A million Iraqis have died, leaving millions orphaned and widowed. The war and occupation have made as many as four million people into refugees.

The whole infrastructure of Iraq has been devastated by the occupation. Our heritage has been looted and destroyed, the environment has been poisoned and vital water sources have been lost.

Iraq used to be the breadbasket of the region—now once fertile lands are in danger of being transformed into a desert. Children are growing up suffering from disease and deformities.

Sectarianism has been elevated to all state institutions and the country is dangerously fragmented. Corruption is rife—government officials have been caught taking bribes of millions of dollars from foreign companies.

Iraq’s precious oil resources have been auctioned off to the highest bidder. Meanwhile the profits of private security companies have soared.

Ordinary Iraqis who have suffered the most from the illegal war and occupation are left to cope with living under the threat of violence.

Unemployment now stands at 50 percent in a country where infrastructure has been shattered.

Yet despite everything the Iraqi people will continue with their determined struggle to reject the occupation and build a democratic, free Iraq.'

Peter Brierley whose son Shaun was killed in Iraq in 2003

'We’ve been saying what has now come out of the Chilcot inquiry for the last six years. The decision to go to war was made years before it was announced, it was illegal, and it was to depose Saddam Hussein.

They denied it all this time, and now it’s out.

But that isn’t enough. The only acceptable outcome is for Tony Blair to face investigation for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

When he gives evidence Blair will deny these things. Unless they put charges to Blair, the inquiry is in disrepute.

The Iraqi people should have a voice too, to come and give evidence. It wasn’t just people who were killed—a whole country was destroyed.

Every other day there seems to be a bombing or something similar in Baghdad.

The violence only exists because of the instability war has created.

We went and met with John Chilcot along with other military families before the inquiry started.

I met him individually and he said that if anything illegal came out in the inquiry he wouldn’t hesitate to pass it on.

Well now it has come out of their own mouths that it was for regime change.

Since I refused to shake Blair’s hand, he seems a bit different.

People used to say you’ll never get what you want, but he’s looking less cocky now, less confident.

We won’t stop until we get him—and until we get justice.'

Jan. 31, 2010

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