CAIRO – The CIA is cooperating with Palestinian security agents to torture Hamas activists and sympathizers in the West Bank prisons, the Guardian reported.
"There is a connection, but there is no supervision by the Americans," Palestinian Authority’s interior minister Sa'id Abu-Ali said.
"It is solely a Palestinian affair. But the Americans help us."
CIA agents were reportedly working closely with Palestinian security forces to torture Hamas sympathizers in the West Bank prisons.
The Guardian named the Preventive Security Organization (PSO) and General Intelligence Service (GI) as the two Palestinian agencies working closely with the CIA.
"The [Central Intelligence] Agency consider them as their property, those two Palestinian services," a senior Western diplomat said.
The CIA links to the two Palestinian agencies are so close to be seen as supervising their work.
A diplomatic source said the US influence over the two agencies was so great they could be considered "an advanced arm of the war on terror".
Between 400 and 500 Hamas sympathisers are held by the PSO and GI, according to Palestinian officials.
International human rights groups have accused Palestinian security forces of abusing and torturing Hamas detainees in the West Bank.
They say the detainees were severely beaten and tortured in the Palestinian Authority prisons, citing a torture technique known as shabeh, during which detainees are shackled and forced to assume painful positions for long periods.
Among the techniques are also sleep deprivation and cramming the detainees into small cells to prevent rest.
Hamas detainees are also being tried before military justice, under which they are held without charges for six months before being brought to court.
Three Hamas sympathizers have died in the custody of the Palestinian Authority.
Haitham Amr, a 33-year-old nurse and Hamas supporter, died in the Palestinian Authority custody, four days after his detention.
Extensive bruising around his kidneys suggested he had been beaten to death.
US Hand
Human rights groups blame the US administration for the mistreatment of Hamas detainees in the West Bank prisons.
"The Americans could stop it any time,” Shawan Jabarin, general director of Palestinian rights watchdog al-Haq, told the Guardian.
“All they would have to do is go to [prime minister] Salam Fayyad and tell him they were making it an issue.. Then they could deal with the specifics.
“They could tell him that detainees needed to be brought promptly before the courts."
The CIA does not deny working with Palestinian security forces, but denies turning a blind eye to abuses of Hamas detainees.
But a diplomat in the region insists that CIA agents were “at the very least” aware of the torture of Hamas detainees and did not do enough to stop it.
"There are a number of questions for the US administration: what is their objective, what are their rules of engagement?
“Do they train the GI and PSO according to the manual which was established by the previous administration, including water-boarding? Are they in control, or are they just witnessing?"
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Israel, Israelkritik, Antisemitism, Antisemitismen, Politik, Ockupationspolitik, Sverige, Sionism, Sionismen, Sionister, Ockupation, Mänskliga Rättigheter, Palestina, bosättare, bosättningar, CIA, terror, torture, rendition, detention, interrogation, terror suspects, al-Qaeda suspects, hemliga fängelser, Fatah, Palestinian security forces
fredag 18 december 2009
fredag 2 oktober 2009
Netherlands defends deadly airstrike in Afghanistan
Netherlands defends deadly airstrike in Afghanistan
The Dutch military defends a decision to order an air strike in southern Afghanistan that resulted in the loss of dozens of civilian lives pinning the blame on Taliban.
14 people, including, six children and three women were killed in the strike on Wednesday.
The Dutch defense ministry said on Thursday that the F-16 bomber had been called in to provide air support to NATO troops fighting Taliban insurgents in Helmand province.
Dutch military chief of staff Peter van Uhm, speaking in Kabul, defended the lethal airstrike saying the Dutch pilot observed all regulations.
He also reiterated that the responsibility for the civilian casualties lied with the Taliban insurgents, not with NATO forces in the insurgency-hit country.
The indiscriminate air strikes by US-led forces has so far killed hundreds of civilians in the country.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) "recorded 1,500 civilian casualties between January and August, with August being the deadliest month since the beginning of 2009," according to its statement issued on September 25.
More than 1,500 civilians have been killed in the first six months of 2009, which shows a 24 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the latest UN report.
Nearly a quarter of civilian deaths have been blamed on US-led airstrikes across the war-torn country over the past months.
The raids have drawn condemnation form the Afghan government and public. The developments also come as evidences of friction have emerged between the Kabul government and Washington over the increasing number of civilian causalities over the past years.
The deadly air raids come at a time when the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said that investigators are studying evidence of alleged crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.
Despite the presence of over 100,000 troops in the war-torn country, Afghanistan is witnessing the highest level of violence since the 2001 US invasion of the impoverished country.
A security map by the London-based International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) has recently showed a deepening security crisis with substantial Taliban activity in at least 97 percent of the war-ravaged country.
The top US general in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, has expressed serious concerns over the growing Taliban insurgency in the war-ravaged country.
McChrystal, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, told military and defense experts Thursday at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London that the situation was serious and time was running out.
"The situation is serious and I choose that word very, very carefully."
The insurgency has skyrocketed in southern and eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban has stepped up attacks against the coalition troops with roadside bombs and ambushes.
Pressure is mounting on the US and its Western allies to pull troops out of the country amid rising troops and civilians' causalities.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om AFGHANISTAN, ICC, CIVILA OFFER I AFGHANISTAN, CIVILA I AFGHANISTAN, Natoattack i Afghanistan, Natoattack, krigsbrott i Afghanistan, Politik, Terrorism, valfusk i Afghanistan
The Dutch military defends a decision to order an air strike in southern Afghanistan that resulted in the loss of dozens of civilian lives pinning the blame on Taliban.
14 people, including, six children and three women were killed in the strike on Wednesday.
The Dutch defense ministry said on Thursday that the F-16 bomber had been called in to provide air support to NATO troops fighting Taliban insurgents in Helmand province.
Dutch military chief of staff Peter van Uhm, speaking in Kabul, defended the lethal airstrike saying the Dutch pilot observed all regulations.
He also reiterated that the responsibility for the civilian casualties lied with the Taliban insurgents, not with NATO forces in the insurgency-hit country.
The indiscriminate air strikes by US-led forces has so far killed hundreds of civilians in the country.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) "recorded 1,500 civilian casualties between January and August, with August being the deadliest month since the beginning of 2009," according to its statement issued on September 25.
More than 1,500 civilians have been killed in the first six months of 2009, which shows a 24 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the latest UN report.
Nearly a quarter of civilian deaths have been blamed on US-led airstrikes across the war-torn country over the past months.
The raids have drawn condemnation form the Afghan government and public. The developments also come as evidences of friction have emerged between the Kabul government and Washington over the increasing number of civilian causalities over the past years.
The deadly air raids come at a time when the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said that investigators are studying evidence of alleged crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.
Despite the presence of over 100,000 troops in the war-torn country, Afghanistan is witnessing the highest level of violence since the 2001 US invasion of the impoverished country.
A security map by the London-based International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) has recently showed a deepening security crisis with substantial Taliban activity in at least 97 percent of the war-ravaged country.
The top US general in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, has expressed serious concerns over the growing Taliban insurgency in the war-ravaged country.
McChrystal, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, told military and defense experts Thursday at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London that the situation was serious and time was running out.
"The situation is serious and I choose that word very, very carefully."
The insurgency has skyrocketed in southern and eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban has stepped up attacks against the coalition troops with roadside bombs and ambushes.
Pressure is mounting on the US and its Western allies to pull troops out of the country amid rising troops and civilians' causalities.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om AFGHANISTAN, ICC, CIVILA OFFER I AFGHANISTAN, CIVILA I AFGHANISTAN, Natoattack i Afghanistan, Natoattack, krigsbrott i Afghanistan, Politik, Terrorism, valfusk i Afghanistan
torsdag 17 september 2009
Israel Criminal State
Israel Criminal State: Israelis
"It's time that the Israel and international societies start to treat Israel like a criminal state,” said Pollak.
CAIRO — As Tel Aviv struggles to contain the international aftermath of the UN damning report over the deadly offensive in Gaza Strip, an inner storm is evolving with Israeli rights and political activists slamming their own country as a criminal state and calling for punishing it.
"It's time that the Israel and international societies start to treat Israel like a criminal state and a serial violator of international laws and Palestinian rights,” left-wing activist Yonatan Pollak told Yediot Ahronot daily on Wednesday, September 16.
Contrary to outraged official Israeli response to the UN fact-finding mission report issued Tuesday, which accused Israeli army of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead, Israeli rights activists welcomed the report and called for accountability.
Pollak, who testified before the Goldstone committee, affirmed that the official claims of bias are unfounded and called for stern international sanctions against “criminal” Israel.
Killed by Israel, Eaten by Dogs
"Dad, I'm Dying"
Palestinian Holocaust Museum
The international society should “impose on it a boycott, sanctions and the withdrawal of investments, just as was the case with the apartheid regime in South Africa."
Majd Bader, of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said the report should be a wake up call for Israel.
“Israel should wake up and take it upon itself to investigate the claims," said Bader.
Balad party chairman, Jamal Zahalka, believes that in the light of the report, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak should be sent to International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague immediately.
"The conclusion from the report," he added, "is that [there should be] an international trial for those responsible for war crimes in Gaza starting with the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, down to operational commanders.
"It is not possible that someone who causes the death of more than 1,000 civilians will not pay the price."
Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the Gaza onslaught eight months ago.
While Israel claims 300 civilians were killed, a Gaza observer group has said over 900 of the dead were innocent civilians.
Frantic Campaign
Israel launched a frantic diplomatic campaign to prevent the ramifications of the UN report.
The salvos opened at home come as Israel launched a frantic diplomatic campaign to prevent the UN report from being brought before the Security Council and from there to the ICC.
"The goal is to avoid a slippery slope which would lead Israel to the International Criminal Court in The Hague," a senior Israeli staffer told Haaretz.
The Hague-based court investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed on the territory of, or by a national of a state.
A coalition of 350 European and Arab civil society organizations has already filed a lawsuit with the ICC against Israel over war crimes in Gaza.
On September 29, the UN Human Rights Council, which appointed Goldstone, will be convening in Geneva for a special session on the report.
Israeli officials said they expect Arab states will begin to prepare a draft resolution which will call for the report to be transferred to the UN Security Council.
In their worst-case scenario, the Security Council could decide to transfer the matter to the ICC, which could issue international arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials who were involved in the military onslaught.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman, President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have already started telephoning their counterparts around the world to handle the report ramifications.
They will focus on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - but will also give priority to members of the European Union, because of their influence in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Israeli leaders will ask their counterparts to express disagreement with the report and to oppose any use of it as the basis for anti-Israel resolutions.
"It will be a long diplomatic and legal campaign," said a senior Israeli staffer handling the Goldstone report.
"We will involve our friends around the world, especially the United States, to prevent Israel's isolation."
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Israel, Israelkritik, Antisemitism, Antisemitismen, Politik, Ockupationspolitik, Sverige, Sionism, Sionismen, Sionister, Ockupation, Mänskliga Rättigheter, Palestina, bosättare, bosättningar
"It's time that the Israel and international societies start to treat Israel like a criminal state,” said Pollak.
CAIRO — As Tel Aviv struggles to contain the international aftermath of the UN damning report over the deadly offensive in Gaza Strip, an inner storm is evolving with Israeli rights and political activists slamming their own country as a criminal state and calling for punishing it.
"It's time that the Israel and international societies start to treat Israel like a criminal state and a serial violator of international laws and Palestinian rights,” left-wing activist Yonatan Pollak told Yediot Ahronot daily on Wednesday, September 16.
Contrary to outraged official Israeli response to the UN fact-finding mission report issued Tuesday, which accused Israeli army of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead, Israeli rights activists welcomed the report and called for accountability.
Pollak, who testified before the Goldstone committee, affirmed that the official claims of bias are unfounded and called for stern international sanctions against “criminal” Israel.
Killed by Israel, Eaten by Dogs
"Dad, I'm Dying"
Palestinian Holocaust Museum
The international society should “impose on it a boycott, sanctions and the withdrawal of investments, just as was the case with the apartheid regime in South Africa."
Majd Bader, of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said the report should be a wake up call for Israel.
“Israel should wake up and take it upon itself to investigate the claims," said Bader.
Balad party chairman, Jamal Zahalka, believes that in the light of the report, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak should be sent to International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague immediately.
"The conclusion from the report," he added, "is that [there should be] an international trial for those responsible for war crimes in Gaza starting with the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, down to operational commanders.
"It is not possible that someone who causes the death of more than 1,000 civilians will not pay the price."
Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the Gaza onslaught eight months ago.
While Israel claims 300 civilians were killed, a Gaza observer group has said over 900 of the dead were innocent civilians.
Frantic Campaign
Israel launched a frantic diplomatic campaign to prevent the ramifications of the UN report.
The salvos opened at home come as Israel launched a frantic diplomatic campaign to prevent the UN report from being brought before the Security Council and from there to the ICC.
"The goal is to avoid a slippery slope which would lead Israel to the International Criminal Court in The Hague," a senior Israeli staffer told Haaretz.
The Hague-based court investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed on the territory of, or by a national of a state.
A coalition of 350 European and Arab civil society organizations has already filed a lawsuit with the ICC against Israel over war crimes in Gaza.
On September 29, the UN Human Rights Council, which appointed Goldstone, will be convening in Geneva for a special session on the report.
Israeli officials said they expect Arab states will begin to prepare a draft resolution which will call for the report to be transferred to the UN Security Council.
In their worst-case scenario, the Security Council could decide to transfer the matter to the ICC, which could issue international arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials who were involved in the military onslaught.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman, President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have already started telephoning their counterparts around the world to handle the report ramifications.
They will focus on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - but will also give priority to members of the European Union, because of their influence in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Israeli leaders will ask their counterparts to express disagreement with the report and to oppose any use of it as the basis for anti-Israel resolutions.
"It will be a long diplomatic and legal campaign," said a senior Israeli staffer handling the Goldstone report.
"We will involve our friends around the world, especially the United States, to prevent Israel's isolation."
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Israel, Israelkritik, Antisemitism, Antisemitismen, Politik, Ockupationspolitik, Sverige, Sionism, Sionismen, Sionister, Ockupation, Mänskliga Rättigheter, Palestina, bosättare, bosättningar
torsdag 10 september 2009
New Jewish organ theft gang busted
New Jewish organ theft gang busted
The Jewish group is said to be connected to Israeli rabbi Levy Rosenbaum, who was recently arrested for direct importing human organs.
New reports have surfaced on the arrest of yet another Jewish organ trading gang in the United States involved in the abduction of Algerian children.
Dr. Mustafa Khayatti, the head of the Algerian National Committee for the Development of Health Research, revealed on Sunday that the New York city police have arrested members of a Jewish gang who abducted Algerian children for their organs.
Khayatti said the arrests came after Interpol found that children in western Algeria were abducted and taken to Morocco to have their kidneys harvested.
Their organs were later trafficked to the United States and Israel and sold for $20,000 to $100,000 each.
The group is said to be connected to Israeli rabbi Levi Rosenbaum, who was recently arrested in New Jersey for direct involvement in importing human organs.
Following Rosenbaum's arrest, US authorities detained some 44 others, including rabbis and mayors in New Jersey, who were prosecuted for money laundering and human organs trade.
Last month, a report published in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, accused Israeli soldiers of kidnapping Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip for their organs, indicating a possible link between the Israeli military and the mafia of human organs detected in the US.
Some Arab countries have called for an international inquiry into the allegations.
PRESS-TV
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om organhandel, Israel och organhandel, Mellanöstern, Israel, Palestina, antisemitism, ockupation, palestina, Aftonbladet, Donald Boström, intifada, Illegal Organ Trade, Illegal human organ, israel organ trade
The Jewish group is said to be connected to Israeli rabbi Levy Rosenbaum, who was recently arrested for direct importing human organs.
New reports have surfaced on the arrest of yet another Jewish organ trading gang in the United States involved in the abduction of Algerian children.
Dr. Mustafa Khayatti, the head of the Algerian National Committee for the Development of Health Research, revealed on Sunday that the New York city police have arrested members of a Jewish gang who abducted Algerian children for their organs.
Khayatti said the arrests came after Interpol found that children in western Algeria were abducted and taken to Morocco to have their kidneys harvested.
Their organs were later trafficked to the United States and Israel and sold for $20,000 to $100,000 each.
The group is said to be connected to Israeli rabbi Levi Rosenbaum, who was recently arrested in New Jersey for direct involvement in importing human organs.
Following Rosenbaum's arrest, US authorities detained some 44 others, including rabbis and mayors in New Jersey, who were prosecuted for money laundering and human organs trade.
Last month, a report published in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, accused Israeli soldiers of kidnapping Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip for their organs, indicating a possible link between the Israeli military and the mafia of human organs detected in the US.
Some Arab countries have called for an international inquiry into the allegations.
PRESS-TV
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om organhandel, Israel och organhandel, Mellanöstern, Israel, Palestina, antisemitism, ockupation, palestina, Aftonbladet, Donald Boström, intifada, Illegal Organ Trade, Illegal human organ, israel organ trade
måndag 7 september 2009
Israel Steals Body Parts
Israel Steals Body Parts: Palestinians
IOL
"I don't know for sure why they are refusing to hand him over to us to bury him,” Fawzi told IOL about the body of his slain son.
RAMALLAH – The controversy triggered by a Swedish newspaper report about Israel’s harvesting of Palestinian organs has salted the wounds of many Palestinian families haunted by the memories of loved ones who suffered the same fate.
“They claimed they came to arrest him, but in truth they came to murder him, which they did,” Walid Masalmeh, a resident of the small West Bank town of Dura, 10 kilometer west of Al-Khalil (Hebron), said about his relative Bassam.
In 1995, Bassam was killed by the Israeli army at the village of Beit Awwa, located near the former armistice line between the West Bank and what is now Israel.
“But 24 hours later they returned the body with a huge scar running from the chin to the lower abdomen,” Walid remembers.
“They took all the vital organs, including the heart, kidneys, Liver. Then they stuffed the empty cavities with garbage before sewing him up.”
Several other Palestinians gave a similar narrative, recounting how they received the bodies of their murdered relatives, mostly men in their early twenties, with vital organs taken away by the Israeli authorities.
Israeli occupation authorities don’t deny that the bodies of victims were returned to their respective families minus the internal organs, but claim that the organs were disposed of as part of routine autopsy operations.
“I am not a medical doctor, but I do know that an autopsy is performed to establish the cause of death,” says Walid.
“In Bassam’s case, and hundreds of similar cases, the cause of death is known too well since the victims were killed by the Israeli occupation army.”
The Swedish mass circulation Aftonbladet published last month a report accusing Israeli troops of killing Palestinians and then harvesting their organs.
Israeli officials have dismissed the report as anti-Semitic and have been piling up pressures on the Swedish government to condemn it.
Stockholm has so far remained steadfast, insisting it was in no position to interfere with its free media.
Held Bodies
“These people have no morality, save the morality of murder and lies," Shahin said about Israeli authorities still holding the body of his son.
Majed Abu Dush was assassinated by Israeli death squads west of Al-Khalil in 2002.
But Israeli authorities are still keeping his body.
"I don't know for sure why they are refusing to hand him over to us to bury him,” his tearful father Fawzi told IOL.
“This makes me think that there is a foul play."
Fawzi has been petitioning Palestinian Authority (PA) officials, including Premier Salam Fayyad, to press the Israeli government to release the detained bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.
Over the years, the Israeli occupation army killed thousands of Palestinians, hundreds of them children, and in many cases the bodies were buried in unknown graves or remained “imprisoned” in refrigerators.
Israel has also been detaining the corpses of Palestinian fighters killed in combat with its forces to inflict maximum emotional pain on their families.
Mustafa Shahin suspects that Israeli authorities might have harvested the organs of his son, whom they killed in 2003.
"What would prevent Israel from doing the worst thing that comes to your mind,” he fumed.
“These people have no morality, save the morality of murder and lies."
According to Shahin and Abu Dush, Israel is detaining the bodies of at least 48 young Palestinians killed by its army in recent years, all of them from the al-Khalil region alone.
The overall number of detained corpses of Palestinian victims is believed to be in the hundreds.
Bad Record
Indeed, the Aftonbladet report was by no means the first revelation of its kind concerning Israeli violations of bodies of Palestinian victims.
In January 2002, an Israeli cabinet minister, Nessim Dahan, tacitly admitted during a routine questioning in the Knesset that certain organs from the bodies of Palestinians might have been used for Jewish transplant patients without the knowledge of the victims’ families.
Dahan said he couldn’t confirm or deny that organs taken form Palestinian victims were used for transplant or in scientific research.
Arab Knesset member Ahmed Teibi, who questioned Dahan at the time, told IOL the Israeli minister of health “was hedging and wouldn’t give a clear answer.”
Late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had openly accused the Israeli army and medical authorities of harvesting the organs of Palestinian victims.
“They murder our kids and use their organs as spare parts,” Arafat told Al-Jazeera in 2002, showing pictures of the bodies of Palestinian children killed and badly mutilated by the Israeli army.
In 1998, Israeli medical authorities brashly stole body organs from a Scottish tourist named Alistair Sinclair who died under mysterious circumstances at the Ben Gurion Airport.
Sinclair’s family reportedly sued Israel upon finding that their son’s heart and other organs were missing.
According to one report, a heart and organs were sent to his mother who didn’t believe that these were her son’s.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om 1. Organhandel, Israel och organhandel, Mellanöstern, Israel, Palestina, antisemitism, ockupation, palestina, Aftonbladet, Donald Boström, intifada, Illegal Organ Trade, Illegal human organ, israel organ trade
IOL
"I don't know for sure why they are refusing to hand him over to us to bury him,” Fawzi told IOL about the body of his slain son.
RAMALLAH – The controversy triggered by a Swedish newspaper report about Israel’s harvesting of Palestinian organs has salted the wounds of many Palestinian families haunted by the memories of loved ones who suffered the same fate.
“They claimed they came to arrest him, but in truth they came to murder him, which they did,” Walid Masalmeh, a resident of the small West Bank town of Dura, 10 kilometer west of Al-Khalil (Hebron), said about his relative Bassam.
In 1995, Bassam was killed by the Israeli army at the village of Beit Awwa, located near the former armistice line between the West Bank and what is now Israel.
“But 24 hours later they returned the body with a huge scar running from the chin to the lower abdomen,” Walid remembers.
“They took all the vital organs, including the heart, kidneys, Liver. Then they stuffed the empty cavities with garbage before sewing him up.”
Several other Palestinians gave a similar narrative, recounting how they received the bodies of their murdered relatives, mostly men in their early twenties, with vital organs taken away by the Israeli authorities.
Israeli occupation authorities don’t deny that the bodies of victims were returned to their respective families minus the internal organs, but claim that the organs were disposed of as part of routine autopsy operations.
“I am not a medical doctor, but I do know that an autopsy is performed to establish the cause of death,” says Walid.
“In Bassam’s case, and hundreds of similar cases, the cause of death is known too well since the victims were killed by the Israeli occupation army.”
The Swedish mass circulation Aftonbladet published last month a report accusing Israeli troops of killing Palestinians and then harvesting their organs.
Israeli officials have dismissed the report as anti-Semitic and have been piling up pressures on the Swedish government to condemn it.
Stockholm has so far remained steadfast, insisting it was in no position to interfere with its free media.
Held Bodies
“These people have no morality, save the morality of murder and lies," Shahin said about Israeli authorities still holding the body of his son.
Majed Abu Dush was assassinated by Israeli death squads west of Al-Khalil in 2002.
But Israeli authorities are still keeping his body.
"I don't know for sure why they are refusing to hand him over to us to bury him,” his tearful father Fawzi told IOL.
“This makes me think that there is a foul play."
Fawzi has been petitioning Palestinian Authority (PA) officials, including Premier Salam Fayyad, to press the Israeli government to release the detained bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.
Over the years, the Israeli occupation army killed thousands of Palestinians, hundreds of them children, and in many cases the bodies were buried in unknown graves or remained “imprisoned” in refrigerators.
Israel has also been detaining the corpses of Palestinian fighters killed in combat with its forces to inflict maximum emotional pain on their families.
Mustafa Shahin suspects that Israeli authorities might have harvested the organs of his son, whom they killed in 2003.
"What would prevent Israel from doing the worst thing that comes to your mind,” he fumed.
“These people have no morality, save the morality of murder and lies."
According to Shahin and Abu Dush, Israel is detaining the bodies of at least 48 young Palestinians killed by its army in recent years, all of them from the al-Khalil region alone.
The overall number of detained corpses of Palestinian victims is believed to be in the hundreds.
Bad Record
Indeed, the Aftonbladet report was by no means the first revelation of its kind concerning Israeli violations of bodies of Palestinian victims.
In January 2002, an Israeli cabinet minister, Nessim Dahan, tacitly admitted during a routine questioning in the Knesset that certain organs from the bodies of Palestinians might have been used for Jewish transplant patients without the knowledge of the victims’ families.
Dahan said he couldn’t confirm or deny that organs taken form Palestinian victims were used for transplant or in scientific research.
Arab Knesset member Ahmed Teibi, who questioned Dahan at the time, told IOL the Israeli minister of health “was hedging and wouldn’t give a clear answer.”
Late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had openly accused the Israeli army and medical authorities of harvesting the organs of Palestinian victims.
“They murder our kids and use their organs as spare parts,” Arafat told Al-Jazeera in 2002, showing pictures of the bodies of Palestinian children killed and badly mutilated by the Israeli army.
In 1998, Israeli medical authorities brashly stole body organs from a Scottish tourist named Alistair Sinclair who died under mysterious circumstances at the Ben Gurion Airport.
Sinclair’s family reportedly sued Israel upon finding that their son’s heart and other organs were missing.
According to one report, a heart and organs were sent to his mother who didn’t believe that these were her son’s.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om 1. Organhandel, Israel och organhandel, Mellanöstern, Israel, Palestina, antisemitism, ockupation, palestina, Aftonbladet, Donald Boström, intifada, Illegal Organ Trade, Illegal human organ, israel organ trade
torsdag 3 september 2009
CIA refuses to release torture documents
CIA refuses to release torture documents
Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:19:10 GMT PRESSTV
The CIA has refused to release further documents related to its controversial rendition, detention and interrogation of terror suspects.
In a 33-page court statement made public on Tuesday, the Central Intelligence Agency said the documents contained sensitive information "that implicates intelligence activities, sources and methods, and information relating to the foreign relations and activities of the United States."
Last month the Department of Justice revealed details of a report by a CIA inspector-general that outlined methods used during interrogation of "al-Qaeda suspects" in the midst of George W. Bush's term, including threats of rape of detainees' family members.
The report sent shock waves through Washington, and it was followed by Attorney-General Eric Holder announcing he had named a prosecutor to probe the prisoner abuse.
The US spy agency said the documents were too sensitive to release because they detailed "the locations of CIA intelligence activities overseas and the assistance provided by certain foreign governments."
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Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:19:10 GMT PRESSTV
The CIA has refused to release further documents related to its controversial rendition, detention and interrogation of terror suspects.
In a 33-page court statement made public on Tuesday, the Central Intelligence Agency said the documents contained sensitive information "that implicates intelligence activities, sources and methods, and information relating to the foreign relations and activities of the United States."
Last month the Department of Justice revealed details of a report by a CIA inspector-general that outlined methods used during interrogation of "al-Qaeda suspects" in the midst of George W. Bush's term, including threats of rape of detainees' family members.
The report sent shock waves through Washington, and it was followed by Attorney-General Eric Holder announcing he had named a prosecutor to probe the prisoner abuse.
The US spy agency said the documents were too sensitive to release because they detailed "the locations of CIA intelligence activities overseas and the assistance provided by certain foreign governments."
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tisdag 25 augusti 2009
In blockaded Gaza, Israeli troops kill again
In blockaded Gaza, Israeli troops kill again
Israeli forces gun down another Palestinian in blockaded Gaza
Israeli troops have killed one Palestinian and injured two others in the north sector of Gaza in yet another violation of a truce signed after Israel's 22-day war on the strip.
Israeli forces opened fire on the three young men in the al-Atatra neighborhood, in the town of Beit Lahia on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
One of the wounded Palestinians later died in an Israeli clinic from excessive blood loss, medical sources told Press TV, adding that none of the three youths was known to be a member of any Palestinian faction.
An Israeli army spokeswoman has confirmed the incident, saying that three rockets were fired into southern Israel following the shooting.
Since the end of the 22-day war, the Israeli army has launched several cross border attacks on Gaza, rolling its tanks and bulldozers into the impoverished enclave, opening fire on villagers' homes and flattening cultivated fields.
The deadly Israeli offensive into Gaza last December resulted in 1,500 Palestinian deaths and approximately 5,450 injuries. Most of the victims were civilians
The offensive also inflicted more than USD 1.6 billion of damage on Gaza's already-stricken economy.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Gaza, Israel, okupation, israel, politik, antisemitism, sverige, palestina, organstöld, Donald Boström, organhandel, ockupation, mänskliga rättigheter
Israeli forces gun down another Palestinian in blockaded Gaza
Israeli troops have killed one Palestinian and injured two others in the north sector of Gaza in yet another violation of a truce signed after Israel's 22-day war on the strip.
Israeli forces opened fire on the three young men in the al-Atatra neighborhood, in the town of Beit Lahia on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
One of the wounded Palestinians later died in an Israeli clinic from excessive blood loss, medical sources told Press TV, adding that none of the three youths was known to be a member of any Palestinian faction.
An Israeli army spokeswoman has confirmed the incident, saying that three rockets were fired into southern Israel following the shooting.
Since the end of the 22-day war, the Israeli army has launched several cross border attacks on Gaza, rolling its tanks and bulldozers into the impoverished enclave, opening fire on villagers' homes and flattening cultivated fields.
The deadly Israeli offensive into Gaza last December resulted in 1,500 Palestinian deaths and approximately 5,450 injuries. Most of the victims were civilians
The offensive also inflicted more than USD 1.6 billion of damage on Gaza's already-stricken economy.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Gaza, Israel, okupation, israel, politik, antisemitism, sverige, palestina, organstöld, Donald Boström, organhandel, ockupation, mänskliga rättigheter
måndag 24 augusti 2009
SOMALIA: Livelihoods - and lives - at risk in Puntland
SOMALIA: Livelihoods - and lives - at risk in Puntland
NAIROBI, 24 August 2009 (IRIN) - Fishermen in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are losing their livelihoods and sometimes their lives due to foreign vessels invading their waters, says a minister.
"More and more fishermen in Puntland are coming to us to complain about foreign vessels destroying their nets and denying them access to fishing grounds," Mohamed Farah Aden, Puntland Minister of Fisheries, told IRIN.
He said these foreign vessels were destroying livelihoods. "I have a number of reports of Somali fishermen killed. These people are not only killing their livelihoods but they are killing them as well."
The minister said his office was compiling figures of how many had died in attacks by foreign vessels.
He said Puntland authorities had raised the issue with the international forces patrolling the Somali coast to fight pirates. NATO forces, as well as those from other countries, such as Russia and India, were policing the area.
Illegal fishing
Puntland has requested that the foreign navies should also deal with the influx of foreign vessels fishing illegally. "Illegal fishing off our waters is what started the whole piracy thing," he said.
According to Ecoterra, an NGO that monitors Somali waters, there is an indirect link between piracy and illegal fishing. Many of the pirates have their roots in self-help groups that wanted to defend "Somali waters and marine resources in the absence of a navy and coastguard".
Later, however, the groups became involved in business disputes and were used as mercenaries and eventually evolved into criminal gangs, said Ecoterra.
Mohamed Abshir Waldo, an independent analyst and Somalia expert, goes even further, saying the root cause of the piracy "was massive illegal fishing that has been going on for the last 19 years.
"It is because of the illegal foreign fishing that the first conflict with Somali fishermen started, when the foreign poachers came to fish within the 12-mile territorial waters.
Waldo said he knew fishermen in a small fishing boat that was run over and crushed "with all the seven-member crew killed. There were many other incidents like that one. Many were shot and others burned with boiling water poured on them."
A Nairobi-based regional analyst, however, says that even though illegal fishing occurs in Somali waters "on a serious and damaging scale", the origins of piracy lie not with impoverished fishermen, "but with prominent businessmen and political leaders who initially introduced the 'licensing' of foreign fishing vessels as a kind of extortion racket".
Figures compiled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) show that in 2008, pirates attacked 135 ships off the coast of Somalia, "resulting in 44 ships having been seized by pirates and more than 600 seafarers having been kidnapped and held for ransom". Most of these were off the coast of Puntland.
Foreign threat
Jama Isse, a member of a fishing cooperative in the port city of Bosasso, told IRIN that many members were idle due to attacks by foreign ships. "People are afraid to go out there. Sometimes we are mistaken for pirates and sometimes these big fishing ships ram our boats or cut our nets.
"If the situation does not improve, many of us will be forced to join the pirates," he said. "We have no other means of making a living."
Ahmed Ali Abdalla, who owns several fishing boats, said the number of foreign ships had increased since the foreign navies arrived.
He said the foreign ships were using the naval forces as protection and denying locals the opportunity to fish. "They even take our nets with everything in them. It is like taking food from our mouths."
Local fishermen were caught between the pirates and the foreign forces, "but the worst are those fishing illegally", he said. "Some of them are armed and have even fired on us or taken our boats."
According to the analyst, to end insecurity in Somali waters what is needed is a comprehensive and integrated approach that addresses "not only piracy, but also the problem of illegal fishing, which pirates routinely cite to justify their actions".
Somalia has a 3,330km coastline, with major landing sites in Kismayo, Mogadishu, Merka and Brava in the south, and Eil, Bargal, Bolimog, Las Korey and Berbera, and Bosasso in the north. It also has large species, including tuna and mackerel; smaller stocks, such as sardines; sharks and lobster.
ah/mw[END]
What's hot? Check IRIN's most popular articles: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=73277
© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om somalia, somaliska pirater, pirater, fiske
NAIROBI, 24 August 2009 (IRIN) - Fishermen in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are losing their livelihoods and sometimes their lives due to foreign vessels invading their waters, says a minister.
"More and more fishermen in Puntland are coming to us to complain about foreign vessels destroying their nets and denying them access to fishing grounds," Mohamed Farah Aden, Puntland Minister of Fisheries, told IRIN.
He said these foreign vessels were destroying livelihoods. "I have a number of reports of Somali fishermen killed. These people are not only killing their livelihoods but they are killing them as well."
The minister said his office was compiling figures of how many had died in attacks by foreign vessels.
He said Puntland authorities had raised the issue with the international forces patrolling the Somali coast to fight pirates. NATO forces, as well as those from other countries, such as Russia and India, were policing the area.
Illegal fishing
Puntland has requested that the foreign navies should also deal with the influx of foreign vessels fishing illegally. "Illegal fishing off our waters is what started the whole piracy thing," he said.
According to Ecoterra, an NGO that monitors Somali waters, there is an indirect link between piracy and illegal fishing. Many of the pirates have their roots in self-help groups that wanted to defend "Somali waters and marine resources in the absence of a navy and coastguard".
Later, however, the groups became involved in business disputes and were used as mercenaries and eventually evolved into criminal gangs, said Ecoterra.
Mohamed Abshir Waldo, an independent analyst and Somalia expert, goes even further, saying the root cause of the piracy "was massive illegal fishing that has been going on for the last 19 years.
"It is because of the illegal foreign fishing that the first conflict with Somali fishermen started, when the foreign poachers came to fish within the 12-mile territorial waters.
Waldo said he knew fishermen in a small fishing boat that was run over and crushed "with all the seven-member crew killed. There were many other incidents like that one. Many were shot and others burned with boiling water poured on them."
A Nairobi-based regional analyst, however, says that even though illegal fishing occurs in Somali waters "on a serious and damaging scale", the origins of piracy lie not with impoverished fishermen, "but with prominent businessmen and political leaders who initially introduced the 'licensing' of foreign fishing vessels as a kind of extortion racket".
Figures compiled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) show that in 2008, pirates attacked 135 ships off the coast of Somalia, "resulting in 44 ships having been seized by pirates and more than 600 seafarers having been kidnapped and held for ransom". Most of these were off the coast of Puntland.
Foreign threat
Jama Isse, a member of a fishing cooperative in the port city of Bosasso, told IRIN that many members were idle due to attacks by foreign ships. "People are afraid to go out there. Sometimes we are mistaken for pirates and sometimes these big fishing ships ram our boats or cut our nets.
"If the situation does not improve, many of us will be forced to join the pirates," he said. "We have no other means of making a living."
Ahmed Ali Abdalla, who owns several fishing boats, said the number of foreign ships had increased since the foreign navies arrived.
He said the foreign ships were using the naval forces as protection and denying locals the opportunity to fish. "They even take our nets with everything in them. It is like taking food from our mouths."
Local fishermen were caught between the pirates and the foreign forces, "but the worst are those fishing illegally", he said. "Some of them are armed and have even fired on us or taken our boats."
According to the analyst, to end insecurity in Somali waters what is needed is a comprehensive and integrated approach that addresses "not only piracy, but also the problem of illegal fishing, which pirates routinely cite to justify their actions".
Somalia has a 3,330km coastline, with major landing sites in Kismayo, Mogadishu, Merka and Brava in the south, and Eil, Bargal, Bolimog, Las Korey and Berbera, and Bosasso in the north. It also has large species, including tuna and mackerel; smaller stocks, such as sardines; sharks and lobster.
ah/mw[END]
What's hot? Check IRIN's most popular articles: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=73277
© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
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tisdag 11 augusti 2009
GAZA-OPT: Rubble removal uncovers potential health hazards
GAZA, 11 August 2009 (IRIN) - Nearly seven months after Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing some 600,000MT of rubble containing asbestos and other hazardous material [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84177].
Israel's 23-day operation destroyed 4,000 housing units and damaged 40,000 homes [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30948&Cr=palestin&Cr1=]. UNDP officer Amran el-Kharouby in Gaza said rubble was being removed from 2,533 private homes, in addition to 23 public buildings.
"UNDP rubble removal teams were trained how to safely remove, store and crush hazardous material, primarily asbestos," said El-Kharouby, adding that UNDP had provided contractors with safety equipment.
Teams also met residents, some living in tented communities near their destroyed homes, to explain the removal process and warning that hazardous material might be uncovered. In many cases residents are evacuated before removal teams go in.
The UN Mine Action Team is also working to remove unexploded ordnance in Gaza [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85633].
Asbestos threat
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), about 10 percent of the rubble in Rafah and Khan Younis is asbestos material, as well as a small amount in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. UNEP conducted an assessment of Gaza in May and is expected to release its results in August. [http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/News/PressRelease/tabid/427/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentID=579&ArticleID=6132&Lang=en]
About 68 percent of Gaza's 1.5 million residents are refugees, living in eight major camps. [http://www.undp.ps/en/newsroom/publications/pdf/other/fastfactgazaen092.pdf] Most refugee camp homes are built from concrete and asbestos.
"Asbestos releases particles into the air and chronic lung conditions in the respiratory tract may result," World Health Organization (WHO) officer Mahmoud Daher in Gaza told IRIN.
In addition to private homes, hundreds of public buildings and roads were damaged or destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including 700 factories.
"[Destroyed] factories that were using lead or other heavy metals, like battery factories, could present a health hazard to the population," said Daher.
Some factory or home owners have denied access to rubble removal teams to what is left of their properties because they said they had not received compensation from the Gaza authorities or UN.
The UNDP rubble removal project will continue until January.
If adequate funding is available, the 380,000MT of remaining rubble from former Israeli settlements that was collected but never crushed will be removed as part of the project. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in September 2005.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om palestina, gaza, OPT, okupation, belägring, folkmord
Israel's 23-day operation destroyed 4,000 housing units and damaged 40,000 homes [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30948&Cr=palestin&Cr1=]. UNDP officer Amran el-Kharouby in Gaza said rubble was being removed from 2,533 private homes, in addition to 23 public buildings.
"UNDP rubble removal teams were trained how to safely remove, store and crush hazardous material, primarily asbestos," said El-Kharouby, adding that UNDP had provided contractors with safety equipment.
Teams also met residents, some living in tented communities near their destroyed homes, to explain the removal process and warning that hazardous material might be uncovered. In many cases residents are evacuated before removal teams go in.
The UN Mine Action Team is also working to remove unexploded ordnance in Gaza [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85633].
Asbestos threat
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), about 10 percent of the rubble in Rafah and Khan Younis is asbestos material, as well as a small amount in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. UNEP conducted an assessment of Gaza in May and is expected to release its results in August. [http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/News/PressRelease/tabid/427/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentID=579&ArticleID=6132&Lang=en]
About 68 percent of Gaza's 1.5 million residents are refugees, living in eight major camps. [http://www.undp.ps/en/newsroom/publications/pdf/other/fastfactgazaen092.pdf] Most refugee camp homes are built from concrete and asbestos.
"Asbestos releases particles into the air and chronic lung conditions in the respiratory tract may result," World Health Organization (WHO) officer Mahmoud Daher in Gaza told IRIN.
In addition to private homes, hundreds of public buildings and roads were damaged or destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including 700 factories.
"[Destroyed] factories that were using lead or other heavy metals, like battery factories, could present a health hazard to the population," said Daher.
Some factory or home owners have denied access to rubble removal teams to what is left of their properties because they said they had not received compensation from the Gaza authorities or UN.
The UNDP rubble removal project will continue until January.
If adequate funding is available, the 380,000MT of remaining rubble from former Israeli settlements that was collected but never crushed will be removed as part of the project. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in September 2005.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om palestina, gaza, OPT, okupation, belägring, folkmord
torsdag 26 mars 2009
Western Relief Agencies in Sudan-Darfur: Shocking Facts
Western Relief Agencies in Sudan Darfur: Shocking Facts
Why the 13 Foreign Aid Agencies Were Sacked
The Sudan Government's decision to expel 13 foreign aid agencies from Darfur has provoked much controversy over this step's futility as far as the making of appropriate peaceful atmosphere in Darfur is concerned. It might backfire and provide the west with reasons to severely punish the Sudan on basis of allegations that such decision would be detrimental to the displaced people in Darfur's relief camps.
The decision was followed by the Sudanese government's proclamation of dispensing with all the other western organizations and instructing them to leave within one year.
This, again, has led to questioning both decisions' impact on the relief work in Darfur. Does Khartoum have an actual plan to replace such organizations without creating gaps that could lead to rekindling the human crisis in Darfur?
Initial Facts
Sudan's Big Gains
Intelligence, Business, and Other Activities
Why the Foreign Relief Agencies Were Expelled?
(1)International Rescue Committee (IRC)
(2)US "CARE International"
(3)French "Action Against Hunger" (ACF)
(4)French "Solidarity"
(5) American "Mercy Corp."
(6) Dutch "Doctors Without Borders"
(7) American "CHF International"
(8) British "Save The Children"
(9) " Norwegian Refugee Council" - NRC
(10) British "Oxfam"
Initial Facts
The number of the expelled foreign aid agencies is just 13. They are American, British, French, Canadian, and Dutch agencies, but this does not necessarily mean there are no other relief agencies from these countries or other countries working in Darfur.
The other foreign aid agencies working in the Sudan are 118, apart from two main international charities, 13 Islamic and Arab relief and charity agencies, as well as 55 local Sudanese ones.
There are documents and ample evidence that the expelled aid agencies were carrying out intelligence work for their countries. They also worked to maintain the problem of the displaced for purposes of profits as their staff members receive huge payments which may amount to 70% of the relief funds they obtain for the poor in Darfur. They also serve other political purposes of pressuring the Sudanese government.
In other words, the 13 western agencies expelled constitute only 8% of the working relief agencies on the ground. There are 19 American agencies, of which five only were expelled, 16 British agencies, of which four only were expelled, 10 French agencies, of which two only were expelled, in addition to one Canadian and one Dutch agencies.
Twenty two out of these 118 agencies have Zionist backgrounds and are run and funded by Zionist organizations based in New York, Washington and some European countries.
It is not true that these organizations inject huge money or aids into Darfur. They basically distribute the foods offered by the UN International Food Program without providing any supplies to Darfur's three provinces, Southern, Northern and Western.
Contrarily, these organizations have been accused of usurping most of that they received of relief aids and supplies allocated for the Darfuris for their own and for their administrators' benefit.
The International Food program donates about 60 thousand tons of food per month to Darfur. The Sudanese Red Crescent Organization distributes about 40% of this amount, whereas the foreign and local organizations distribute around 60%. This simply means that if these foreign organizations are replaced by other Arab and Islamic relief organizations, the crises and the catastrophes the west and the foreign organizations are warning of, due to the expulsion decision, will never occur
The key gain for Khartoum is when it "Sudanizes" voluntary and relief work, This is apt to eliminate the West's interference in Darfur's crisis
Sudan's Big Gains
Given that, the great challenge the government and the national and Islamic organizations are facing is filling the vacancies created by the expulsion of these foreign organizations and getting fully prepared to shoulder the responsibility of distributing the relief supplies, providing medical teams, trained personnel to operate water wells, and providing health devices and services. This way, Khartoum could prove its ability to solve its own problems irrespective of the West's agenda.
The key gain for Khartoum is when it "Sudanizes" voluntary and relief work, This is apt to eliminate the West's interference in Darfur's crisis or aggravating it through these foreign agencies that have turned into "states within the state" in Darfur.
These expelled agencies managed to some extent to encourage Darfur's dissidents, particularly the Zaghwans, to rise strongly against the government.
It is no secret the agencies in questions used to distribute donations to the Darfuris to win their satisfaction and to employ some of them to work against their country. This was through implicating them in false witnesses of mass murder and rape crimes, to which there is no tangible evidence, neither by existence of mass graves or collective women's complaints.
The missionary Christianization role of some of these organizations had been indicated by Kotbi Al-Mahdi, former political advisor to Al-Bashir.
Intelligence, Business, and Other Activities
The intelligence activities undertaken by these agencies have already been experienced in south of Khartoum, South of Sudan, where they have played the most serious role in inciting the separation of the south and providing relevant information to America.
Among the most famous of the organizations and characters that have been deeply involved in dealing with the Congress and the US Intelligence are the British Baroness Cox and her Christian Solidarity. The Baroness Cox played a part through the Christian Solidarity in supporting the Popular Movement for Sudan's Liberation (PMSL), which is currently represented in the government.
Some Sudanese evidence has emerged that these organizations cooperate with the American intelligence in support of the South against the Khartoum government as part of the scheme of separating the south and the north of Sudan. The real secret why the Europeans heavily support the American schemes of intervention into the affairs of the Sudan and Darfur lies mainly in the missionary Christianization role these relief Western agencies are said to play there.
This role is linked also to the agenda of the European and American intelligence regarding securing interests in Sudan's oil reserves. This is the fact that urged the Priest John Danforth, former US envoy to the Sudan, to say: "The cessation of the civil war in Sudan could open the door for it to become a major oil country in Africa!".
The missionary Christianization role of some of these organizations has also been indicated by Kotbi Al-Mahdi, former political advisor to the Sudanese president, who accused them of flaring up sedition in southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains and eastern Sudan, saying that "They have sought further insurrection in Darfur."
There are documents against such agencies concerning forced displacement of the people of Darfur through temptations, pressures and deception pushing them to leave for Europe and Israel.
Why the Foreign Relief Agencies Were Expelled?
According to Sudanese official reports, which IslamOnline.net had access to, the 13 agencies were expelled due to obvious acts of intelligence and that some of them had nothing to do with relief work. The expulsion of these organizations has basically little to do with the decision of the prosecutor of The International Criminal Court arrest warrant against President Al-Bashir.
Monitoring the activities of such agencies confirmed beyond doubt that they have been for many years doing full intelligence work far from their normal humanitarian duty. However, Khartoum had been so patient and tolerant until provoked by the ICC warrant of arrest.
The Sudanese Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has obtained files and documents as evidence kept at the office of its Sudanese Commissioner. These documents indicate the fishy roles of the involved agencies and the amount of harm they were inflicting on the situation in Darfur, in particular, and in the Sudan in general.
There are documents against such agencies concerning forced displacement of the people of Darfur through temptations, pressures and deception pushing them to leave for Europe and Israel, in an act of illegal human trade. They were also involved in destructive activities through keeping persuading dwellers of some camps not to leave them and to take arms against the government.
They also incited some armed factions to take arms inside the camps like what happened in the notorious camp of "Kalimat". Some of these agencies have also written false intelligence reports and sent them to the ICC. They were misleading reports obviously financed by some Zionist organizations.
Some of the violations and infractions by such foreign aid agencies could be detailed as follows:
When the agency was questioned about the statement, it apologized and claimed it was a personal view.
(1) International Rescue Committee (IRC)
1- The IRC had an agreement with the ICC in 2005, according to which the Committee provides the court with information, documents and witnesses as well as ensuring the witnesses' safety in coordination with the UN mission in the Sudan.
2. In December 2004, four Dutch journalists brought by the IRC were arrested as they had photos of some Janjaweed members near the camps and a fabricated film about hold-up looting operations, originally carried out by two staff members working in the humanitarian field.
The film also showed false attempts of raping of displaced women and interviews with displaced witnesses about battering and torturing operations allegedly carried out by the government authorities.
The journalists finally admitted to all that violations and a criminal prosecution was started with the witnesses' statements documented, but the case was finally dropped off after the mediation of the Dutch ambassador in the Sudan.
3- The CNN broadcast a statement made by Mrs. Roberta, an official in the organization, describing what was going on in Darfur as the most hideous genocide in the 21st century. The statement claimed that government members displaced the people in Darfur, raped women and dumped children into the fire before their parents' eyes.
When the organization was questioned about that statement, it apologized and claimed that the statement made was a personal view of Mrs. Roberta, and that she was just a staff member and did not represent the organization.
4- The Organization's president, Nicky Smith, made a statement alleging the commitment of 200 cases of murder, rape in the camp without providing a single piece of evidence. She considered that it was an indication of the deterioration of the security status and claimed that the statement was an organization document.
5- In August 2005, the organization sent letters to the then American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, following her visit, requesting her to continue the pressure on Khartoum and the enforcement of the resolution 1591. She organized media campaigns on the Internet to collect signatures to be sent to the US President directly for the replacement of the African Union forces troops by international troops.
6- In 2006, the organization director was summoned by the Organizations Department Director General of the National Security and Intelligence Authority and was faced with these breaches and abuses. She provided a documented apology and requested opening a new page of cooperation to which she was not committed.
7- The organization has carried out some mock so-called projects in Darfur on issues¬– such as women's mental health, the rule of law, policies of protection, etc– that were just discussed in coffee meetings for women to promote their psychological comfort.
During these filmed meetings, women were pushed to talk about any abuses they were subjected to, which were meant to collect and fabricate information on their mouths.
What's really interesting is that the organization had been working without any technical agreements, and that's why it was first stopped in 2008.
8- The organization deported a number of the displaced people of Darfur to some European countries while others were sent to the ICC to bear witnesses.
9- For the organization to fulfill some of its goals, it prepared regular intelligence and information reports in addition to security surveillance reports on Darfur. It also prepared a report on the alleged forced displacement of the tribe of Al Zaghawa, and on the government stirring up of tribal disputes.
(2) US "CARE International"
1- It prepared security reports which were basically security and military records as well as accusations against the government of shelling civilians in the villages of the northern province of Darfur.
2- The organization's local director, Mr. Parker, prepared a paper that is figuring out scenarios of the replacement of the African Union troops by International ones.
The report included a security and intelligence analysis which recommended the possibility of the Sudanese government approving the advent of international forces in a dignified manner.
ACF's Cosultant, Mrs Silvy, suggested that the government practiced genocide, arson, and civilian abduction.
(3) French "Action Against Hunger" (ACF)
1- The French Action Contre la Faim (ACF) is an intelligence interface that prepared informational intelligence reports, including a letter that was discovered and carried an alleged indication that the area of Umm Khairat in Darfur was bombarded by the Janjaweed on Dec. 5, 2004.
A criminal case was filed against the organization that finally apologized for that and claimed it had conducted an investigation on the typing of that information on its official stationery, but the investigation yielded no results!.
2- Silvy, the organization's consultant, delivered a lecture, at the French International Institute of International Relations in 1999, in which she accused the Sudanese government of using the weapon of hunger against some people of Darfur in the south and in Nuba Mountains. She suggested that the government practiced genocide, arson, and civilian abduction operations.
(4) French "Solidarity"
1- In March 2007, the Radio of France cast a long interview with the organization's director in which he alleged that the Janjaweeds continued assaulting and attacking the Zaghawa tribes and that there was genocide and that the Sudanese government backed up the Arab militia and concluded that the war would not stop.
2- In 2005, the organization's distribution officer, Mr. Jill, supported the rebels by providing them with mobile recharge cards.
3- Barrels full of fuel prepared by the organization to be sent to the rebellious movements were discovered. A case was filed against the organization for thatviolations but it was finally dropped through diplomatic interventions.
The organization practiced activities that had nothing to do with humanitarian work in Kurmuk city.
(5) American "Mercy Corp."
1- This organization played a number of intelligence roles in the region of Abyei, disputed between the northern and southern Sudan, to create commotion among the people of Abyei of the Dinka tribe (African) and Missiriya tribe (Arab).
It also incited the Dinka people to create chaos in the region and beguiled them into believing they are the owners of the region and oil, and that they should fill the administrative vacuum and exploit the volatile situation.
2- The organization practiced activities that had nothing to do with humanitarian work in Kurmuk, a city in the Blue Nile Province of Sudan. It established a local radio station called the "Society Radio".
It broadcast programs that incited hatred and urged the citizens to separate from Sudan. It also initiated programs for church preaching.
(6) Dutch "Doctors Without Borders"
1- In October 2004, the organization published a report on mass killings in Darfur. The report claimed that the Sudanese government practiced genocide against civilians by using the Janjaweed pro-government militias, and that the civilians could not find a safe haven.
2- In March 2005, the organization published another report on rape in Darfur, and alleged that the rape and sexual violence were practiced by the Sudanese government and its allied militias on an ongoing basis.
The Secretary General of the United Nations used quotes form the report in his periodic report to the Security Council, citing that the organization treated 5,00 rape cases from Darfur in the UN clinics.
A criminal case was filed by the Sudanese government against the organization that was unable to prove its false allegations.
The organization's national employees, including the medical teams, denounced the report, refuted its claims, and noted that it was prepared with intentional malice. Then, the organization sought to exercise diplomatic pressure to have the case dropped.
Endeavors led by the United Nations representative, Jan Pronk, the one who submitted the report to the Secretary-General, who, in turn, sought the support of the Security Council. The Dutch Ambassador and the Ambassador of the European Union also intervened to drop the case.
Finally, the decision of the Sudanese Minister of Justice was to drop the case and give a final expulsion warning to the organization, and to depose its director, Darfur coordinator, out of the country for the untrue reports.
(7) American "CHF International"
1- The organization kept receiving a lot of women in its headquarters in the state of North Darfur and managed to convince them to lie to visiting guests and officials of international bodies about false cases of rape and sexual violence by the pro-government forces of the Janjaweed militia and to claim that these forces burned their villages and killed their men and children.
On a visit of Jan Waveland, Assistant of UN Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the organization denied admission of the accompanying Sudanese Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.
2– It selected a number of displaced women from camps of Abu Shouk to represent the organization in Abuja, after instructing them to tell untrue stories and reverse the situation intimidating them by rumors about rape they would face at the hands of the Janjaweed.
3– It exploited some mayors and sheiks of tribes through financial aids and mortgage servicing in return for their collecting information for the organization. They were also forced to attend meetings of the organization at which they are incited to rise against the government.
(8) British "Save The Children"
1- The organization issued, in November 2002, a statement on the security situation in the state of North Darfur claiming that the government warplanes bombed positions only 50 meters from its food distribution center, although there were no fighting in that period of time.
2- It published information, in July 2004, which alleged that more than half a million children from Sudan's Darfur had been forced to flee their villages, and that a million people were forced to leave their homes by militias supported by the government.
The organization promoted wrong information on rape cases, and it was found that it provided good sums of money to the girls to lure them into telling lie and recognizing rape.
(9) "Norwegian Refugee Council" ( NRC)
1 - The organization recruited a number of elders, youth and women within the camp of Kalema. It paid them monthly salaries of 50,000 Dinars per person, and the task of those recruits was to collect intelligence information about security, political, military and social conditions, which the organization forwarded in daily reports to its top management.
2- The organization arranged secret meetings between the displaced people and some foreign delegations visiting the camp, and provided them with false information.
3 - The organization promoted wrong information on rape cases, and it was found that it provided good sums of money to the girls to lure them into telling lie and recognizing rape.
4 - When Jan Egeland, the former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, visited Darfur in 2005, the organization provided him with false information about "sexual harassment, rape, and racial abuse". He was summoned to the camp of Kalema in secret to hear the false information.
5- It recruited 45 girls, and gave them 45 donkeys to move inside the camp and the surrounding villages to monitor the presence of government agents.
6- Owing to the organization's reiterative infringements, the authorities of south Darfur decided to expel it in 2006 for providing false reports.
(10) British "Oxfam"
1- In November 2004, the organization issued a report indicating the crimes committed by the rebels. It accused the government of incurring the deterioration of the security status in Darfur and called for an action by the international community and for immediate intervention.
2- In the same month, the organization prepared a report on the situation in Darfur which the Sudanese Organizations High Commission refused to publish it for the false information it carried.
However, Oxfam official, Alan McDonald, disclosed some false information to Karen Smith of the CNN about genocide in Darfur. Both the organization and the CNN played a big role to create a lobby to pressurize the Sudanese government.
By Muhammad Gamal Arafa
Political Analyst – Egypt
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Why the 13 Foreign Aid Agencies Were Sacked
The Sudan Government's decision to expel 13 foreign aid agencies from Darfur has provoked much controversy over this step's futility as far as the making of appropriate peaceful atmosphere in Darfur is concerned. It might backfire and provide the west with reasons to severely punish the Sudan on basis of allegations that such decision would be detrimental to the displaced people in Darfur's relief camps.
The decision was followed by the Sudanese government's proclamation of dispensing with all the other western organizations and instructing them to leave within one year.
This, again, has led to questioning both decisions' impact on the relief work in Darfur. Does Khartoum have an actual plan to replace such organizations without creating gaps that could lead to rekindling the human crisis in Darfur?
Initial Facts
Sudan's Big Gains
Intelligence, Business, and Other Activities
Why the Foreign Relief Agencies Were Expelled?
(1)International Rescue Committee (IRC)
(2)US "CARE International"
(3)French "Action Against Hunger" (ACF)
(4)French "Solidarity"
(5) American "Mercy Corp."
(6) Dutch "Doctors Without Borders"
(7) American "CHF International"
(8) British "Save The Children"
(9) " Norwegian Refugee Council" - NRC
(10) British "Oxfam"
Initial Facts
The number of the expelled foreign aid agencies is just 13. They are American, British, French, Canadian, and Dutch agencies, but this does not necessarily mean there are no other relief agencies from these countries or other countries working in Darfur.
The other foreign aid agencies working in the Sudan are 118, apart from two main international charities, 13 Islamic and Arab relief and charity agencies, as well as 55 local Sudanese ones.
There are documents and ample evidence that the expelled aid agencies were carrying out intelligence work for their countries. They also worked to maintain the problem of the displaced for purposes of profits as their staff members receive huge payments which may amount to 70% of the relief funds they obtain for the poor in Darfur. They also serve other political purposes of pressuring the Sudanese government.
In other words, the 13 western agencies expelled constitute only 8% of the working relief agencies on the ground. There are 19 American agencies, of which five only were expelled, 16 British agencies, of which four only were expelled, 10 French agencies, of which two only were expelled, in addition to one Canadian and one Dutch agencies.
Twenty two out of these 118 agencies have Zionist backgrounds and are run and funded by Zionist organizations based in New York, Washington and some European countries.
It is not true that these organizations inject huge money or aids into Darfur. They basically distribute the foods offered by the UN International Food Program without providing any supplies to Darfur's three provinces, Southern, Northern and Western.
Contrarily, these organizations have been accused of usurping most of that they received of relief aids and supplies allocated for the Darfuris for their own and for their administrators' benefit.
The International Food program donates about 60 thousand tons of food per month to Darfur. The Sudanese Red Crescent Organization distributes about 40% of this amount, whereas the foreign and local organizations distribute around 60%. This simply means that if these foreign organizations are replaced by other Arab and Islamic relief organizations, the crises and the catastrophes the west and the foreign organizations are warning of, due to the expulsion decision, will never occur
The key gain for Khartoum is when it "Sudanizes" voluntary and relief work, This is apt to eliminate the West's interference in Darfur's crisis
Sudan's Big Gains
Given that, the great challenge the government and the national and Islamic organizations are facing is filling the vacancies created by the expulsion of these foreign organizations and getting fully prepared to shoulder the responsibility of distributing the relief supplies, providing medical teams, trained personnel to operate water wells, and providing health devices and services. This way, Khartoum could prove its ability to solve its own problems irrespective of the West's agenda.
The key gain for Khartoum is when it "Sudanizes" voluntary and relief work, This is apt to eliminate the West's interference in Darfur's crisis or aggravating it through these foreign agencies that have turned into "states within the state" in Darfur.
These expelled agencies managed to some extent to encourage Darfur's dissidents, particularly the Zaghwans, to rise strongly against the government.
It is no secret the agencies in questions used to distribute donations to the Darfuris to win their satisfaction and to employ some of them to work against their country. This was through implicating them in false witnesses of mass murder and rape crimes, to which there is no tangible evidence, neither by existence of mass graves or collective women's complaints.
The missionary Christianization role of some of these organizations had been indicated by Kotbi Al-Mahdi, former political advisor to Al-Bashir.
Intelligence, Business, and Other Activities
The intelligence activities undertaken by these agencies have already been experienced in south of Khartoum, South of Sudan, where they have played the most serious role in inciting the separation of the south and providing relevant information to America.
Among the most famous of the organizations and characters that have been deeply involved in dealing with the Congress and the US Intelligence are the British Baroness Cox and her Christian Solidarity. The Baroness Cox played a part through the Christian Solidarity in supporting the Popular Movement for Sudan's Liberation (PMSL), which is currently represented in the government.
Some Sudanese evidence has emerged that these organizations cooperate with the American intelligence in support of the South against the Khartoum government as part of the scheme of separating the south and the north of Sudan. The real secret why the Europeans heavily support the American schemes of intervention into the affairs of the Sudan and Darfur lies mainly in the missionary Christianization role these relief Western agencies are said to play there.
This role is linked also to the agenda of the European and American intelligence regarding securing interests in Sudan's oil reserves. This is the fact that urged the Priest John Danforth, former US envoy to the Sudan, to say: "The cessation of the civil war in Sudan could open the door for it to become a major oil country in Africa!".
The missionary Christianization role of some of these organizations has also been indicated by Kotbi Al-Mahdi, former political advisor to the Sudanese president, who accused them of flaring up sedition in southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains and eastern Sudan, saying that "They have sought further insurrection in Darfur."
There are documents against such agencies concerning forced displacement of the people of Darfur through temptations, pressures and deception pushing them to leave for Europe and Israel.
Why the Foreign Relief Agencies Were Expelled?
According to Sudanese official reports, which IslamOnline.net had access to, the 13 agencies were expelled due to obvious acts of intelligence and that some of them had nothing to do with relief work. The expulsion of these organizations has basically little to do with the decision of the prosecutor of The International Criminal Court arrest warrant against President Al-Bashir.
Monitoring the activities of such agencies confirmed beyond doubt that they have been for many years doing full intelligence work far from their normal humanitarian duty. However, Khartoum had been so patient and tolerant until provoked by the ICC warrant of arrest.
The Sudanese Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has obtained files and documents as evidence kept at the office of its Sudanese Commissioner. These documents indicate the fishy roles of the involved agencies and the amount of harm they were inflicting on the situation in Darfur, in particular, and in the Sudan in general.
There are documents against such agencies concerning forced displacement of the people of Darfur through temptations, pressures and deception pushing them to leave for Europe and Israel, in an act of illegal human trade. They were also involved in destructive activities through keeping persuading dwellers of some camps not to leave them and to take arms against the government.
They also incited some armed factions to take arms inside the camps like what happened in the notorious camp of "Kalimat". Some of these agencies have also written false intelligence reports and sent them to the ICC. They were misleading reports obviously financed by some Zionist organizations.
Some of the violations and infractions by such foreign aid agencies could be detailed as follows:
When the agency was questioned about the statement, it apologized and claimed it was a personal view.
(1) International Rescue Committee (IRC)
1- The IRC had an agreement with the ICC in 2005, according to which the Committee provides the court with information, documents and witnesses as well as ensuring the witnesses' safety in coordination with the UN mission in the Sudan.
2. In December 2004, four Dutch journalists brought by the IRC were arrested as they had photos of some Janjaweed members near the camps and a fabricated film about hold-up looting operations, originally carried out by two staff members working in the humanitarian field.
The film also showed false attempts of raping of displaced women and interviews with displaced witnesses about battering and torturing operations allegedly carried out by the government authorities.
The journalists finally admitted to all that violations and a criminal prosecution was started with the witnesses' statements documented, but the case was finally dropped off after the mediation of the Dutch ambassador in the Sudan.
3- The CNN broadcast a statement made by Mrs. Roberta, an official in the organization, describing what was going on in Darfur as the most hideous genocide in the 21st century. The statement claimed that government members displaced the people in Darfur, raped women and dumped children into the fire before their parents' eyes.
When the organization was questioned about that statement, it apologized and claimed that the statement made was a personal view of Mrs. Roberta, and that she was just a staff member and did not represent the organization.
4- The Organization's president, Nicky Smith, made a statement alleging the commitment of 200 cases of murder, rape in the camp without providing a single piece of evidence. She considered that it was an indication of the deterioration of the security status and claimed that the statement was an organization document.
5- In August 2005, the organization sent letters to the then American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, following her visit, requesting her to continue the pressure on Khartoum and the enforcement of the resolution 1591. She organized media campaigns on the Internet to collect signatures to be sent to the US President directly for the replacement of the African Union forces troops by international troops.
6- In 2006, the organization director was summoned by the Organizations Department Director General of the National Security and Intelligence Authority and was faced with these breaches and abuses. She provided a documented apology and requested opening a new page of cooperation to which she was not committed.
7- The organization has carried out some mock so-called projects in Darfur on issues¬– such as women's mental health, the rule of law, policies of protection, etc– that were just discussed in coffee meetings for women to promote their psychological comfort.
During these filmed meetings, women were pushed to talk about any abuses they were subjected to, which were meant to collect and fabricate information on their mouths.
What's really interesting is that the organization had been working without any technical agreements, and that's why it was first stopped in 2008.
8- The organization deported a number of the displaced people of Darfur to some European countries while others were sent to the ICC to bear witnesses.
9- For the organization to fulfill some of its goals, it prepared regular intelligence and information reports in addition to security surveillance reports on Darfur. It also prepared a report on the alleged forced displacement of the tribe of Al Zaghawa, and on the government stirring up of tribal disputes.
(2) US "CARE International"
1- It prepared security reports which were basically security and military records as well as accusations against the government of shelling civilians in the villages of the northern province of Darfur.
2- The organization's local director, Mr. Parker, prepared a paper that is figuring out scenarios of the replacement of the African Union troops by International ones.
The report included a security and intelligence analysis which recommended the possibility of the Sudanese government approving the advent of international forces in a dignified manner.
ACF's Cosultant, Mrs Silvy, suggested that the government practiced genocide, arson, and civilian abduction.
(3) French "Action Against Hunger" (ACF)
1- The French Action Contre la Faim (ACF) is an intelligence interface that prepared informational intelligence reports, including a letter that was discovered and carried an alleged indication that the area of Umm Khairat in Darfur was bombarded by the Janjaweed on Dec. 5, 2004.
A criminal case was filed against the organization that finally apologized for that and claimed it had conducted an investigation on the typing of that information on its official stationery, but the investigation yielded no results!.
2- Silvy, the organization's consultant, delivered a lecture, at the French International Institute of International Relations in 1999, in which she accused the Sudanese government of using the weapon of hunger against some people of Darfur in the south and in Nuba Mountains. She suggested that the government practiced genocide, arson, and civilian abduction operations.
(4) French "Solidarity"
1- In March 2007, the Radio of France cast a long interview with the organization's director in which he alleged that the Janjaweeds continued assaulting and attacking the Zaghawa tribes and that there was genocide and that the Sudanese government backed up the Arab militia and concluded that the war would not stop.
2- In 2005, the organization's distribution officer, Mr. Jill, supported the rebels by providing them with mobile recharge cards.
3- Barrels full of fuel prepared by the organization to be sent to the rebellious movements were discovered. A case was filed against the organization for thatviolations but it was finally dropped through diplomatic interventions.
The organization practiced activities that had nothing to do with humanitarian work in Kurmuk city.
(5) American "Mercy Corp."
1- This organization played a number of intelligence roles in the region of Abyei, disputed between the northern and southern Sudan, to create commotion among the people of Abyei of the Dinka tribe (African) and Missiriya tribe (Arab).
It also incited the Dinka people to create chaos in the region and beguiled them into believing they are the owners of the region and oil, and that they should fill the administrative vacuum and exploit the volatile situation.
2- The organization practiced activities that had nothing to do with humanitarian work in Kurmuk, a city in the Blue Nile Province of Sudan. It established a local radio station called the "Society Radio".
It broadcast programs that incited hatred and urged the citizens to separate from Sudan. It also initiated programs for church preaching.
(6) Dutch "Doctors Without Borders"
1- In October 2004, the organization published a report on mass killings in Darfur. The report claimed that the Sudanese government practiced genocide against civilians by using the Janjaweed pro-government militias, and that the civilians could not find a safe haven.
2- In March 2005, the organization published another report on rape in Darfur, and alleged that the rape and sexual violence were practiced by the Sudanese government and its allied militias on an ongoing basis.
The Secretary General of the United Nations used quotes form the report in his periodic report to the Security Council, citing that the organization treated 5,00 rape cases from Darfur in the UN clinics.
A criminal case was filed by the Sudanese government against the organization that was unable to prove its false allegations.
The organization's national employees, including the medical teams, denounced the report, refuted its claims, and noted that it was prepared with intentional malice. Then, the organization sought to exercise diplomatic pressure to have the case dropped.
Endeavors led by the United Nations representative, Jan Pronk, the one who submitted the report to the Secretary-General, who, in turn, sought the support of the Security Council. The Dutch Ambassador and the Ambassador of the European Union also intervened to drop the case.
Finally, the decision of the Sudanese Minister of Justice was to drop the case and give a final expulsion warning to the organization, and to depose its director, Darfur coordinator, out of the country for the untrue reports.
(7) American "CHF International"
1- The organization kept receiving a lot of women in its headquarters in the state of North Darfur and managed to convince them to lie to visiting guests and officials of international bodies about false cases of rape and sexual violence by the pro-government forces of the Janjaweed militia and to claim that these forces burned their villages and killed their men and children.
On a visit of Jan Waveland, Assistant of UN Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the organization denied admission of the accompanying Sudanese Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.
2– It selected a number of displaced women from camps of Abu Shouk to represent the organization in Abuja, after instructing them to tell untrue stories and reverse the situation intimidating them by rumors about rape they would face at the hands of the Janjaweed.
3– It exploited some mayors and sheiks of tribes through financial aids and mortgage servicing in return for their collecting information for the organization. They were also forced to attend meetings of the organization at which they are incited to rise against the government.
(8) British "Save The Children"
1- The organization issued, in November 2002, a statement on the security situation in the state of North Darfur claiming that the government warplanes bombed positions only 50 meters from its food distribution center, although there were no fighting in that period of time.
2- It published information, in July 2004, which alleged that more than half a million children from Sudan's Darfur had been forced to flee their villages, and that a million people were forced to leave their homes by militias supported by the government.
The organization promoted wrong information on rape cases, and it was found that it provided good sums of money to the girls to lure them into telling lie and recognizing rape.
(9) "Norwegian Refugee Council" ( NRC)
1 - The organization recruited a number of elders, youth and women within the camp of Kalema. It paid them monthly salaries of 50,000 Dinars per person, and the task of those recruits was to collect intelligence information about security, political, military and social conditions, which the organization forwarded in daily reports to its top management.
2- The organization arranged secret meetings between the displaced people and some foreign delegations visiting the camp, and provided them with false information.
3 - The organization promoted wrong information on rape cases, and it was found that it provided good sums of money to the girls to lure them into telling lie and recognizing rape.
4 - When Jan Egeland, the former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, visited Darfur in 2005, the organization provided him with false information about "sexual harassment, rape, and racial abuse". He was summoned to the camp of Kalema in secret to hear the false information.
5- It recruited 45 girls, and gave them 45 donkeys to move inside the camp and the surrounding villages to monitor the presence of government agents.
6- Owing to the organization's reiterative infringements, the authorities of south Darfur decided to expel it in 2006 for providing false reports.
(10) British "Oxfam"
1- In November 2004, the organization issued a report indicating the crimes committed by the rebels. It accused the government of incurring the deterioration of the security status in Darfur and called for an action by the international community and for immediate intervention.
2- In the same month, the organization prepared a report on the situation in Darfur which the Sudanese Organizations High Commission refused to publish it for the false information it carried.
However, Oxfam official, Alan McDonald, disclosed some false information to Karen Smith of the CNN about genocide in Darfur. Both the organization and the CNN played a big role to create a lobby to pressurize the Sudanese government.
By Muhammad Gamal Arafa
Political Analyst – Egypt
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om ICC, Sudan, krigsförbrytelse, genocid, MR, Palestina, ICC trovärdighet, Al-Bashir, olja, bensin, USA intresse i Sudan, Franska intresse i Sudan, Kina, Kinas intresse i Sudan, Konflikt om Sudan, Darfur, Oxfam, Sionismen, Sionister, Ockupation, Mänskliga Rättigheter, Palestina, US Arms, vapen, embargo,
fredag 13 mars 2009
Questions Beyond the ICC Arrest Warrant of Sudan's President
Questions Beyond the ICC Arrest Warrant of Sudan's President
The ICC and Al-Bashir: Future Scenarios
With the issuance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese President Omar Al-Beshir on March 4, 2009, at the request of the Court's Attorney General on July 14, 2008, and which was commissioned by the UN Security Council, the issue has gone out of control and Khartoum has to face the new reality of an internal, regional and international situation.
Dozens of questions and future scenarios have emerged, which, in turn, need working out dozens of scenarios and immediate and later answers at the same time.
How is the court going to implement the warrant and arrest Al-Bashir? Will it be possible to commission some western SWAT troops to carry out a flash operation to arrest him across the borders of Chad, the area that has already witnessed a coup attempt by a Darfur faction that had advanced into the country as far as the outskirts of Khartoum?
Will the UN Security Council issue a binding resolution, according to Chapter VII compelling all the states to arrest him by force, after the Council's rejection of an African-Arab proposal to freeze the trial?
Will the UN Security Council issue a binding resolution, according to Chapter VII compelling all the states to arrest him by force, after the Council's rejection of an African-Arab proposal to freeze the trial?
Domestic and Regional Scenarios
What will happen inside Sudan? Will the two wings of hawks and doves in the ruling National Congress remain united or will the hawks-- proponents of the view of sacrificing the President and pushing him to resign-- opt for the Islamic Project of protecting Sudan from the threat of external invasion and siege?
Or will they persuade the Sudanese Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmad Harun, to turn himself in so as to alleviate the pressure on Al-Bashir and show Sudan's good intentions which might lead to the freezing of this sentence?
Will Darfur's rebels seize the opportunity to launch attacks against Khartoum supported by the Criminal Court's ruling as they have lately threatened?
Will the peace plans in the south be delayed or the presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for July 2009, be deferred? Will the south seek detachment from Sudan making use of this very tense atmosphere? Will the plans of fragmenting or dividing Sudan into four provinces be accelerated in accordance with an old known scheme?
What about the African Union and the Arab League: Could the 37 African States which signed the Rome Convention of the International Criminal Court withdraw in protest against the court's "political" ruling thereby damage the credibility of the Court? (The number of signatories of the convention is 108.)
May all these questions and their accompanying scenarios be premature and the situation in Sudan will remain as steadfast as ever, especially as 20 resolutions were previously issued by the Security Council concerning the conflict in Darfur, since 2005 but they have not been put into effect; gone with the wind, and Sudan remained steadfast.
Will the three Arab countries, members of the Court, withdraw as well or will the Arab position invariably remain mere rhetorical expression of solidarity with Sudan, particularly as there have been speculations that the Arab countries, "have sold" Al-Bashir off fearing to be linked with his destiny– as was the case with late President Saddam Hussein– which means confrontation with the new Obama administration.
In this case, they might be later forced to stand trial for opposing America and the West's desire to punish Al-Bashir?
Credibility and Future of the ICC
What about the fate and future of the Special International Criminal Courts, which have become looked upon, in spite of their growing in number (in Lebanon, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Cambodia), as unfair in their distribution of justice.
This is evidenced by their prosecution of the poor and overpowered countries while the crimes of the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan go unpunished.
Similarly, the Americans' ally, Israel commits endless crimes in Palestine. What about the future of the ICC, especially since it deals only with African cases– four African cases at hand– while it refuses to touch the case of Israel's war crimes in Gaza or America's in Iraq?
Repercussions
However, what is certain is that the resolution of arresting Al-Bashir will have its immediate and future repercussions on Sudan, Africa, and the world as a whole.
These repercussions may reach a stage of chaos and of escalating schemes to divide, and hence fragment, Sudan, especially if the resolution is linked to a fierce desire of the West to enforce its implementation and resort to the Security Council– and the seventh paragraph of the Charter– to be implemented by force, in spite of the African and Arab demands to apply to article 16 of the Statute for the freezing of the verdict.
Such repercussions may not undergo any escalating consequences against Sudan– in contrast with the previous scenario– except for the issuance of more resolutions by the Security Council imposing new punitive measures against Sudan.
The most ferocious sanctions against Sudan might be the imposition of an embargo and a ban on Sudanese air flights over Darfur. This means delimiting action to maintaining the court's verdict until a peace agreement about Darfur is reached, and then the embargo will be lifted.
Escalation vs. Appeasement Scenarios
Again, one could talk about the West's escalation scenario against Sudan by applying the Seventh Paragraph of the United Nations Charter. This will provide all the support it can do to Darfur rebels to raise public unrest, and to allow the intervention of the US and Western military imposition of a no-fly zone over Darfur.
On the other hand, the appeasement scenario which will sustain the court's verdict as a sword ready to strike Al–Bashir's neck with the object of compelling Sudan to compromise in some files.
But before talking about these two scenarios, we should point out that the article (89) of the Statute of the Tribunal establishes the procedures for the arrest of the accused, who has got the following verdicts:
First, The court first sends its ruling to the State of destination, Sudan, and requests its judges to put the sentence into effect. In this case, the verdict demand could be sent via the Sudanese embassy in the Hague –by fax as previous communications about the arrest of Minister Ahmed Haroun and Leader Kushayb have already taken place.
In this case Sudan would reject the request since Khartoum and the Sudanese parliament have not been signatories of the Convention establishing the court and therefore the convention is not part of the Sudanese law.
Second, The court should send the request corroborated by the indictment evidence that warrants the arrest of the person concerned to the country which has already ratified the court convention if the accused is on its land. The court should also request all the other countries to cooperate to implement the arrest.
Alternatively, Ocampo should circulate the arrest warrant of the Sudanese president to the countries which have ratified the ICC convention, namely all European countries except Russia, and all of the Southeast Asian states except China and the 37 African countries, and most of Latin America, and Canada. For them the arrest warrant is obligatory and binding.
In case this is impossible and if Sudan and any other country involved refuses to enforce the resolution, the court should automatically refer it to the UN Security Council. Although the court is not affiliated to the Council, the issue submitted should be implemented and to compel all the States to cooperate with the Tribunal, including the issuance of a resolution under Chapter VII of the Charter requiring all the Member States of the United Nations, including Sudan, to cooperate in order to execute the warrant of arrest.
Here the scenarios of escalation and appeasement are also important to the United States and Europe that have a tight grip on the Security Council.
The Appeasement Scenario
The appeasement steps could be figured out as follows:
1– Conciliation could start by delimiting the court's "politicized" resolution to one or two charges of the current three ones filed against President Al Bashir. The "Genocide" charge is to be dropped.
This will imply the existence of some kind of justice, especially as the Ocampo memorandum submitted to the court speaks about only thirty five thousand victims in Darfur, compared to 200 thousands according to the Western allegations and only 10 thousands according to Khartoum estimates.
2 - The resolution remains no more than ink on paper, meaning that it is not to be implemented, unless Al-Bashir travels to an ICC party state , and thereby creates a real problem. But this scenario may not be applicable as Al-Bashir seldom travels abroad and if he travels to some Arab countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Libya, it will not matter since these countries will not hand him in because they are not members of the Tribunal. Moreover, the nature of the Arab relations-makes this procedure unlikely.
3 - America and the West would not demand the enactment of Article VII of the UN Charter through a UN Security Council resolution. It should be used only as a measure of pressure.
4 - Washington will respond to the African and Arab demands, so there is a deal of freezing the resolution in exchange for a peaceful settlement in the Darfur Territory and a peace agreement that would include further Sudanese concessions, such as autonomy for the territory or apportioning it to three regions with autonomy.
The Escalation Scenario
The steps of this scenario could be figured out as follows:
1- America and Europe would seek rejection of freezing the arrest warrant of Al- Bashir.
2- They both will strive to support a new resolution to be issued by Ocampo and to be submitted to the Security Council to pass a resolution according to Chapter 7 of the Chart obliging all the other UN members including Sudan to cooperate in order to put the arrest warrant into effect.
3- The Darfur dissidents would get due support and encouragement to heighten their attacks like those of the Justice and Equality Forces last May on Um Durman with the object of pressuring Khartoum to allow them to arrest Al- Bashir and hand him in to the court.
4- Imposition of no-fly zones over Darfur like the one imposed by Americans over Iraq before the American invasion in addition to the economic, political and military embargo.
5- Employing the NATO troops, special French, European , American or other forces in special operations to penetrate the Sudanese borders or to operate outside Sudan to arrest Al-Bashir. One way is to force Al –Bashir's plane to land in an international airport so as to arrest him. The Attorney General Ocampo is authorized to use all the weapons and Devices available in the 108 UN members including the Intelligence capabilities, special forces, interior security forces, the army in addition to the UN forces to implement the resolution.
In any case, it is unexpected that the UN forces in Darfur (10 thousand troops) will be employed to arrest Al-Bashir, though they are the primary body responsible for such action.
This may lead to the attack of the Sudanese army on the UN troops and kicking them out of Sudan. This scenario has been figured out by the leaders of these troops which made them try to avoid getting involved and refrained from cooperating with the ICC concerning the special information related with Al-Bashir's prosecution.
Destiny of Elections and Peace With the South
There is still great fear of the impact of this verdict on Sudan internally and its repercussions on the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for next July. These will have close relationship with the future of peace and the Naivasha Peace Accord between the North and the south.
In case the verdict should affect the internal status quo, especially during the skirmishes between the Northerners and the Southerners, and the demand made by some southern leaders that Al-Bashir must hand himself in to the ICC, and in the light of the incompletion of the population census which may deter the promulgation of the election laws which are expected thereby to be deferred to December 2009 at most, given that that the peace accord between the north and the south which stipulates running the election in July, such deferment to next December will entail a constitution adaptation.
In case the elections should be run as scheduled and Al-Bashir should participate, it is expected that he will have a sliding victory owing to the popularity he has gained by the ICC verdict.
His victory will represent a new legitimacy bestowed on him by the voters. However, in case the elections are postponed or could not be run, this may aggravate the disputes with the southerners which may as well accelerate the unilateral detachment of the south without waiting till the year 2011 when the final destiny determination referendum should be administered.
This, in turn, might start a civil war between the south and the north apart from the west's wars for destiny determination. Sudan will then experience turmoil and instability which will re-thrust it into the status which existed before the Rescue Revolution of 1989.
This means that Sudan may relapse into its early Islamic roots which were characterized by rigidity and extremism. "Slah Qoush", Director of the Sudanese Intelligence, has openly warned against such relapse. Similarly, Othman Mohammed Taha, the Sudanese Vice President has alluded to the same warning when he said, " It will be a long battle".
Muhammad Gamal Arafa
political analyst in IOL
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om ICC Arrest Warrant of Sudan's President, ICC, Sudan, krigsförbrytelse, genocid, MR, Palestina, ICC trovärdighet, Al-Bashir, olja, bensin, USA intresse i Sudan, Franska intresse i Sudan, Kina, Kinas intresse i Sudan, Konflikt om Sudan
The ICC and Al-Bashir: Future Scenarios
With the issuance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese President Omar Al-Beshir on March 4, 2009, at the request of the Court's Attorney General on July 14, 2008, and which was commissioned by the UN Security Council, the issue has gone out of control and Khartoum has to face the new reality of an internal, regional and international situation.
Dozens of questions and future scenarios have emerged, which, in turn, need working out dozens of scenarios and immediate and later answers at the same time.
How is the court going to implement the warrant and arrest Al-Bashir? Will it be possible to commission some western SWAT troops to carry out a flash operation to arrest him across the borders of Chad, the area that has already witnessed a coup attempt by a Darfur faction that had advanced into the country as far as the outskirts of Khartoum?
Will the UN Security Council issue a binding resolution, according to Chapter VII compelling all the states to arrest him by force, after the Council's rejection of an African-Arab proposal to freeze the trial?
Will the UN Security Council issue a binding resolution, according to Chapter VII compelling all the states to arrest him by force, after the Council's rejection of an African-Arab proposal to freeze the trial?
Domestic and Regional Scenarios
What will happen inside Sudan? Will the two wings of hawks and doves in the ruling National Congress remain united or will the hawks-- proponents of the view of sacrificing the President and pushing him to resign-- opt for the Islamic Project of protecting Sudan from the threat of external invasion and siege?
Or will they persuade the Sudanese Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmad Harun, to turn himself in so as to alleviate the pressure on Al-Bashir and show Sudan's good intentions which might lead to the freezing of this sentence?
Will Darfur's rebels seize the opportunity to launch attacks against Khartoum supported by the Criminal Court's ruling as they have lately threatened?
Will the peace plans in the south be delayed or the presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for July 2009, be deferred? Will the south seek detachment from Sudan making use of this very tense atmosphere? Will the plans of fragmenting or dividing Sudan into four provinces be accelerated in accordance with an old known scheme?
What about the African Union and the Arab League: Could the 37 African States which signed the Rome Convention of the International Criminal Court withdraw in protest against the court's "political" ruling thereby damage the credibility of the Court? (The number of signatories of the convention is 108.)
May all these questions and their accompanying scenarios be premature and the situation in Sudan will remain as steadfast as ever, especially as 20 resolutions were previously issued by the Security Council concerning the conflict in Darfur, since 2005 but they have not been put into effect; gone with the wind, and Sudan remained steadfast.
Will the three Arab countries, members of the Court, withdraw as well or will the Arab position invariably remain mere rhetorical expression of solidarity with Sudan, particularly as there have been speculations that the Arab countries, "have sold" Al-Bashir off fearing to be linked with his destiny– as was the case with late President Saddam Hussein– which means confrontation with the new Obama administration.
In this case, they might be later forced to stand trial for opposing America and the West's desire to punish Al-Bashir?
Credibility and Future of the ICC
What about the fate and future of the Special International Criminal Courts, which have become looked upon, in spite of their growing in number (in Lebanon, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Cambodia), as unfair in their distribution of justice.
This is evidenced by their prosecution of the poor and overpowered countries while the crimes of the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan go unpunished.
Similarly, the Americans' ally, Israel commits endless crimes in Palestine. What about the future of the ICC, especially since it deals only with African cases– four African cases at hand– while it refuses to touch the case of Israel's war crimes in Gaza or America's in Iraq?
Repercussions
However, what is certain is that the resolution of arresting Al-Bashir will have its immediate and future repercussions on Sudan, Africa, and the world as a whole.
These repercussions may reach a stage of chaos and of escalating schemes to divide, and hence fragment, Sudan, especially if the resolution is linked to a fierce desire of the West to enforce its implementation and resort to the Security Council– and the seventh paragraph of the Charter– to be implemented by force, in spite of the African and Arab demands to apply to article 16 of the Statute for the freezing of the verdict.
Such repercussions may not undergo any escalating consequences against Sudan– in contrast with the previous scenario– except for the issuance of more resolutions by the Security Council imposing new punitive measures against Sudan.
The most ferocious sanctions against Sudan might be the imposition of an embargo and a ban on Sudanese air flights over Darfur. This means delimiting action to maintaining the court's verdict until a peace agreement about Darfur is reached, and then the embargo will be lifted.
Escalation vs. Appeasement Scenarios
Again, one could talk about the West's escalation scenario against Sudan by applying the Seventh Paragraph of the United Nations Charter. This will provide all the support it can do to Darfur rebels to raise public unrest, and to allow the intervention of the US and Western military imposition of a no-fly zone over Darfur.
On the other hand, the appeasement scenario which will sustain the court's verdict as a sword ready to strike Al–Bashir's neck with the object of compelling Sudan to compromise in some files.
But before talking about these two scenarios, we should point out that the article (89) of the Statute of the Tribunal establishes the procedures for the arrest of the accused, who has got the following verdicts:
First, The court first sends its ruling to the State of destination, Sudan, and requests its judges to put the sentence into effect. In this case, the verdict demand could be sent via the Sudanese embassy in the Hague –by fax as previous communications about the arrest of Minister Ahmed Haroun and Leader Kushayb have already taken place.
In this case Sudan would reject the request since Khartoum and the Sudanese parliament have not been signatories of the Convention establishing the court and therefore the convention is not part of the Sudanese law.
Second, The court should send the request corroborated by the indictment evidence that warrants the arrest of the person concerned to the country which has already ratified the court convention if the accused is on its land. The court should also request all the other countries to cooperate to implement the arrest.
Alternatively, Ocampo should circulate the arrest warrant of the Sudanese president to the countries which have ratified the ICC convention, namely all European countries except Russia, and all of the Southeast Asian states except China and the 37 African countries, and most of Latin America, and Canada. For them the arrest warrant is obligatory and binding.
In case this is impossible and if Sudan and any other country involved refuses to enforce the resolution, the court should automatically refer it to the UN Security Council. Although the court is not affiliated to the Council, the issue submitted should be implemented and to compel all the States to cooperate with the Tribunal, including the issuance of a resolution under Chapter VII of the Charter requiring all the Member States of the United Nations, including Sudan, to cooperate in order to execute the warrant of arrest.
Here the scenarios of escalation and appeasement are also important to the United States and Europe that have a tight grip on the Security Council.
The Appeasement Scenario
The appeasement steps could be figured out as follows:
1– Conciliation could start by delimiting the court's "politicized" resolution to one or two charges of the current three ones filed against President Al Bashir. The "Genocide" charge is to be dropped.
This will imply the existence of some kind of justice, especially as the Ocampo memorandum submitted to the court speaks about only thirty five thousand victims in Darfur, compared to 200 thousands according to the Western allegations and only 10 thousands according to Khartoum estimates.
2 - The resolution remains no more than ink on paper, meaning that it is not to be implemented, unless Al-Bashir travels to an ICC party state , and thereby creates a real problem. But this scenario may not be applicable as Al-Bashir seldom travels abroad and if he travels to some Arab countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Libya, it will not matter since these countries will not hand him in because they are not members of the Tribunal. Moreover, the nature of the Arab relations-makes this procedure unlikely.
3 - America and the West would not demand the enactment of Article VII of the UN Charter through a UN Security Council resolution. It should be used only as a measure of pressure.
4 - Washington will respond to the African and Arab demands, so there is a deal of freezing the resolution in exchange for a peaceful settlement in the Darfur Territory and a peace agreement that would include further Sudanese concessions, such as autonomy for the territory or apportioning it to three regions with autonomy.
The Escalation Scenario
The steps of this scenario could be figured out as follows:
1- America and Europe would seek rejection of freezing the arrest warrant of Al- Bashir.
2- They both will strive to support a new resolution to be issued by Ocampo and to be submitted to the Security Council to pass a resolution according to Chapter 7 of the Chart obliging all the other UN members including Sudan to cooperate in order to put the arrest warrant into effect.
3- The Darfur dissidents would get due support and encouragement to heighten their attacks like those of the Justice and Equality Forces last May on Um Durman with the object of pressuring Khartoum to allow them to arrest Al- Bashir and hand him in to the court.
4- Imposition of no-fly zones over Darfur like the one imposed by Americans over Iraq before the American invasion in addition to the economic, political and military embargo.
5- Employing the NATO troops, special French, European , American or other forces in special operations to penetrate the Sudanese borders or to operate outside Sudan to arrest Al-Bashir. One way is to force Al –Bashir's plane to land in an international airport so as to arrest him. The Attorney General Ocampo is authorized to use all the weapons and Devices available in the 108 UN members including the Intelligence capabilities, special forces, interior security forces, the army in addition to the UN forces to implement the resolution.
In any case, it is unexpected that the UN forces in Darfur (10 thousand troops) will be employed to arrest Al-Bashir, though they are the primary body responsible for such action.
This may lead to the attack of the Sudanese army on the UN troops and kicking them out of Sudan. This scenario has been figured out by the leaders of these troops which made them try to avoid getting involved and refrained from cooperating with the ICC concerning the special information related with Al-Bashir's prosecution.
Destiny of Elections and Peace With the South
There is still great fear of the impact of this verdict on Sudan internally and its repercussions on the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for next July. These will have close relationship with the future of peace and the Naivasha Peace Accord between the North and the south.
In case the verdict should affect the internal status quo, especially during the skirmishes between the Northerners and the Southerners, and the demand made by some southern leaders that Al-Bashir must hand himself in to the ICC, and in the light of the incompletion of the population census which may deter the promulgation of the election laws which are expected thereby to be deferred to December 2009 at most, given that that the peace accord between the north and the south which stipulates running the election in July, such deferment to next December will entail a constitution adaptation.
In case the elections should be run as scheduled and Al-Bashir should participate, it is expected that he will have a sliding victory owing to the popularity he has gained by the ICC verdict.
His victory will represent a new legitimacy bestowed on him by the voters. However, in case the elections are postponed or could not be run, this may aggravate the disputes with the southerners which may as well accelerate the unilateral detachment of the south without waiting till the year 2011 when the final destiny determination referendum should be administered.
This, in turn, might start a civil war between the south and the north apart from the west's wars for destiny determination. Sudan will then experience turmoil and instability which will re-thrust it into the status which existed before the Rescue Revolution of 1989.
This means that Sudan may relapse into its early Islamic roots which were characterized by rigidity and extremism. "Slah Qoush", Director of the Sudanese Intelligence, has openly warned against such relapse. Similarly, Othman Mohammed Taha, the Sudanese Vice President has alluded to the same warning when he said, " It will be a long battle".
Muhammad Gamal Arafa
political analyst in IOL
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onsdag 11 mars 2009
World in "Great Recession" :IMF
World in "Great Recession" :IMF
"The IMF expects global growth to slow below zero this year, the worst performance in most of our lifetimes," Strauss-Kahn said. (Reuters)
DAR-E-SALAAM — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stressed on Tuesday, March 10, that the world was in the grip of the "great recession," warning that Africans are at a particular risk from the global meltdown.
"The IMF expects global growth to slow below zero this year, the worst performance in most of our lifetimes," IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told African finance attending a conference discussing how Africa should respond to the crisis.
"When we release our next package of forecasts at the spring session, that is to say in April, everything leads us to believe that it will indeed reveal a negative global growth for the first time in 60 years."
The IMF chief described the global financial crisis as "the great recession," excluding any chance of a global recovery before 2010.
US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that the world was grappling with "the worst financial crisis" since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
The World Bank, the IMF's sister institution, said on Monday, March 9, it expects the world economy to shrink in 2009.
Stock markets worldwide hit their lowest levels in decades on Tuesday.
Japan's Nikkei stock index closed down 0.44 percent after another sell-off on Wall Street, hitting the lowest level since October 1982 for a second straight day.
In the US, where the crisis first erupted, stocks tumbled in choppy trade to 12-year lows overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 1.21 percent.
A financial firestorm swept the US and the world in September after the demise of Lehman Brothers, one of the US's Wall Street giants.
Since this, the crisis has knocked down many major companies worldwide, causing mounting job losses, falling household wealth and forcing consumers to hold back on spending.
Africa at Risk
The IMF, world's leading financial watchdog, warned that Africa would be particularly hard-hit by the global recession.
"Even though the crisis has been slow in reaching Africa's shores, we all know that it's coming and its impact will be severe," said Strauss-Kahn.
The IMF stressed that tumbling trade, declining remittances and dwindling foreign investments were piling pressure on Africa.
It predicts that growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to about 3 percent in 2009, half the growth rate it forecast last year.
"Even this could be too optimistic if the crisis deepens," warned Strauss-Kahn.
"Africa is now on the front line," agreed former UN chief Kofi Annan, currently chair of the Africa Progress Panel.
Many of the 300 participants in the conference pointed out that single private firms in the Western world had received bail-outs larger than the financial support for the whole of Africa.
"At a time when the international community is finding hundreds of billions of dollars for crisis resolution, I cannot accept that we will not be able to find hundreds of millions for low-income countries," said Strauss-Kahn.
"We must ensure that the voice of the poor is heard. We must ensure that Africa is not left out."
The IMF chief fears that the threat to Africa will not be only economic, with millions of Africans at the risk of being pushed back into poverty and conflict.
"This is not only about protecting economic growth or household incomes, it is also about containing the threat of civil unrest, perhaps even a war. It is about people and their futures."
IOL
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"The IMF expects global growth to slow below zero this year, the worst performance in most of our lifetimes," Strauss-Kahn said. (Reuters)
DAR-E-SALAAM — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stressed on Tuesday, March 10, that the world was in the grip of the "great recession," warning that Africans are at a particular risk from the global meltdown.
"The IMF expects global growth to slow below zero this year, the worst performance in most of our lifetimes," IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told African finance attending a conference discussing how Africa should respond to the crisis.
"When we release our next package of forecasts at the spring session, that is to say in April, everything leads us to believe that it will indeed reveal a negative global growth for the first time in 60 years."
The IMF chief described the global financial crisis as "the great recession," excluding any chance of a global recovery before 2010.
US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that the world was grappling with "the worst financial crisis" since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
The World Bank, the IMF's sister institution, said on Monday, March 9, it expects the world economy to shrink in 2009.
Stock markets worldwide hit their lowest levels in decades on Tuesday.
Japan's Nikkei stock index closed down 0.44 percent after another sell-off on Wall Street, hitting the lowest level since October 1982 for a second straight day.
In the US, where the crisis first erupted, stocks tumbled in choppy trade to 12-year lows overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 1.21 percent.
A financial firestorm swept the US and the world in September after the demise of Lehman Brothers, one of the US's Wall Street giants.
Since this, the crisis has knocked down many major companies worldwide, causing mounting job losses, falling household wealth and forcing consumers to hold back on spending.
Africa at Risk
The IMF, world's leading financial watchdog, warned that Africa would be particularly hard-hit by the global recession.
"Even though the crisis has been slow in reaching Africa's shores, we all know that it's coming and its impact will be severe," said Strauss-Kahn.
The IMF stressed that tumbling trade, declining remittances and dwindling foreign investments were piling pressure on Africa.
It predicts that growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to about 3 percent in 2009, half the growth rate it forecast last year.
"Even this could be too optimistic if the crisis deepens," warned Strauss-Kahn.
"Africa is now on the front line," agreed former UN chief Kofi Annan, currently chair of the Africa Progress Panel.
Many of the 300 participants in the conference pointed out that single private firms in the Western world had received bail-outs larger than the financial support for the whole of Africa.
"At a time when the international community is finding hundreds of billions of dollars for crisis resolution, I cannot accept that we will not be able to find hundreds of millions for low-income countries," said Strauss-Kahn.
"We must ensure that the voice of the poor is heard. We must ensure that Africa is not left out."
The IMF chief fears that the threat to Africa will not be only economic, with millions of Africans at the risk of being pushed back into poverty and conflict.
"This is not only about protecting economic growth or household incomes, it is also about containing the threat of civil unrest, perhaps even a war. It is about people and their futures."
IOL
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Recession, IMF, Africa, crisis, global crisis, konjunktursvacka, låg konjunktur, banker, skulder, lån, aktier, varsel, bilindustri, poor, aid, fattiga länder, subventionera, subvention, ekonomisk kris
måndag 2 mars 2009
AFGHANISTAN: Respiratory diseases kill 2-4 people daily
AFGHANISTAN: Respiratory diseases kill 2-4 people daily - Health Ministry
KABUL, 2 March 2009 (IRIN) - As many as 3,000 people seek treatment for cold-related respiratory diseases in Afghanistan every day, and of these, 2-4 die because of lack of access to decent healthcare, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has said.
"Every winter we see a marked increase in respiratory diseases," Abdullah Fahim, an MoPH spokesman, told IRIN in Kabul.
Pneumonia, asthma and other breathing problems peak among vulnerable people, particularly children, in sub-zero winter temperatures.
The situation is aggravated by high levels of pollution in the main cities [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82639
About nine million of the country's estimated 27 million people are food insecure, making them prone to seasonal and contagious diseases, health specialists say.
Over 230,000 people are also living in wretched conditions as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in tents, mud huts and dilapidated buildings; they generally lack access to heating, clothing and health services.
Afghanistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, with pneumonia and respiratory infections killing thousands of children every year, according to health workers.
Mobile health teams
In October 2008 the MoPH reported the establishment of 129 mobile health teams tasked with assisting needy communities during winter when snow often blocks access to local health centres.
The teams have helped prevent a major outbreak of winter diseases so far this year, but they are hampered by snow and transport difficulties, MoPH's Fahim said.
Because many roads in rural areas are rough and become impassable in winter, mobile health workers also use animals or trek to villages on foot to deliver life-saving health services.
"We're facing access problems in some mountainous and rugged regions in Paktika, Nooristan, Daykundi, Badghis and Badakhshan provinces," Fahim said.
In the volatile south and east health workers' access to tens of thousands of people has been impeded by insurgency-related violence and deliberate attacks on aid workers [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83207], MoPH officials said.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that because immunisation coverage is still very low in Afghanistan, preventable diseases kill thousands of children annually, with respiratory infections being among the leading causes of childhood deaths. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_background.html.
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KABUL, 2 March 2009 (IRIN) - As many as 3,000 people seek treatment for cold-related respiratory diseases in Afghanistan every day, and of these, 2-4 die because of lack of access to decent healthcare, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has said.
"Every winter we see a marked increase in respiratory diseases," Abdullah Fahim, an MoPH spokesman, told IRIN in Kabul.
Pneumonia, asthma and other breathing problems peak among vulnerable people, particularly children, in sub-zero winter temperatures.
The situation is aggravated by high levels of pollution in the main cities [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82639
About nine million of the country's estimated 27 million people are food insecure, making them prone to seasonal and contagious diseases, health specialists say.
Over 230,000 people are also living in wretched conditions as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in tents, mud huts and dilapidated buildings; they generally lack access to heating, clothing and health services.
Afghanistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, with pneumonia and respiratory infections killing thousands of children every year, according to health workers.
Mobile health teams
In October 2008 the MoPH reported the establishment of 129 mobile health teams tasked with assisting needy communities during winter when snow often blocks access to local health centres.
The teams have helped prevent a major outbreak of winter diseases so far this year, but they are hampered by snow and transport difficulties, MoPH's Fahim said.
Because many roads in rural areas are rough and become impassable in winter, mobile health workers also use animals or trek to villages on foot to deliver life-saving health services.
"We're facing access problems in some mountainous and rugged regions in Paktika, Nooristan, Daykundi, Badghis and Badakhshan provinces," Fahim said.
In the volatile south and east health workers' access to tens of thousands of people has been impeded by insurgency-related violence and deliberate attacks on aid workers [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83207], MoPH officials said.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that because immunisation coverage is still very low in Afghanistan, preventable diseases kill thousands of children annually, with respiratory infections being among the leading causes of childhood deaths. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_background.html.
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tisdag 24 februari 2009
Amnesty - Stop Arming Israel
Stop Arming Israel: Amnesty
Amnesty said Israeli forces used US-made weapons, including white phosphorus ammunitions, against Gaza civilians.
CAIRO — A leading international rights organization is advocating a global arms embargo on Israel, along with Palestinian groups, to stop indiscriminate attacks on civilians, particularly singling out the US, Israel's main arms supplier.
"We urge the UN Security Council to impose an immediate and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups until effective mechanisms are found to ensure that munitions and other military equipment are not used to commit serious violations of international law," Amnesty International Middle East Director Malcolm Smart said in a press release on Monday, February 23.
The London-based group has sent a fact-finding mission to Gaza and south Israel after Israel's recent three-week onslaught.
The mission found that the Israeli military offensive has wrecked havoc on the infrastructure of the densely-populated Palestinian territory.
"Weaponry, munitions and other military equipment supplied to Israel have been used by Israeli armed forces to carry out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza and attacks which were disproportionate or indiscriminate," said Amnesty.
"Israeli forces’ use of artillery and other non-precision weapons in densely-populated residential areas increased the risk, and the harm done, to the civilian population."
Nearly 1400 Palestinians were killed and thousands others injured in 22 days of Israeli air, sea and ground attack on Gaza Strip.
Donatella Rovera, who headed the fact-finding mission, also criticized Palestinian groups for firing rockets into southern Israel.
"Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime and caused several civilian deaths."
Only three Israelis were killed in Palestinian rocket attacks during the three weeks of war.
US Arms, Money
Amnesty's fact-finding mission cited detailed evidence of Israel's extensive use of US-made weaponry during its Gaza onslaught.
"To a large extent, Israel's military offensive in Gaza was carried out with weapons, munitions and military equipment supplied by the USA and paid for with US taxpayers’ money," said Smart.
"Israeli forces used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes," Rovera agreed.
"Their attacks resulted in the death of hundreds of children and other civilians, and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure."
Amnesty researchers found fragments and components from munitions used by the Israeli army - including many that are US-made – in school playgrounds, hospitals and homes.
They included artillery and tank shells, mortar fins and remnants from Hellfire and other airborne missiles and large F-16 delivered bombs.
The researchers also found remnants of a new type of missile, seemingly launched from unmanned drones, which explodes large numbers of tiny sharp-edged metal cubes, each between 2mm and 4mm square in size.
"These lethal purpose-made shrapnel had penetrated thick metal doors and were embedded deep in concrete walls, and are clearly designed to maximize injury."
Amnesty affirms that even before the Gaza war, the US has long been the largest arms supplier to Israel.
Under a current 10-year agreement negotiated by the Bush administration, the US will provide $30 billion in military aid to Israel.
Amnesty urged US President Barack Obama to review the former administration's agreements with Tel Aviv.
"The Obama Administration should immediately suspend US military aid to Israel," said Smart.
"As the major supplier of weapons to Israel, the USA has a particular obligation to stop any supply that contributes to gross violations of the laws of war and of human rights."
By IOL Staff
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Amnesty said Israeli forces used US-made weapons, including white phosphorus ammunitions, against Gaza civilians.
CAIRO — A leading international rights organization is advocating a global arms embargo on Israel, along with Palestinian groups, to stop indiscriminate attacks on civilians, particularly singling out the US, Israel's main arms supplier.
"We urge the UN Security Council to impose an immediate and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups until effective mechanisms are found to ensure that munitions and other military equipment are not used to commit serious violations of international law," Amnesty International Middle East Director Malcolm Smart said in a press release on Monday, February 23.
The London-based group has sent a fact-finding mission to Gaza and south Israel after Israel's recent three-week onslaught.
The mission found that the Israeli military offensive has wrecked havoc on the infrastructure of the densely-populated Palestinian territory.
"Weaponry, munitions and other military equipment supplied to Israel have been used by Israeli armed forces to carry out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza and attacks which were disproportionate or indiscriminate," said Amnesty.
"Israeli forces’ use of artillery and other non-precision weapons in densely-populated residential areas increased the risk, and the harm done, to the civilian population."
Nearly 1400 Palestinians were killed and thousands others injured in 22 days of Israeli air, sea and ground attack on Gaza Strip.
Donatella Rovera, who headed the fact-finding mission, also criticized Palestinian groups for firing rockets into southern Israel.
"Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime and caused several civilian deaths."
Only three Israelis were killed in Palestinian rocket attacks during the three weeks of war.
US Arms, Money
Amnesty's fact-finding mission cited detailed evidence of Israel's extensive use of US-made weaponry during its Gaza onslaught.
"To a large extent, Israel's military offensive in Gaza was carried out with weapons, munitions and military equipment supplied by the USA and paid for with US taxpayers’ money," said Smart.
"Israeli forces used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes," Rovera agreed.
"Their attacks resulted in the death of hundreds of children and other civilians, and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure."
Amnesty researchers found fragments and components from munitions used by the Israeli army - including many that are US-made – in school playgrounds, hospitals and homes.
They included artillery and tank shells, mortar fins and remnants from Hellfire and other airborne missiles and large F-16 delivered bombs.
The researchers also found remnants of a new type of missile, seemingly launched from unmanned drones, which explodes large numbers of tiny sharp-edged metal cubes, each between 2mm and 4mm square in size.
"These lethal purpose-made shrapnel had penetrated thick metal doors and were embedded deep in concrete walls, and are clearly designed to maximize injury."
Amnesty affirms that even before the Gaza war, the US has long been the largest arms supplier to Israel.
Under a current 10-year agreement negotiated by the Bush administration, the US will provide $30 billion in military aid to Israel.
Amnesty urged US President Barack Obama to review the former administration's agreements with Tel Aviv.
"The Obama Administration should immediately suspend US military aid to Israel," said Smart.
"As the major supplier of weapons to Israel, the USA has a particular obligation to stop any supply that contributes to gross violations of the laws of war and of human rights."
By IOL Staff
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Israel 'evicts Jerusalem families'
Israel 'evicts Jerusalem families'
More than 1,500 people could be left homeless
by the threatened demolitions [AFP]
More than 1,500 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem could be made homeless after Israel told them their homes are illegal and are to be demolished.
"The owners of 80 houses in the al-Bustan neighbourhood have received eviction notices saying that the structures will be destroyed because they are illegal," Hatem Abdel Kader, an official responsible for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian government, said.
Kader said that several of the houses served with demolition orders had been built before the 1967 war, when Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan, but that numerous extensions have been built since.
"The [Jerusalem] municipality used this as a pretext to issue the demolition orders despite appeals by the residents," he said.
No comment was immediately available from the city authorities.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital and has annexed the Arab east of the city, but under international law east Jerusalem is considered to be occupied and has not been recognised by world powers as the Israeli capital.
According to B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights organisation, Israeli authorities have demolished about 350 houses in east Jerusalem since 2004, saying that they were built without permits.
AJE and agencies
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Israel, Israelkritik, Antisemitism, Antisemitismen, SKMA, Politik, Ockupationspolitik, Sverige, Sionism, Sionismen, Sionister, Ockupation, Mänskliga Rättigheter, Palestina
More than 1,500 people could be left homeless
by the threatened demolitions [AFP]
More than 1,500 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem could be made homeless after Israel told them their homes are illegal and are to be demolished.
"The owners of 80 houses in the al-Bustan neighbourhood have received eviction notices saying that the structures will be destroyed because they are illegal," Hatem Abdel Kader, an official responsible for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian government, said.
Kader said that several of the houses served with demolition orders had been built before the 1967 war, when Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan, but that numerous extensions have been built since.
"The [Jerusalem] municipality used this as a pretext to issue the demolition orders despite appeals by the residents," he said.
No comment was immediately available from the city authorities.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital and has annexed the Arab east of the city, but under international law east Jerusalem is considered to be occupied and has not been recognised by world powers as the Israeli capital.
According to B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights organisation, Israeli authorities have demolished about 350 houses in east Jerusalem since 2004, saying that they were built without permits.
AJE and agencies
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Israel, Israelkritik, Antisemitism, Antisemitismen, SKMA, Politik, Ockupationspolitik, Sverige, Sionism, Sionismen, Sionister, Ockupation, Mänskliga Rättigheter, Palestina
fredag 20 februari 2009
Sexual Abuse in Britain's Baghdad Embassy
By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD — Eman (not her real name) is locking herself home, refusing to meet anyone and sinking into despair over what she describes as sexual abuse and bullying at the British Embassy.
"My sister has been in a deep depression since the incident," her brother Ahmed told IslamOnline.net.
"What happened is a shame to her honor. It will affect her future if she gets exposed."
Eman is the latest victim of alleged sexual harassment at the British Embassy, located inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
She is accusing a manager for the services company Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) of sexual harassment on the embassy's property.
The unidentified official was accused of sexually abusing three other workers at the embassy, an Iraqi cleaner and two cooks, more than 18 months ago.
But an internal investigation by KBR cleared him from any wrongdoing and the Iraqi employers were sacked.
He was allowed to return to his job at the embassy soon after the investigation ended as if nothing has happened.
"When we asked for help from the Ministry of Women Affairs, they said that they were also in a very difficult situation and cannot do much for us," said Ahmed, the victim's brother.
"They just recommended a lawyer who is asking a fortune to defend my sister but we don’t have another choice."
The lawyer told Eman's family that the task would not be easy, warning they would be "fighting against very powerful people."
"We are feeling weak, hand-tied and unable to fight for her rights," fumed her brother.
"My sister wants justice, but she might carry her wound for the rest of her life without healing."
Lost Dignity
When Nadia (not her real name) heard about Eman, hellish memories of her own ordeal came blazing into her mind.
"I lost the most important thing in my life after the incident," she told IOL fighting back the bitter memory.
"I lost my dignity."
Nadia is one of the three employees who accused the same KBR manager of sexual abuse.
"After nothing was proved, people started to look at me as if I was a hooker, not someone who suffered abuse."
She was forced out of her home and her husband couldn’t stand the shame and decided to leave her.
"I lost the love of my husband," Nadia said in a voice tinged with pain.
Hikmad Ahmed, the lawyer who followed her case, laments that his unyielding efforts failed to bring justice to Nadia and her colleagues.
"At the end, the poor women were seen as liars."
That's why he insists that the British Embassy should not allow the KBR to investigate the new abuse charges.
"If they were so fair on their law of conduct, they would have never accepted KBR to hold the investigation 18 months ago and allow the same mistake again."
Just like the first time, the accused KBR manager has been suspended from duty pending the end of the investigation.
"I just hope that the Embassy and the British government take it more serious than before, because their image has been destroyed," Ahmed says.
Anna Areen, a British lawyer specialized in sexual misconduct cases, is still surprised by the way the Embassy and Foreign Office reacted to the old charges.
"The UK has long been very serious on the law of conduct inside government and similar places. If they don’t take on their hands the investigation in Baghdad, they will be saying that it is allowed in Britain on the coming future," she told IOL.
"[Those] responsible should pay for what they did and it will be honorable if UK officials take head of this investigation and punishment.
By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om sexual abuse, British Embassy, Baghdad, UK
BAGHDAD — Eman (not her real name) is locking herself home, refusing to meet anyone and sinking into despair over what she describes as sexual abuse and bullying at the British Embassy.
"My sister has been in a deep depression since the incident," her brother Ahmed told IslamOnline.net.
"What happened is a shame to her honor. It will affect her future if she gets exposed."
Eman is the latest victim of alleged sexual harassment at the British Embassy, located inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
She is accusing a manager for the services company Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) of sexual harassment on the embassy's property.
The unidentified official was accused of sexually abusing three other workers at the embassy, an Iraqi cleaner and two cooks, more than 18 months ago.
But an internal investigation by KBR cleared him from any wrongdoing and the Iraqi employers were sacked.
He was allowed to return to his job at the embassy soon after the investigation ended as if nothing has happened.
"When we asked for help from the Ministry of Women Affairs, they said that they were also in a very difficult situation and cannot do much for us," said Ahmed, the victim's brother.
"They just recommended a lawyer who is asking a fortune to defend my sister but we don’t have another choice."
The lawyer told Eman's family that the task would not be easy, warning they would be "fighting against very powerful people."
"We are feeling weak, hand-tied and unable to fight for her rights," fumed her brother.
"My sister wants justice, but she might carry her wound for the rest of her life without healing."
Lost Dignity
When Nadia (not her real name) heard about Eman, hellish memories of her own ordeal came blazing into her mind.
"I lost the most important thing in my life after the incident," she told IOL fighting back the bitter memory.
"I lost my dignity."
Nadia is one of the three employees who accused the same KBR manager of sexual abuse.
"After nothing was proved, people started to look at me as if I was a hooker, not someone who suffered abuse."
She was forced out of her home and her husband couldn’t stand the shame and decided to leave her.
"I lost the love of my husband," Nadia said in a voice tinged with pain.
Hikmad Ahmed, the lawyer who followed her case, laments that his unyielding efforts failed to bring justice to Nadia and her colleagues.
"At the end, the poor women were seen as liars."
That's why he insists that the British Embassy should not allow the KBR to investigate the new abuse charges.
"If they were so fair on their law of conduct, they would have never accepted KBR to hold the investigation 18 months ago and allow the same mistake again."
Just like the first time, the accused KBR manager has been suspended from duty pending the end of the investigation.
"I just hope that the Embassy and the British government take it more serious than before, because their image has been destroyed," Ahmed says.
Anna Areen, a British lawyer specialized in sexual misconduct cases, is still surprised by the way the Embassy and Foreign Office reacted to the old charges.
"The UK has long been very serious on the law of conduct inside government and similar places. If they don’t take on their hands the investigation in Baghdad, they will be saying that it is allowed in Britain on the coming future," she told IOL.
"[Those] responsible should pay for what they did and it will be honorable if UK officials take head of this investigation and punishment.
By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om sexual abuse, British Embassy, Baghdad, UK
UN Urges World Support For Somalia's Sharif
UN Urges World Support For Somalia's Sharif
By Abdirahman Yusuf Jabril (IOL)
"I call on the international community to give him the strongest support to help him (Sharif) stabilize the country," Ould-Abdallah said. (Reuters)
BRUSSELS/MOGADISHU — Decrying years of neglect of the Horn of African country, the United Nations has called for global support to Somalia's new president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to rebuild the war-torn nation.
"The president was elected in a transparent manner and has legitimacy," UN Envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah told Reuters on Thursday, February 19.
"I call on the international community to give him the strongest support to help him stabilize the country."
Sheikh Sharif, the moderate leader of the Islamic Courts Union, which ruled Somalia for six months before the 2006 Ethiopian invasion, was elected president last month.
His elections won plaudits from the United States and Ethiopia, Somalia's traditional Christian rival.
However, the Eritrea-based opposition and the Shebab group, a splitter of the ICU, denounced Sheikh Sharif's election as an illegitimate "puppet" administration.
The UN envoy warned that neglecting Somalia harms the credibility of the international community as a whole.
"To avoid double standards, we cannot have this presence in Afghanistan and Iraq and neglect Somalia," Ould-Abdallah said.
He said that foreign governments, the UN and non-governmental organizations should re-establish permanent missions in Somalia.
"Somalia is the only country on earth with no effective international presence -- no diplomats, no large NGOs, no large UN presence," he said.
"People are crying out for it."
Somalia has been without effective government since the ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
More than 14 attempts to restore a functional government have since failed.
Shari`ah
"This version of Shari`ah should be a moderate version, not the one sought by Shebab fighters," Salad said.
The UN call comes as Sheikh Sharif won support from Somali scholars, who backed the enforcement of a moderate version of Islamic Shari`ah in Somalia.
"The Somali parliament should meet within 120 days to announce the enforcement of Shari`ah in Somalia and amend Constitution articles that clash with Shari`ah," Sheikh Ahmed Salad, the chairman of the Council of Somali Scholars for Reform and Reconciliation, said in a statement following a meeting of more than 100 scholars.
"This version of Shari`ah should be a moderate version, not the one sought by Shebab fighters."
Sheikh Sharif's election platform calls for enforcing the rules of Shari`ah in Somalia.
It says Somali scholars will be the main source to explain how to enforce Shari`ah and that the government, not the armed groups, will be the only party responsible for implementing it.
The platform also calls for restoring security, order and rule of law to help bring about peace in Somalia.
"Dialogue and understanding are the bases for dealing with those who did not take part in the political process and that shedding the Somali blood is forbidden," it says.
Somali scholars also called for the withdrawal of 3,500 African peacekeeping forces from Somalia within three months.
Extra troops must not be sent to Somalia and the foreign troops can not be attacked with in the period mentioned above, they said
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om somalia, sharia, islamiska domstolar, islamic courts, Somalie, shabab
By Abdirahman Yusuf Jabril (IOL)
"I call on the international community to give him the strongest support to help him (Sharif) stabilize the country," Ould-Abdallah said. (Reuters)
BRUSSELS/MOGADISHU — Decrying years of neglect of the Horn of African country, the United Nations has called for global support to Somalia's new president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to rebuild the war-torn nation.
"The president was elected in a transparent manner and has legitimacy," UN Envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah told Reuters on Thursday, February 19.
"I call on the international community to give him the strongest support to help him stabilize the country."
Sheikh Sharif, the moderate leader of the Islamic Courts Union, which ruled Somalia for six months before the 2006 Ethiopian invasion, was elected president last month.
His elections won plaudits from the United States and Ethiopia, Somalia's traditional Christian rival.
However, the Eritrea-based opposition and the Shebab group, a splitter of the ICU, denounced Sheikh Sharif's election as an illegitimate "puppet" administration.
The UN envoy warned that neglecting Somalia harms the credibility of the international community as a whole.
"To avoid double standards, we cannot have this presence in Afghanistan and Iraq and neglect Somalia," Ould-Abdallah said.
He said that foreign governments, the UN and non-governmental organizations should re-establish permanent missions in Somalia.
"Somalia is the only country on earth with no effective international presence -- no diplomats, no large NGOs, no large UN presence," he said.
"People are crying out for it."
Somalia has been without effective government since the ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
More than 14 attempts to restore a functional government have since failed.
Shari`ah
"This version of Shari`ah should be a moderate version, not the one sought by Shebab fighters," Salad said.
The UN call comes as Sheikh Sharif won support from Somali scholars, who backed the enforcement of a moderate version of Islamic Shari`ah in Somalia.
"The Somali parliament should meet within 120 days to announce the enforcement of Shari`ah in Somalia and amend Constitution articles that clash with Shari`ah," Sheikh Ahmed Salad, the chairman of the Council of Somali Scholars for Reform and Reconciliation, said in a statement following a meeting of more than 100 scholars.
"This version of Shari`ah should be a moderate version, not the one sought by Shebab fighters."
Sheikh Sharif's election platform calls for enforcing the rules of Shari`ah in Somalia.
It says Somali scholars will be the main source to explain how to enforce Shari`ah and that the government, not the armed groups, will be the only party responsible for implementing it.
The platform also calls for restoring security, order and rule of law to help bring about peace in Somalia.
"Dialogue and understanding are the bases for dealing with those who did not take part in the political process and that shedding the Somali blood is forbidden," it says.
Somali scholars also called for the withdrawal of 3,500 African peacekeeping forces from Somalia within three months.
Extra troops must not be sent to Somalia and the foreign troops can not be attacked with in the period mentioned above, they said
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om somalia, sharia, islamiska domstolar, islamic courts, Somalie, shabab
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