IRELAND: The conduct of the Government in supporting US war preparations is similar to that of a criminal under Irish law, according to over 70 lawyers.
The lawyers, 24 solicitors and 52 barristers, drawn mainly from among criminal law practitioners, said in a statement that the proposed war, and what they described as Ireland's support for it, were in breach of the principles of domestic and international law.
A spokesman for the group, Mr Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha BL, said that most lawyers would prefer to avoid public political debate.
"However, silence is not a reasonable option due the extent of the violence threatened, the extremity of the consequences and the Irish Government's ambiguous words and practical support for the US preparations for war. Unless we speak out, we bear responsibility for the practical consequences," he said.
"In Ireland, when force is used without justification, anyone who knowingly helps another to cause serious harm or death is liable to be convicted and imprisoned.
"The US is preparing to use unreasonable force, causing the deaths of thousands of innocent people in breach of fundamental principles of international law."
These stated that force should not be used unless a threat was imminent, all other means had been exhausted and the force used was proportionate to the imminent danger.