UN tribunal a “victor’s court”

“He is telling me that he will prove his innocence by truth and that he is proud of what he had done and that he had been saving the Serb people from slaughter by Muslims and Croats,” Karadzic’s lawyer Sveta Vujacic said of the man who was a fugitive from justice from more than 12 years before he was arrested Monday on a Belgrade bus.”

Radovan Karadzic, under indictment for war crimes, arrested after 13 years in hiding.

If you ask two of my closest friends what country they come from they will always reply ‘the former Yugoslavia’ and never Bosina. It always starts an interesting conversation.

 

I met them over ten years ago and have, ever since, been the willing recipient of the most valuable kind of pedagogy, beget not from books or written by some armchair historian or politician but from first hand experience.

 

I sometimes forget what they’ve been through. Sometimes it’s like they were never there, that the stories told were of two other sisters from a family of Christians Muslims, Bosnians and Serbs that were all ripped apart and who all suffered; they were just the raconteurs.

 

“He’s hiding in Belgrade, it’s the only way he could get away with it without being caught”. Just last week she again reafirmed her premonition. Now, here we are; the day after. Radovan Karadzic, or ’Dragan Dabic’ as he came to be known as in the Belgrade suburb he made his home, has been arrested following 13 years in hiding. It is fitting that the man said to be responsible for the genocide of 8,000 Bosnians in Srebrenicia is captured only a few days following the commeration of those that died in the massacre. Reports have surfaced that Karadzic eluded the world by using fake documents and growing his hair and beard…whilst trading as a doctor in alternative medicine. Oh the irony.

Read more here about his life a health advisor.

 

But the pessimist in me feels it’s all a little too good to be true; are we being naive? Surely ‘Dabic’ must have been a well known secret within the small traditional community he was found in? He wasn’t hiding in the Afghan mountain or a hole in the north of Iraq; ‘they’ always knew where he was. And the know where Mladic is too, he’ll be next. Why now? Has the Serbian government given Karadzic up so as gazump Russia, Turkey, Bosnia, Croatia to an EU membership? What deals were made behind closed doors? Does justice prevail because we live in a righteous world and because leaders have a concience or has it become nothing more than a tool used to exploit?

 

As David Crane, professor at Syracuse University and former U.N. prosecutor who indicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor stated: “It always boils down to politics, the legal aspects may be relatively clear, but turning over senior government officials or a head of state is purely a political decision.”

 

Questions for a different day perhaps.

 

The Hauge, and the world, now awaits the trial of Karadzic and the tales that will come with his indictment. Under the last ammendment by the United Nations war crimes tribunal Karadzic will be charged with 15 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes aginst humanity.

 

Karadzic lawyer, Sveta Vujacic, said Karadzic would fight extradition to the Netherlands – he has three days to appeal the ruling. There have been protests by Serbian nationalists against his arrest. 

 

Under an indictment last amended in May 2000, the United Nations war crimes tribunal charged former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic with 15 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed between 1992 to 1996. Here is a summary:

“They are criminally responsible for the unlawful confinement, murder, rape, sexual assault, torture, beating, robbery and inhumane treatment of civilians; the targeting of political leaders, intellectuals and professionals; the unlawful deportation and transfer of civilians; the unlawful shelling of civilians; the unlawful appropriation and plunder of real and personal property; the destruction of homes and businesses; and the destruction of places of worship.”

“Thousands of Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat civilians, including women, children and elderly persons, were detained … for protracted periods of time. They were not afforded judicial process and their internment was not justified by military necessity. They were detained, in large measure, because of their national, religious and political identity. The conditions in the detention facilities were inhumane and brutal …”

“In many instances, women and girls who were detained were raped at the camps or taken from the detention centers and raped or otherwise sexually abused at other locations. Daily food rations provided to detainees were inadequate and often amounted to starvation rations. Medical care for the detainees was insufficient or nonexistent and the general hygienic conditions were grossly inadequate.”

“Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, individually and in concert with others, planned, instigated, ordered or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning, preparation or execution of unlawful attacks against the civilian population and individual civilians with weapons such as mortars, rockets and artillery.”

“Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, individually and in concert with others planned, instigated, ordered or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning, preparation or execution of the destruction of sacred sites or knew or had reason to know that subordinates were about to damage or destroy these sites or had done so and failed to take necessary and reasonable measures to prevent them from doing so or to punish the perpetrators thereof.”

“Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, individually and in concert with others planned, instigated, ordered or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning, preparation or execution of the taking of civilians, that is UN peacekeepers, as hostages and, additionally, using them as ‘human shields’.”

Whatever the niggling questions, at least there’ll be some sort of symbolic justice served to all those that suffered when he’s tried on a world stage – unless he dies of a mysterious illness.   

 

But, let us not forget the millions that have witnessed, lived and died through such crimes as listed above and will never see any justice of the kind.

 

 

 

 

Samir Kuntar and Lebanese prisoners receive a heroes’ welcome

The bodies of nearly 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters, returned as part of an exchange deal with Israel, are heading towards Beirut from southern Lebanon:

Samir Kuntar’s family await his return

Families await remains from prisoner exchange with Israel

Omar Khadr – Teenager cries in Guantanamo interrogation video

A shocking video has been released, from 2003, showing a child soldier crying uncontrollably whilst being questioned by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Omar Khadr, who was 15 at the time of his capture in 2002, was accused of killing a US soldier during a battle in Afghanistan.

I’ve linked in the full 10 minute video below in which he can be heard begging for help and pulling up his orange prison clothing to display his scars and bullet wounds.

Disturbingly he can also be heard crying “I lost my eyes. I lost my feet. Everything”.

A Canadian federal judge ordered documents regarding Khadr to be released to his Lawyers last month after deeming them to violate international laws on human rights.

His US Lawyer, Lieutenant-Commander Bill Kuebler, who released the disturbing footage, described Khadr as a “frightened, wounded, 15-year-old boy … who sat slumped against a bush while a battle raged around him.”

In the US version of events Khadr was the lone survivor of a US attack on an Al-Qaeda compound, killing a US soldier with a grenade.

This account has been questioned. Earlier this year it was revealed a US military commander had altered reports on the firefight and that it was not known who threw the grenade.

Omar Khadr on the other hand was shot three times by the US military, is blind in one eye and is said to be losing sight in his second eye to embedded shrapnel. He was only saved from execution when Delta Force soldiers intervened.

It is perhaps interesting to note that the USA (and Somalia) are the only UN members not to have ratified the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. There are up to 8 child prisoners in Guantanamo with only two currently facing charges.

The CSIS interrogation was questioned back in 2003 when Kahdr’s Canadian Lawyers, according to Amnesty International, “filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government, arguing that the authorities had violated the Canadian Constitution by “participating in interviews or interrogations without a lawyer being present, without [Omar Khadr] being allowed access to consular representation to get advice, without him being allowed to speak to family and friends”.

The same Amnesty International report details how Khadr alleged that:

• He asked for pain medication for his wounds but was refused
• During interrogations a bag was placed over his head and US personnel brought military dogs into the room to frighten him;Cold water was thrown on him;
• His hands were tied above a door frame and he was forced to stand in this position for hours;
• He was not allowed to use the bathroom and was forced to urinate on himself.
• He was shackled by his hands and feet to a bolt in the floor and left for five to six hours; occasionally a US officer would enter the room to laugh at him;
• He was kept in extremely cold rooms;
• He was lifted up by the neck while shackled, and then dropped to the floor;
• He was beaten by guards;
• He had a finger pressed into a pressure point in his neck, causing severe pain and inability to breathe.

Amnesty released a further statement today calling for “Khadr to be repatriated to Canada immediately.”

A trial by military commission has been set for October the 8th 2008, even though he was a child at the time of the alleged crime.

The New Yorker front page: Obama as Osama…racist or satire?

The American magazine, The New Yorker, has been condemned for its front page publication depicting a flag burning Barack Obama as Osama Bin Laden fist bumping his wife, who is also depicted as a modern day Angela Davis.

Bill Burton, Obama’s campaign spokesperson, has called the illustration tasteless:

“The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama’s right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.”

Obama refused to comment when initially confronted with the July the 21st edition of the New Yorker by a CBS journalist on Sunday evening.

Barry Blitt has since defended his illustration, titled ‘The Politics of Fear’, which accompanied a 15 page article entitled “How Chicago shaped Obama”.

“I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is.”

Yet it appears that any reference to the distortion of fear mongering the picture is attempting to portray has been omitted. Without such clarification satire is lost on many.

Although The New Yorker is well known for its support of Obama this appears to be a misjudgment on their part. The illustration strikes me as sensationalist and the magazine has failed to account for the thousands that will see the front cover and not bother to read the words inside.

Furthermore, the covert reference to race could be misinterpreted by the wrong audience.

Far more will see the illustration in a 2-dimensional framework rather than its intended empirical meaning.

The New Yorker is sending out the following automatic response to queries regarding the illustration:

“About this week”s issue: Our cover, “The Politics of Fear,” combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are. The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall” all of them echo one attack or another. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that’s the spirit of this cover.”

Disney Land in Iraq?!

Iraq needs Basic electricity, water and reconstruction…not a ridiculous theme park.

The Baghdad Blogger, ‘Salam Pax’ writes about plans for an amusement park in the middle of Baghdad:

Extract:

[...] The Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience is going to cost $500 million. “A $1 million skateboard park, the first phase of the development, will open in July.” July? Really? One other thing baffles me with this statement: the skateboard park. You would be really hard pressed to find kids with skateboards in Baghdad, not really a popular sport. Many don’t even know what skateboarding is and $1 million are being spent on this park? [...]

France rejects Muslim woman over ‘radical practice’ of Islam

An article in the Guardian here (title above) reveals how a Muslim woman’s application for citizenship has been rejected by France due to the ‘radical practice of her religion’.

The Lady in question, Fazia M, challenged the ruling claiming it contravened the right to freedom of religion which is guaranteed by the French constitution.

From what I have read in the article there is absolutely no suggestion that the way in which Fazia M chooses to interpret her religion puts any individual or the country at risk. If a woman is denied citizenship on the grounds that she submits to her husband than surely France is making a very broad statement which can be applied to millions of women? The only time (hypothetically speaking) France should even consider using such claims as justification to discriminate against people is when they have completely eradicated inequality amongst the sexes within society.

The Council of State stated in a ruling:

“She lives in total submission to her male relatives,”

“She seems to find this normal and the idea of challenging it has never crossed her mind.”

Are women paid the same in the work place? If not should the government all be extradited? Or if a woman does not challenge this because it is all she has known is she to blame? Do women still suffer from domestic violence? And if they do do we choose to shut the door on them?

Fazia M, of Moroccan origin, speaks fluent French, has three children born in France and is married to a French national and only began wearing the Burqa when she moved to France. Would this type of discrimination against other religion be tolerated?

I believe that everyone has a right to openly question and critique all religions and ideologies but such cases do nothing to dispel the notion that Islamophobia has become the last form of acceptable racism.

Srebrenica – 13 years on

During the 1992-95 Bosnian war, the United Nations declared Srebrenica — which had been besieged by Serb forces throughout the war — a U.N.-protected safe area for civilians. A number Bosnians flocked there for protection.

But in July 1995, Serb troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic overran the enclave. The outnumbered U.N. troops never fired a shot. They watched as Mladic’s troops rounded up the entire population of Srebrenica and took the men away for execution.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, has ruled that the Srebrenica massacre was genocide. It has been described by former Secretary General Kofi Annan as the darkest page in U.N. history.

Predicatable result? David Davis first in bye-election

Davis wins with 71.6% of the votes…turnout down…Green Party Second with 7.4%. National Front came fourth with 2.3% of the results, Miss Great Britain Party Fifth.

Was there any point? Has this effected the governments anti-Liberty legislations?

Where’s the 42 Days detention limit public debate? Did the Lib Dems and Labour make the right decision not to stand?

Does anyone care?

David Davis (Conservative) 17113 (71.6%)
Shan Oakes (Green) 1758 (7.4%)
Joanne Robinson (Eng Dem) 1714 (7.2%)
Tess Culnane (Nat Front) 544 (2.3%)
Gemma Garrett (Miss GB) 521 (2.2%)
Jill Saward (Independent) 492 (2.1%)
Mad Cow-Girl (OMRLP) 412 (1.7%)
Walter Sweeney (Independent) 238 (1.0%)
John Nicholson (Independent) 162 (0.7%)
David Craig (Independent) 135 (0.6%)
David Pinder (New Party) 135 (0.6%)
David Icke (No description) 110 (0.5%)
Hamish Howitt (F4C) 91 (0.4%)
Chris Talbot (Soc Equality) 84 (0.4%)
Grace Astley (Independent) 77 (0.3%)
George Hargreaves (Christian) 76 (0.3%)
David Bishop (Militant Elvis) 44 (0.2%)
John Upex (Independent) 38 (0.2%)
Greg Wood (Independent) 32 (0.1%)
Eamonn Fitzpatrick (Independent) 31 (0.1%)
Ronnie Carroll (Make Politicians History) 29 (0.1%)
Thomas Darwood (Independent) 25 (0.1%)
Christopher Foren (Independent) 23 (0.1%)
Herbert Crossman (Independent) 11 (0.0%)
Tony Farnon (Independent) 8 (0.0%)
Norman Scarth (Independent) 8 (0.0%)
Majority: 15335 (64.2%)

The devil wears grey suits – Primark controversy

Primark Ethics

I spotted this sign in a Primark window put up, no doubt, as a response to all the recent documentaries calling Primark’s ethics into question.

Many well-meaning people have since called for a boycott of Primark’s goods.

Now, I could be totally wrong but, alone, this strikes me as an idealistic response that rids the government of any responsibility. I am a stern believer in collectivism but it must be understood within its context and coupled with other actions.

There’s a reason why people shop at Primark and it’s not because of the delicate stitching and long lasting quality. People shop there because it’s cheap. You try telling people living on Hull’s council estates that they should cease paying £8 for a pair of skinnies and dish out £80 for a pair of ethical jeans – it’s not going to happen.

The turn over of fashion is immense; you can buy a top that no-one would be seen wearing a month later. Therefore, cheap child/slave labour will continue in the current free market model as long as this intense demand for fashion exists.

The same issue arose with Nike back in 2000 where details emerged in a panorama documentary titled ‘No Sweat’ of the child labour that was being exploited to make their goods. As with primark people demanded that we boycott Nike – look where that got them: Nike’s profits rose by 28%. True it did raise awareness and Nike made a concerted effort to ensure that the opportunity for a repeat of such bad publicity was eliminated but it hasn’t rid the world of the problem. Primark, Nike, Gap or any other company will continue to seek mass suply as long as there is a demand. This demand will persist unless we witness a culture change that runs against the increasing current of globalisation.

Boycotting goods are good for highlighting issues but to effect real change we need to be demanding our government looks to deal with the root cause of the issue rather than attempt to remedy them as and when they come.

We also need to ask ourselves what sort of world we want to live in and and whether our consciences will rest knowing we’re contributing to the poor living standards of many people across the globe.

There is one other option: We could all follow in the footsteps of Neil Boorman who burnt all his branded clothes and created a brand free shopping guide.