediate threat either to the United States or any other sovereign nation.

The unsanctioned invasion lead to a high number of civilian casualties in Iraq, to which the government of the United States casually referred to as collateral damage.

The leaders of the United States government publicly acknowledged on numerous occasions this move in their War on Terror was intended: to expel Saddam Hussein, whom they claimed was an imminent threat to U.S. national security; to expel and otherwise kill or detain all Muslim and Islamic extremists, such as members and leaders of Al Qaeda, whom they claimed were allies of Saddam Hussein and being harbored by his regime; and, locate and destroy or disarm all weapons of mass destruction, which they clearly conveyed definitely existed in the country.

In recent weeks, it has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that: Saddam Hussein posed no immediate or imminent threat to the United States; Iraq possessed some components for manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, but had no plans for making them; the Iraqi government, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein had no ties to Al Qaeda; and, the faulty intelligence upon which the government built its initial case against Iraq contained problem areas that should have been easily recognized by the President and his various entities.

Under deep fear of arrest, detention, or other means of extreme persecution for our opposition to the illegal actions of the United States government, we have signed this petition and sent it to you, the members of the United Nations, with the hopes that you will aid us to put an end to the atrocities committed on our behalf and bring freedom, justice, and peace back to the United States.