The International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions

The International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions (ICIES) was formed in response to a call by Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General, following the work of an international tribunal to which he referred his indictment of the US government for war crimes in Iraq. The papers in this collection are those of the British Commission of Inquiry, active between 1992-1999, which was formed in response to his call for support organisations for his initiatives to be formed internationally.

Background and assessment of the collection

In 1991, former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark drew up an indictment of the US government for war crimes in Iraq, in pursuit of which he called for the formation of an International War Crimes Tribunal with supporting organisations internationally. The British Commission of Inquiry for this Tribunal, organised hearings in a number of locations in England including Birmingham and Manchester, culminating in the August 1995 London Hearing addressed by a panel of political, cultural and other public personalities, including Ramsey Clark, Tony Benn MP, and Harold Pinter, and attended by over 600 participants.

After the conclusion of the proceedings of this Tribunal, its work was carried forward by the International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions, active 1994-1996, and the British Commission of Inquiry remained active in this further initiative, organising a number of public events in various towns in England. In 1995 alone, the Commission organised three street demonstrations, two major meetings in parliament, initiated the group Women Against the Blockades, and held a major two-day Hearing in London addressed by Ramsey Clark and an impressive panel of international statesmen and stateswomen.

Material in the archive

The items in this collection, which include not only the Commission of Inquiry’s publicly-issued statements and publications but also minutes of its meetings, newsletters and other material, demonstrate how the activities of the ICIES and its precursor organisations laid the political basis for the massive peace demonstrations of the early 2000s which drew in hundreds of thousands of participants.

The Mosquito Press Archive also includes material from other organisations that were active in the peace and solidarity movements during the 1990s. This includes the Hands Off Iraq Committee, the Campaign Against War and Sanctions on Iraq, as well as a very extensive collection of hundreds of leaflets issued by the many other such organisations active during 1990.

Selected documents in the collection

· Proposal for an International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions (ICIES). Spain: Jaime Ballesteros. Britain: Hugh Stephens. 1994?

· International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions (ICIES). Press conference. UN Security Council sanctions on Iraq. Margarita Papandreou. Tony Benn. 2 November 1995. .

· International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions (ICIES). Presidency to meet in London on 19-20 August 1995.

· Meeting of legal experts on economic sanctions. 1-4 [Month?] Geneva 1995.