Lawsuit filed against Aznar for backing war

A group of lawyers, judges and anti-war activists, filed a lawsuit against Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Wednesday, charging that his support for the US-led war on Iraq is illegal.



The groups accuse Aznar of breaking Spanish law by involving
Thousands of Spaniards, mainly students, protest in the streets of Madrid during a spontaneous rally against the war in Iraq

the country in a military conflict without authorisation from both houses

of parliament and the King.



The lawsuit has been filed in Spain’s Supreme Court by the Free Association of Lawyers, Judges for Democracy and other anti-war groups.



It is the latest motion in a series of attempts to attack Aznar’s staunch support for US-led military action.



European parliament member Jose Maria Mendiluce filed similar charges against Aznar late last month, and the Spanish Parliament rejected two opposition motions condemning the war on Tuesday.



An official from Aznar's ruling Popular Party (PP) also expressed resentment on Wednesday.



Jose Miguel Bravo de Laguna, head of the regional parliament for Spain's Canary Islands charged that the US-led war was unjustified, morally indefensible, and had dealt a blow to European unity and to the United Nations.



Justice Minister Jose Maria Michavila dismissed the lawsuits as "unfounded", insisting that the government had acted in

keeping with international law.



Agencies

al-jazeera