After two years of dedication, we are excited to officially announce the launch of the International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades, and Economic Coercive Measures. This project is a first-ever international effort to build systems of accountability—rooted in global cross-movement solidarity—both within and outside of the law, to challenge the violence of imperialism through sanctions. With an impressive group of internationally renowned jurists from across the world, we interrogate sanctions not from the perspective of those who enforce them, but from the perspective of those most impacted by them, namely the peoples of Asia, Africa, and South America. This half-day event took place on January 28, 2023, at People’s Forum located at 320 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018, by an international coalition of over 30 organizations.
The Tribunal will last for approximately six months and will conclude with a closing event hosted by the Simón Bolívar Institute in Caracas, Venezuela in July 2023. The launch event will feature a distinguished group of jurists, scholars, and activists, including: Nina Farnia, Co-chair of the Tribunal Steering Committee & Professor of Law, Albany Law School Niloufer Bhagwat, Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific Brian Becker, ANSWER Collation Mireille Fanon Mendès-France, The Frantz Fanon Foundation Booker Omole, Communist Party of Kenya Carlos Ron, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations for North America Suzanne Adely – President National Lawyers Guild & Tribunal Steering Committee Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, Former United Nations Independent Expert Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz, Historian & Scholar Claudia De La Cruz, People’s Forum Sara Flounders, Sanctions Kill Helyeh Doutaghi, Co-chair of the Tribunal Steering Committee & Adjunct Professor, Carleton University