by Charles Pottins
At a secular Passover seder night arranged by the Jewish Socialists' Group yesterday evening, we followed the custom of drinking four glasses of wine and toasting persons proposed by guests.
The first name proposed and toasted was that of Malcolm Kendall-Smith, a Flight Lieutenant with the RAF, and doctor, who has been jailed for 8 months for refusing to go to Iraq on the grounds that the war there was illegal. You can e-mail your messages of support for him to justin@roselaw.co.uk.
The following statement from Kendall-Smith appeared on the front-page of
the Independent (thanks to Brian in Milton Keynes for sending me this).:
"I have been convicted and sentenced, a very distressing experience. But I
still believe I was right to make the stand that I did and refuse to follow
orders to deploy to Iraq - orders I believe were illegal. I am resigned to
what may happen to me in the next few months. I shall remain resilient and
true to my beliefs which, I believe, are shared by so many others."
"Iraq was the only reason I could not follow the order to deploy. As a
commissioned officer, I am required to consider every order given to me.
Further, I am required to consider the legality of such an order not only as
to its effect on domestic but also international law. I was subjected, as
was the entire population, to propaganda depicting force against Iraq to be
lawful. I have studied in very great depth the various commentaries and
briefing notes, including one prepared by the Attorney General, and in
particular the main note to the PM dated 7 March 2003. I have satisfied
myself that the actions of the armed forces with the deployment of troops
were an illegal act - as indeed was the conflict. To comply with an order
that I believe unlawful places me in breach of domestic and international
law, something I am not prepared to do."
"The invasion and occupation of Iraq is a campaign of imperial military
conquest and falls into the category of criminal acts. I would have had
criminal responsibility vicariously if I had gone to Iraq. I still have two
great loves in life - medicine and the RAF. To take the decision that I did
caused great sadness, but I had no other choice."