HC Deb 10 June 1991 vol 192 c416W
Mr. Winnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on bringing Saddam Hussein to justice for crimes against humanity.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 7 May, Iraqi leaders bear personal responsibility under international law for their actions. This principle was reiterated in United Nations Security Council resolution 674. In the case of both the Geneva conventions of 1949 and the genocide convention of 1948, Iraqi leaders can, in law, be brought to national court or international tribunal. We and our EC partners have asked the United Nations Secretary-General to investigate how this might be achieved.