Showing posts with label Crimes Against Humanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crimes Against Humanity. Show all posts

Thursday, July 20, 2023

The disappointing legacy of the ICC

    7:46 AM   No comments

Since it came online, the ICC built a record of focusing on crimes committed in the Global South and ignoring those committed by leaders of the West. The evidence was so damning that Many African leaders called for mass exit from the first permanent international criminal court that promised more in terms of holding abusers of human rights to account. Since the statute that powered the court came to force in 2002, prosecutors of the ICC have been eager to indict anyone the West does not like and ignore crimes committed by Western leaders or friends of Western leaders. For example, despite the damning evidence of torture, murder, and unlawful detention of persons since the illegal Western invasion of Iraq in 2003, the ICC did not take any measurable outcome action against the perpetrators of the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and war of aggression—the very crimes that fall under its jurisdiction. Yet, before the war in Ukraine closed its first year, the ICC gathered enough evidence to indict a sitting president. 

This article sheds some light about the corrupting power of money, political interference, and ideological biases that have infected the once promising institution on which many human rights activists pinned much hope. 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Report: During the Nakba, Ben-Gurion ordered that Palestinian wells be poisoned to prevent Palestinians from returning home

    6:31 AM   No comments

Haaretz newspaper revealed that during the Nakba, Ben-Gurion ordered that Palestinian wells be poisoned to prevent people from return. Wells in Acre, Gaza, Beersheba, Jericho, Galilee, Bedouin, & Jerusalem were poisoned. Zionist gangs spread germs that caused typhus and dysentery. The paper revealed the existence of documents that officially confirm that Israel poisoned Palestinian water wells in Acre and Gaza in 1948.





The paper reported in its Friday edition the discovery of official documents proving Israel’s poisoning of Palestinian water wells in 1948, in which prominent and well-known Israeli figures participated.


The disturbing story behind them was recently uncovered by historian Benny Morris and historian and Israel Prize laureate Benjamin Z. Kedar, following extensive archival research, the paper said.


This operation was partially exposed decades ago when rumors and oral testimonies were reported in newspapers and books about an attempt in 1948 by Israeli forces to poison wells in Acre and Gaza, contaminating drinking water with bacteria. However, only now, in Morris and Kedar’s research, has the “smoking gun” been revealed in the form of official documentation, according to Haaretz. The newly unearthed documents show that this operation was much broader in scope than earlier believed, and that other top military and political figures besides David Ben-Gurion were involved.



“We uncovered a lot of new information. We deciphered how the operation developed through its various stages; we discovered who authorized, organized, and controlled the operation; and how it was carried out in different areas,” Morris says. “We have a much fuller picture now, and one that is based in part on army documentation,” Kedar adds.



The pair recently published an article in the journal Middle Eastern Studies titled “‘Cast Thy Bread’: Israeli Biological Warfare during the 1948 War.” “Cast Thy Bread” was the operation’s code name. Naturally, most of the material related to the episode is censored, but when Morris searched through the Israeli army archives for any mention of the operation by name, he was surprised to discover numerous documents. Morris writes in the article that the censor apparently was not aware of what the code name referred to.



On April 1, 1948, David Ben-Gurion wrote in his journal about “the development of science and speeding up its application in warfare”. A month and a half later, he wrote about “biological materials” that were purchased for $2,000, the paper said.


It pointed out that now it became clear the extent of the link between what Ben-Gurion wrote and Israel’s purchase of biological materials, which appear to be a specific powder or liquid used to poison Palestinian well water.


The new documents revealed that these operations were supervised by well-known Israeli figures, led by: David Ben-Gurion, former defense minister Moshe Dayan, and former Israeli president Ephraim Katzir, among others.


The operation began in April 1948, when fears of an invasion by Arab armies were mounting. The plan was to poison wells in abandoned Arab villages as well as in Jewish locales that were due to be evacuated by new Israeli state. The idea was to prevent Arabs from returning to their villages and from settling in Jewish locales that would fall into their hands.


The documents show that Ben-Gurion was at the top of the pyramid. Below him was Yigal Yadin, who oversaw the military side of the operation. The operation was commanded by Yohanan Ratner. Initially, the top man in the field for the group was Dayan, who went on to become the Israeli army chief of staff and defense minister. The documents indicate that Dayan served as the smuggler who conveyed the bacteria from the science corps to different points throughout the country.


Sunday, May 14, 2023

Photos published for the first time; atrocious methods of torture in Guantanamo

    2:23 PM   No comments

Although many years have passed since the establishment of the Guantanamo prison, amid the international and human rights criticisms that surrounded this prison located in Guantanamo Bay in the far southeast of Cuba, the mystery still surrounds many of the methods of torture that were practiced behind its closed cells.

However, a detainee there, called "Abu Zubaydah", presented for the first time dozens of drawings that he wrote with her hand about the methods of torture he was subjected to in this American detention camp, as part of what was known as the CIA torture program after September 11.

And those drawings, which numbered 40 live now, constituted the most comprehensive and detailed account of the brutal methods he was subjected to at the hands of the CIA, between 2002 and 2006, according to what was reported by the British newspaper, The Guardian.

 

It also prompted the United Nations to demand his release, stressing that these methods are inconsistent with all international laws.

 
Rape and drowning

The pictures that Abu Zubayda wrote and later sent to one of his lawyers, Professor Mark Denbeaux, showed horrific acts of violence, sexual and racial insults, and prolonged psychological terror to which the detainees were subjected.

 

The aforementioned lawyer, along with his students at the Center for Policy and Research at Seton Hall Law School, collected Zubayda's photos and testimonies in a comprehensive report on torture in this notorious prison and other secret intelligence detention centers.

 

Denbeaux said: "Abu Zubayda is the first victim of the American torture program, after it was approved by the US Department of Justice based on facts that the CIA knew were wrong," as he put it.

 

It is noteworthy that Abu Zubayda, 52, was arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, then he was transferred between several secret intelligence locations, whether in Poland or Lithuania, and others, until he landed in Guantanamo in 2006, where he has been detained since then without Prosecution or proof of his involvement in any crime.


coffin

His meticulously drawn images showed masked agents physically threatening him with rape.

 It also showed other violent methods of torture and force-feeding, as well as holding the detainee in a coffin-like place and dousing it with water, or placing headphones on his ears and raising the volume to the maximum extent that a human mind can bear.

 It showed how the man in his fifties was tied with iron chains naked in front of his interrogators, some of whom were female, in order to humiliate him.

 He was also subjected to simulated drowning 83 times.

 About that experience, he wrote to his lawyer, "I was terrified of drowning all day."

 According to the 2014 Senate report summary, at least 119 individuals have fallen victim to this horrific program at Guantanamo.

 

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Chinese envoy urges US to immediately lift Syria sanctions to return 'hope of survival' to children

    7:56 AM   No comments

Chinese envoy urges immediate lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria to return the "hope of survival" to children in the country as the US' long-arm jurisdiction has further exacerbated the earthquake disaster and hindered rescue efforts with more children's lives as the cost.  

Nearly a week since the most devastating earthquakes in recent history, the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 38,000 while searches for signs of life in the rubble amid freezing temperatures continues.  

A UN official pointed out on Sunday in a post on Twitter that international help has "failed the people in northwest Syria," where more than 12 years of civil war have resulted in a complex political situation. ( Read the reporting on the Chinese statement about Syria).


This call for the lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria comes after UN officials have made a similar demand.

UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights Alena Douhan today urged sanctioning States to lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they were perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011. 

“I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are struggling to rebuild a life with dignity, following the decade-long war,” Douhan said.

In a statement following her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country. (Read the reporting on the UN statement on sanctions).


Friday, November 11, 2022

UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people

    2:29 PM   No comments


 DAMASCUS/GENEVA (10 November) – UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights Alena Douhan today urged sanctioning States to lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they were perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011. 

“I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are struggling to rebuild a life with dignity, following the decade-long war,” Douhan said.

In a statement following her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country.

Douhan said 90 per cent of Syria’s population was currently living below the poverty line, with limited access to food, water, electricity, shelter, cooking and heating fuel, transportation and healthcare and warned that the country was facing a massive brain-drain due to growing economic hardship.

“With more than half of the vital infrastructure either completely destroyed or severely damaged, the imposition of unilateral sanctions on key economic sectors, including oil, gas, electricity, trade, construction and engineering have quashed national income, and undermine efforts towards economic recovery and reconstruction.

The expert said blocking of payments and refusal of deliveries by foreign producers and banks, coupled with sanctions-induced limited foreign currency reserves have caused serious shortages in medicines and specialised medical equipment, particularly for chronic and rare diseases.  She warned that rehabilitation and development of water distribution networks for drinking and irrigation had stalled due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts, creating serious public health and food security implications.

“In the current dramatic and still-deteriorating humanitarian situation as 12 million Syrians grapple with food insecurity, I urge the immediate lifting of all unilateral sanctions that severely harm human rights and prevent any efforts for early recovery, rebuilding and reconstruction,” Douhan said.

“No reference to good objectives of unilateral sanctions justifies the violation of fundamental human rights. The international community has an obligation of solidarity and assistance to the Syrian people.”

The Special Rapporteur also dealt with other issues showcasing the multifaceted negative impact of sanctions, including international cooperation in the areas of science, arts, sports, preservation of national cultural heritage and restitution of cultural artefacts, access to new technologies, cyberspace and online information platforms, criminality and regional/international security, as well as the issue of frozen foreign assets of Syrian financial institutions and other entities.

“I urge the international community and the sanctioning states in particular, to pay heed to the devastating effects of sanctions and to take prompt and concrete steps to address over-compliance by businesses and banks in accordance with international human right law,” she said.

“In the words of one of my interlocutors, echoing numerous others: ‘I saw much suffering, but now I see the hope die,’” Douhan said.

During her visit the UN expert met representatives from national and local government institutions, non-governmental organisations, associations, humanitarian actors, businesses, UN entities, academia, religious leaders and faith-based organisations, as well as the diplomatic community. In addition to the capital Damascus, she also visited Homs city, rural Homs, and rural Damascus.

The Special Rapporteur will present a report to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

ENDS

Ms Alena Douhan (Belarus) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights by the Human Rights Council in March 2020. Ms. Douhan has extensive experience in the fields of international law and human rights as, a Professor of international law at the Belarusian State University (Minsk), a visiting Professor at the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed conflict, (Bochum, Germany) and the Director of the Peace Research Centre (Minsk). She received her PhD at the Belarusian State University in 2005 and obtained Dr. hab. in International Law and European Law in 2015 (Belarus).

Ms. Douhan’s academic and research interests are in the fields of international law, sanctions and human rights law, international security law, law of international organizations, international dispute settlement, and international environmental law.

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

Monday, October 3, 2022

Inuit Greenlanders demand answers over Danish birth control scandal

    7:55 AM   No comments

 Denmark and Greenland have formally agreed to launch a two-year investigation into historic birth control practices carried out for many years on Inuit Greenlanders by Danish doctors.


Thousands of Inuit women and girls were fitted with an intrauterine device (IUD), commonly known as a coil, during the 1960s and 70s.


It is a contraceptive device placed inside the womb - or uterus - to prevent pregnancy.


Among the women and girls fitted with an IUD was Naja Lyberth.


It was in the 1970s that a doctor told Naja, who believes she was then aged about 13, to go to her local hospital to have a coil implanted following a routine school medical examination.


"I didn't really know what it [was] because he never explained or got my permission," says Naja, who at the time was living in Maniitsoq, a small town on Greenland's west coast.


Read article...

Friday, September 8, 2017

Nobel Prize Winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, presiding over the Rohingya Genocide

    7:36 AM   No comments
Desmond Tutu condemns Aung San Suu Kyi: 'Silence is too high a price'
Nobel laureate issues heartfelt letter to fellow peace prize winner calling for her to speak up for Rohingya in Myanmar

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Human Rights Report: UK, USA, emboldened the government of Bahrain that is committing unlawful killings, torture, and imprisonment of peaceful protesters

    7:06 AM   No comments
A new report published by Amnesty International today sheds light on the repressive tactics used by the Bahraini government over the past year to crush civil society and violently crack down on protests, leading to the deaths of six people, including one child.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

UN Report: Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid

    9:44 AM   No comments
A senior U.N. official resigned on Friday over the withdrawal of a report accusing Israel of imposing an "apartheid regime" on Palestinians, saying "powerful member states" pressured the world body and its chief with "vicious attacks and threats."


Friday, February 17, 2017

Emmanuel Macron: Colonization was a crime against humanity

    7:02 AM   No comments
 Emmanuel Macron, the centrist French politician who is surging in the polls two months ahead of the presidential election, has been forced to defend himself after criticizing his country’s colonial past.

Macron, 39, was asked to clarify previous comments on colonization during an interview with Algerian television, broadcast on Tuesday night – a sensitive issue in a country that fought a bloody war to earn its independence from France.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Gaza: Israeli Soldiers Shoot and Kill Fleeing Civilians: Fighting in Khuza’a Shows Grave Dangers to Families Seeking Safety

    10:24 AM   No comments
(Gaza) – Israeli forces in the southern Gaza town of Khuza’a fired on and killed civilians in apparent violation of the laws of war in several incidents between July 23 and 25, 2014. Deliberate attacks on civilians who are not participating in the fighting are war crimes.

Friday, August 1, 2014

An Israeli newspaper publishes then removes article that condone genocide

    12:41 PM   No comments

An Israeli newspaper appeared to attempt to avert a backlash on Friday evening, when it removed a post entitled "When Genocide is Permissible" from its website less than a minute after it was uploaded.

The post, made live on The Times of Israel website at 5:36pm, was written by Yochanan Gordon regarding Israel’s current offensive in Gaza.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Outrage at Syrian rebel shown 'eating soldier's heart'

    5:48 AM   No comments

A video which appears to show a Syrian rebel taking a bite from the heart of a dead soldier has been widely condemned.

US-based Human Rights Watch identified the rebel as Abu Sakkar, a well-known insurgent from the city of Homs, and said his actions were a war crime.

The main Syrian opposition coalition said he would be put on trial.

The video, which cannot be independently authenticated, seems to show him cutting out the heart.

"I swear to God we will eat your hearts and your livers, you soldiers of Bashar the dog," the man says referring to President Bashar al-Assad as he stands over the soldier's corpse.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Abu Sakkar is the leader of a group called the Independent Omar al-Farouq Brigade.

"The mutilation of the bodies of enemies is a war crime. But the even more serious issue is the very rapid descent into sectarian rhetoric and violence," HRW's Peter Bouckaert told Reuters news agency.

HRW said those committing war crimes on either side had to know that there was no impunity and that they would be brought to account.

The human rights group said Abu Sakkar had been filmed before, firing rockets into Shia areas of Lebanon and posing with the bodies of guerrillas from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement killed fighting alongside Syrian government forces.

The video, posted on Sunday, is one of the most gruesome to emerge among the many thrown up by more than two years of carnage in Syria, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.


مقطع مصور لأحد "قادة" المعارضة المسلحة في سوريا وهو يمثل بجثة جندي من القوات الحكومية

    5:44 AM   No comments

أثار مقطع مصور لأحد "قادة" المعارضة المسلحة في سوريا وهو يمثل بجثة جندي من القوات الحكومية انتقادات دولية واسعة.
ويظهر الفيديو، الذي قالت المنظمة الدولية لحقوق الإنسان (هيومان رايتس ووتش) إنه لأحد قادة المعارضة البارزين في حمص اسمه أبو صقار، وهو يقطع قلب وكبد أحد قتلى جنود القوات النظامية السورية ويأكلهما.
ووصف جيم موير مراسل بي بي سي في بيروت المقطع المصور - الذي لم تتأكد مصداقيته - بأنه الأكثر ترويعا على مدار العامين الماضيين منذ اندلاع الصراع في سوريا.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

محققة دولية: شهادات ترجح استخدام مسلحي المعارضة السورية أسلحة كيميائية

    7:10 AM   No comments

محققة دولية: شهادات ترجح استخدام مسلحي المعارضة السورية أسلحة كيميائية

قالت كارلا ديل بونتي عضو لجنة التحقيق المستقلة التابعة للامم المتحدة، في شأن جرائم الحرب وانتهاكات حقوق الانسان الاخرى في سوريا، إن المحققين جمعوا شهادات من ضحايا الحرب الاهلية السورية وموظفين طبيين تشير الى ان مسلحي المعارضة استخدموا غاز الاعصاب السارين.

غير أن اللجنة نفسها قالت إنها لم تنته بعد من التحقيقات واستخلاص النتائج.
وقالت ديل بونتي ان لجنة التحقيق التي تتخذ من جنيف مقرا لها لم تر دليلا بعد على استخدام القوات الحكومية الاسلحة الكيميائية المحظورة بموجب القانون الدولي.
وقالت ديل بونتي في مقابلة تلفزيونية ان "محققينا زاروا الدول المجاورة واجروا مقابلات مع الضحايا والاطباء والمستشفيات الميدانية، واستنادا الى تقريرهم الاسبوع الماضي الذي اطلعت عليه، فهناك شكوك قوية وملموسة ولكنها لم ترق الى أن تصبح دليلا لا يقبل الجدل على استخدام غاز السارين من الطريقة التي عولج بها الضحايا.
ولم تعط ديل بونتي تفاصيل عن زمان ومكان استخدام السارين.

Monday, February 18, 2013

الأمم المتحدة: الحكومة والمعارضة مسؤولتان عن جرائم حرب في سوريا

    7:19 AM   No comments
قال تقرير للجنة تابعة للأمم المتحدة مكلفة بتقصي الحقائق في سوريا إن أفرادا من المعارضة السورية التي تقود تمردا مسلحا في داخل سوريا ومن قوات الأمن السورية مسؤولون عن وقوع جرائم حرب في البلاد.



وقالت إن تلك الممارسات شملت "إعدامات وتعذيب وترهيب المدنيين العزل" خلال العامين الماضيين.

في هذه الأثناء قالت المدعية العامة السابقة بمحكمة الجنايات الدولية "إنه من المتوجب أن تنظر المحكمة الجنائية الدولية الآن في حقيقة وجود جرائم حرب في سوريا".
وأضافت ديل بونتي العضو في لجنة تقصي الحقائق عن الوضع سوريا في تصريحاتها المتزامنة مع اصدار التقرير أنه "على الأمم المتحددة ومجلس الأمن اتخاذ قرارات بهذا الشأن (...) فنحن نحاول اقناع هذه الهيئات بالقيام بذلك لأن الوقت قد حان."

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Documenting war crimes in Syria: summary executions

    3:07 PM   No comments
More than 80 bodies were pulled out of the river in Northern Syria. The victims, with hands tied and hooded appear to be victims of summary execution act. The government accuses the rebels and the rebels accuse the government. The identity of the victims may help identify the side that committed these crimes.

Monday, December 10, 2012

المعارضة السورية المسلحة تستخدم الأطفال في النزاع: تقارير عن خدمة صبية كمقاتلين وحراس وعناصر مراقبة واستطلاع

    1:04 PM   No comments
قالت هيومن رايتس ووتش اليوم إن جماعات معارضة مسلحة تقاتل في سوريا تستخدم أطفالاً في القتال وفي أغراض عسكرية أخرى. تبينت لهيومن رايتس ووتش وجود أطفال في سن قد تبلغ 14 عاماً يخدمون في ثلاث كتائب معارضة على الأقل، وينقلون الأسلحة والإمدادات ويقومون بأعمال مراقبة، كما شوهد أطفال في سن 16 عاماً يحملون السلاح ويقاتلون ضد قوات الحكومة. قالت هيومن رايتس ووتش إن على قادة المعارضة التقدم بتعهدات علنية بإنهاء هذه الممارسة، وبحظر استخدام أي شخص تحت 18 عاماً لأغراض عسكرية، ولو حتى على أساس تطوعي.

قابلت هيومن رايتس ووتش خمسة صبية بين 14 و16 عاماً، قالوا إنهم يعملون مع المعارضة المسلحة في حمص ودرعا وخربة الجوز، وهي بلدة صغيرة بإدلب قرب الحدود التركية. قال ثلاثة من الصبية – يبلغون جميعاً من العمر 16 عاماً – إنهم يحملون السلاح. قال أحدهم إنه تلقى تدريباً عسكرياً وشارك في مهمات قتالية هجومية. قال اثنان من الصبية – 14 و15 عاماً – إنهما يدعمون، مع صبية آخرين، كتائب المعارضة بإجراء عمليات مراقبة واستطلاع وبنقل الأسلحة والإمدادات. كما قابلت هيومن رايتس ووتش ثلاثة آباء سوريين قالوا إن أبنائهم تحت 18 عاماً مكثوا في سوريا كي يقاتلوا.

وقالت بريانكا موتابارثي، باحثة قسم حقوق الطفل في هيومن رايتس ووتش: “جميع الأعين تنظر إلى المعارضة السورية لكي تثبت أنها تحاول حماية الأطفال من الرصاص والقنابل، ولا تعرضهم للخطر. من أفضل السبل لأن يحمي القادة العسكريون الأطفال، هو التقدم بتعهد قوي وعلني ضد استخدام الأطفال ضمن صفوف المقاتلين، والتأكد من أعمار الصبية قبل السماح لهم بالالتحاق بالقوات”.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Documenting War Crimes in Syria

    6:05 PM   No comments
Free Syrian Army doing what exactly the same thing they accuse the regime of doing; why would the people trust them if they are the same? Torture is immoral and illegal.

CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment

Friday, November 30, 2012

Torture in Syria

    9:13 AM   No comments



Torture and degrading treatment of persons in conflict zones. This particular video depicts groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army torturing a civilian and then calling his father for ransom money.

Torture is a serious violation of human rights and is strictly prohibited by international law. As the use of torture strikes at the very heart of civil and political freedoms, it was one of the first issues dealt with by the United Nations (UN) in its development of human rights standards. One of its earliest measures was to abolish corporal punishment in colonial territories in 1949. International law prohibits torture and other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment, which cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

Despite being stringently outlawed, torture continues to be practiced in a majority of countries round the world. A 2001 report by Amnesty International highlighted the use of torture by 140 states between 1997 and 2001, and found that every year thousands of perpetrators beat, rape and electrocute other human beings.

Most popular articles


Karama Videos



Search for old news

Find Articles by year, month hierarchy

Contact Us

Name

Email *

Message *

_______________________________________________

Copyright © KARAMA. All rights reserved.