As U.S. and Iraqi forces close in on Mosul and thousands flee for their lives, adding to the massive wave of refugees escaping warfare in Iraq and Syria, we at CODEPINK are watching the catastrophic consequences of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and asking: What has the senseless US invasion of Iraq cost us? Who should be held accountable for the lies and deception that fueled the invasion? What can we do to create truth and accountability for the 14-year war in Iraq?

We are leading a coalition of groups, activists, witnesses, artists and journalists to document and demand accountability for the lies and costs of the Iraq war. The People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War will place the evidence at President Obama’s feet and demand he appoint a Commission for Truth and Accountability. Join us in calling on Obama to take this step to finally reveal the truth about the Iraq war and its costs.

CODEPINK has launched multiple initiatives to try to heal the damage of 14 years of war in Iraq and the horrors the U.S. government enabled by supporting a sectarian government there. We have demanded an end to military spending and the presence of soldiers and contractors in Iraq. We have built homes for Yazidi women fleeing sex slavery at the hands of ISIS, women who continue to need our support even more now. We’ve organized knitting circles and collected hand-made supplies to provide warmth and comfort to the refugees. And we have repeatedly called for an independent investigation into the lies that lead us to war in Iraq and the cost we’ve paid and continue to pay. Since no interest in such an investigation is forthcoming, the People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War is an opportunity for those impacted by the lies and costs to bear witness to the damage this needless war has inflicted on the world and demand accountability.

You and your community can submit testimony on the costs you know about or find other ways to engage with the tribunal. We are committed that this effort be a pathway to healing and building the anti-war movement we’ll need so desperately in 2017 and beyond.

In solidarity,

Alice, Alli, Aniqa, Ariel, Chelsea, Ciara, Jodie, Mariana, Martha, Max, Medea, Nancy, Paula, Sam and Samira

P.S. Thank you for your unrelenting pressure on the U.S. government to stop supporting Saudi atrocities in Yemen. Thanks to the growing movement to re-examine the toxic U.S.-Saudi connection, the Obama administration put pressure on Saudi Arabia to agree to a ceasefire, and that ceasefire began today! Let’s hope it leads to a peace process that ends another devastating war.