the UN threaten ICC war crimes trial for Gaddafi
I make no apology for continuing in the same vein in my posts here. The current situation in the Middle east and the knowledge that my government has been and is partly responsible for the obstruction of progress to democratic reform in the region haunts me.
While it is clear there is a huge swathe of people in the country who appear to have little or no interest in any of this, I believe there is a larger group who care passionately about the rights and legitimate struggle of repressed people. I believe this group can look beyond the garden fence and see that it is time to change the political structures of our own nation so that, at least we do not benefit from the subjugation of people who's aspirations for a decent quality of life are the same as ours. Isn't time for a thorough Spring cleaning?
Last night I watched one of the saddest television news items I have ever seen. Orla Guerin, of BBC News, interviewed Saad Iqbal Madni, an Islamic scholar and famous reciter of the Koran, about his being tortured and falsely imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
Every other night Saad Iqbal Madni wakes up screaming. For more than five years the Pakistani Islamic scholar was Prisoner Number 746, one among many of the disappeared in Guantanamo Bay.
This story is pertinent to the ongoing concerns of the British people with regard to UK Government sanctioning and involvement of torture of suspected terrorists. This story made me cry. It is a story of modern barbarism administered at the highest level and it is wholly unjustifiable.
The interview speaks for itself and it is clear that the UK government of the time was involved in the so-called extra ordinary rendition, interrogation and subsequent torture of this man.
Click on link below for the full story :
It has become clearer than ever that UK Government licensing and promotion of the UK arms trade is having a hugely detrimental effect on the peoples we see trying to begin the process of change towards civil, democratic government in their countries.The UK is culpable for it's self serving support of tyrants like Gaddafi. The UK has been exporting teargas, rubber bullets, water cannon and small arms to Libya and other countries in the region for years. The licences stipulate that the materials are only to be used in defence and not to suppress the people. The items exported cannot be described as for defence. They are regularly used to quell civil unrest in all of the Middle Eastern countries where the people are fighting for their freedom at this time.
The UN has discussed the possibility of Gaddafi and family members standing trial at the International Criminal Court. This might not be so easy as China will oppose this and the USA has not signed up to the ICC treaty for fear that it might be used against their soldiers.
Cameron is currently currying favour with potential arms buyers. They do this in your name and I wonder how much this matters to you. If you care I beseech you to act against the practice of UK sanctioned torture and the arms trade to dictators. There are many of ways in which we can let the UK government know this must stop NOW!
6 comments:
Watched the item you wrote about in despair......
A terrible and a sad indictement of the UK and USA.
By the way I am starting to feel the UK wind of rascism in some of this. people don't care much about these "far away struggles". Charity begins at home etc. Many of your fans seem slow to respond. perhaps they are the 48% polled in the Observer who said they would vote for a right wing nationalist , anti immigration party if they were not of the typical nazi variety.
No matter keep up the good work.
Jon
Not their fault it's all down to upbringing after all. The silent majority will have a voice when they feel the pinch. It has always been the same.
UN have voted to bring charges against Gaddafi and his monsterous sons through ICC. Quite right too!
Mary n Bob
Ms Rice, the USA rep at the UN, was very eloquent about the inhumanity of the Libyan regime but we know Quantanamo Bay prison breaks a lot of International law on human rights. Shame on them and time to be seen to clearly distance ourselves from "the special relationship" in this regard.
Angela
x
Hi All,
Very surprising for UN to achieve unanimous vote on indicting Gadaffi family plus 10 top aides through the ICC and very encouraging for the future.
You might expect to hear the phrase "charity begins at home over next months". This is always a trend during hard times.
We should also be aware that hard times can create a fertile climate for far right wing expansion.
Post a Comment