Call for support to “The Right to Heal Initiative” to hold the US accountable for the human costs of war – Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI)

A campaign that includes U.S. and Iraqi groups request to take their case to the OAS demanding accountability and reparations from the U.S. for human rights and health crises resulting from the war of 2003 on Iraq.

The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) supports The Right to Heal Initiative which was launched in the 19th of March 2013, on the tenth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Where a group of Iraqi human rights organizations and veterans are coming together to hold the U.S government accountable for the lasting effects of war and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the rights of veterans and civilians to heal.

The initiative calls for Iraqi organizations and individuals to support this campaign and share it with whom it may concern.

For support you can take the following actions:

1. Add your signature to the campaign and show your support of the request for a thematic hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to address our demands, through this link.

2.If you are an organization that would like to endorse this letter and/or this initiative as a whole, please visit this link.

About The Right to Heal

On the tenth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), and the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) launched the Right to Heal Initiative. And represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), on March 19, 2013, they submitted a request for a thematic hearing with the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, where they are seeking an opportunity to present evidence and testimony in Fall 2013.

The U.S. military’s use of certain munitions has an apparent link to high rates of cancer, birth defects and other health issues in communities in Iraq and Afghanistan and among active duty U.S. military personnel and returning veterans.U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have used weapons such as white phosphorous, depleted uranium, cluster bombs and Mark 77 firebombs (which are comparable to napalm). These weapons have been internationally condemned because of the suffering they cause civilians.The U.S. also operated and continues to operate massive “burn pits” to dispose of the majority of the solid waste produced by U.S. forces, which have exposed and continue to expose U.S. soldiers and Iraqi and Afghan civilians to toxic and carcinogenic substances.