Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog

SAYING NO TO DRONES, PESHAWAR DECLARATION AND THE WARMTH OF FRIENDS

This week has been one of the most frustrating of recent times. I was denied a visa to travel to Pakistan to film footage of a peace march for a documentary on drones called “The Approximate Target” with my colleague French Algerian director Yacine Helali. My thoughts on drones and reasons for refusal are documented in the following article in the Lahore Times  http://www.lhrtimes.com/2012/10/01/im-facing-visa-problems-for-pakistan-to-participate-pti-waziristan-march-against-us-drone-strikes-carol-grayson/

I had decided to research and develop a proposal for a film two years ago whilst helping set up a website called Asia Despatch writing on socio-political issues with my colleague Saleem Shahzad, an investigative journalist based in Pakistan.  We had been reporting on the issue for a while. There was more and more evidence mounting that far from the precise target killing of “alleged insurgents” (which I find unacceptable anyway on legal/ethical grounds) more and more civilians were being obliterated by hellfire missiles in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan. My recent interview for Russia TV on target killing can be seen here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHPBGIl5Wns&feature=related

The idea for a peace march to Waziristan, (an area hard hit by drone strikes and out of reach to many journalists due to fighting between insurgents and the Pakistan army) was initiated by politician Imran Khan and Clive Stafford Smith, a human rights lawyer acting for victims of drone strikes. The visa refusal hit hard as I had reported on Imran Khan’s previous dharnas (peaceful demonstrations) when there was a great dearth of international media interest and barely an activist in sight. I had worked continuously on cultivating good working relationships with tribal area journalists and civilians from the region for some time. They were expecting me to film and appeared as disappointed as I was that this wasn’t now going to happen and the visa denial was probably politically motivated.

However another opportunity arose. I was kindly invited by Asim Khan from Imran’s party Tehreek-e –Insaf (PTI) to attend a peaceful protest against drones outside the US Embassy in London.  (Some of the latest videos of the peace march can be viewed on here http://www.insaf.pk/ ) I immediately felt among friends as I had campaigned online with many of those present whose families orginated from Pakistan and meeting some for the first time strengthened our common goal to expose the actions of the US and highlight the suffering of those in the Tribal areas. What I felt was the warmth of the Muslim community, a great passion for Pakistan and hope for a brighter country with an end to wars, corruption, human rights abuses and incompetent leadership. Imran, to many is the flame that lights that hope.

Campaigners covered the bushes in posters showing the horrors of drone strikes, banners read USA (Uncivilized Actions of America) and we waved the green and white flag of Pakistan, Imran’s face adorning the T shirt of one protestor.  We took it in turn to give speeches. I was not sure at first what I should say but the evening before I recalled Imran’s earlier dharna against drones and the party’s Peshawar declaration… so it seemed appropriate to reflect on that… what if anything had been achieved…

Peshawar Declaration

April 24, 2011

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf congratulates the people of Pakistan for their massive participation which is a reflection of the nation’s consensus that demands an end to the murderous drone attacks resulting in innocent loss of life characterized by the UN as extra judicial killings. The momentous Peshawar Dharna was the first public show of resolve on the road to regaining Pakistan’s lost sovereignty. 

At the conclusion of the Dharna the people unanimously, by a show of hands, passed the Peshawar Declaration which demands of the Government of Pakistan the following:

1. To immediately implement the joint resolution of Parliament on the “War on Terror.”
2. To end the hippocratic double faced policy and bring before parliament all past and present agreements/understandings with the US government on the “war on terror.” 
3. The PTI demands of the Supreme Court to urgently hear the drone attacks petition filed by the PTI and hold a judicial inquiry under the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to ascertain the legitimacy of the drone attacks under our Constitution and also determine the scale of human loss and establish scope of compensation to the victims and their families.
4. To ensure immediate access of media and human rights organizations to FATA to independently assess the human and material losses suffered by the people due to the drone attacks.
5. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also demands of the Supreme Court to urgently hear the petition filed by the PTI regarding the drone attacks.

In case drone attacks continue and these demands are not met by the government, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf demands:

1. The resignation of this government which has failed to protect the life and liberty of its citizens, and
2. The PTI shall with the support of the people block all supply routes of NATO trucks to Afghanistan

http://insaf.pk/News/tabid/60/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6236/Concluding-Resolutions-of-PTI-Dharna.aspx

(The video where I read the agreement and detail the cases of drone victims can be viewed here https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151277945558453 and Pakistani friends declaring that they will not be silent on killer drones can also be seen on this clip https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=208261062639731

Since that time progress has been made, the NATO supply line was indeed blocked, legal action is ongoing for victims of drone strikes and public ressure is being put on to the government of Pakistan to take action and hold the US to account. A second declaration was made at Karachi strengthening resolve to stop drone strikes and this week-end we had the peace march which enabled at least some international media invited by PTI to meet drone victims and hear from their mouths of their loss and suffering. On a sunny Autumn afternoon in London I felt my own hope revived, in the last two days I had witnessed human beings caring for each other irrespective of race, nationality and religious background. I smiled as my friends shouted the words “Carol Anne Grayson zindabad” (live forever) I was declared an honorary citizen of Waziristan and feel very proud indeed to have that honour bestowed on me.

Carol Anne Grayson is the Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She has been awarded the ESRC, 2009 Michael Young Prize, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”.

OMAR KHADR AND CANADA’S HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Dear Mr Toews,

I am writing with regard to Canadian citizen Omar Khadr’s repatriation to Canada. I am an independent researcher on global health / human rights (one of many) following Omar’s case and waiting for Canada to accept this young man back onto home territory.

I understand that only one document remains to be signed, in your possession. What I do not understand is the reason for this delay. Omar’s lawyers, the American government, the UN and thousands of concerned individuals are just as confused.

I am very disappointed with Canada in this respect and saddened that your country also has double standards on human rights. Here we have someone who was a young boy when he was picked up and has been recognized as a child soldier by international NGOs including UNICEF and is thus entitled to rehabilitation not retribution. Right now he sits in solitary confinement and campaigners for justice wait for his rights to be upheld.

Canada and the US expect others to uphold human rights yet are some of the worst offenders and also very adept at avoiding being held to account. I will quote you one example. Have you heard of the Krever Report? Perhaps I could fill in the gaps where Krever left off, where perhaps he was afraid to go at that time! Canadian officials largely escaped being tried for their alleged crimes. Well as an award winning researcher into contaminated blood I could add a lot more to Krever’s evidence now, having accessed documents that some claimed to have been destroyed!

What would the world think if it knew the true extent of this scandal that not only violated the rights of Canadian citizens but killed many also. Who should have been held to account for buying in blood taken from prisoners that had been injected with deadly viruses in unethical experimentation by doctors against the Nuremberg Code? These same prisoners that were beaten, tortured with electrical currents to the testicles, died and whose death certficates were at times falsified. Well that is what Canada found acceptable and knowingly bought this blood from plasma companies and brokers. In Auschwitz, to support such deadly experimentation was classed as “crimes against humanity.”

Omar was a child when he was captured… look at his punishment compared to those that escaped justice in the “bad blood “scandal… those that the Canadian State protected, not children but adults whose alleged crimes killed thousands of ordinary civilians!

Isn’t it about time Canada turned round its human rights record and did the right thing now by this young man. Or do you want one more dark stain on your record… and another round of litigation.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely

Carol Grayson (ESRC Michael Young Research Award 2009, Executive Producer of Oscar Nominated Documentary, Incident in New Baghdad.. .http://www.incidentinnewbaghdad.com/ )

EXPOSING STATE “COLLATERAL DAMAGE”

(“a drone a day keeps the terrorist away”… or does it?)

Abu Bakr al-Qayed, the bother of the late Abu Yaha al-Libi (another US “target kill” by drone) was quoted as saying to Reuters news agency that “the United States talks human rights and freedoms for all, but the method they used to kill him is savage.” He called the killing by Americans of al-Libi, (allegedly second in command of al Qaeda) “heinous and inhumane” pointing out that, “we are in the 21st century and they (Americans) claim to be civilised and this is how they take out people.” He continued by saying, “regardless of my brother’s ideology, or beliefs, he was a human being and at the end of the day deserves humane treatment.”

I agree with Abu Bakr al-Qayed … the basis of human rights philosophy and practice is that it is not selective, you do not choose who is “worthy” of basic human rights. Once that road is taken it becomes a very slippery slope and when a nation adopts torture techniques or “outsources” abuse to other countries it embraces its own ethical downfall.

Sadly America has a long history of human rights abuses. Let’s not forget that way before we had heard of Guantanamo, US prisons were used to hone torture techniques. In fact the Tucker Telephone was invented at Arkansas State Penitentiary, the device consisted of “an old-fashioned crank telephone wired in sequence with two batteries. Electrodes coming from it were attached to a prisoner’s big toe and genitals. The electrical components of the phone were modified so that cranking the telephone sent an electric shock through the prisoner’s body.”

Rewind to an old Newsweek report (Feb 20^th, 1967) and we find that US prisoners were punished with “beatings, whippings, torture with pliers and needles put under their finger nails.”  Inmates were also injected with deadly viruses in exchange for a slight reduction in their prison sentence as part of medical experimentation programmes against the Nuremberg Code. Blood bought from these contaminated prisoners was then exported around the world and used in the UK as haemophilia “treatment”… referred to in the House of Lords as “the worst medical treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.”

The figures for those killed in this one unethical practice alone at the hands of the US, (aided by the UK government turning a blind eye) far outnumber those that died in 9/11. How do I know? I was a litigant… both prisoners and patients were involved in legal proceedings, cases often settled out of court with a silence clause implemented. My message to Hilary Clinton, remember what was happening in your own backyard regarding human rights abuses when hubby Bill was Governor of Arkansas.

I testified to this at the Archer public inquiry and both lawyers and members of the press asked “why don’t we know about this?” Good question! Firstly they failed to ask relevant questions at the appropriate time. Secondly, the US and its allies are extremely good at covering up their own human rights violations… They are helped by use of procedure such as “public interest immunity” (it’s not in the public interest to know such things) and more recently, failing to answer Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.  Now there are proposals which could further aid the US and UK in withholding knowledge of alleged “state initiated abuse” from the public if people are conned into accepting   Ken Clarke’s proposals for “secret courts”. I baulk when I hear his title… Secretary of State for Justice. Ask yourself… In whose interest are secret courts?

Now killing has become more sophisticated due to technological advances and the subjects of inhumane practice are often at a distance of thousands of miles away in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia… the daily drone strike.

Most of those killed have never been through a court process… they are “alleged terrorists” not proven. Often victims of drone strikes are in fact civilians such as 4 year old Shakira, a little girl, burnt and disfigured, left for dead among the rubbish… America practices the policy of “a drone a day, keeps the terrorist away”… or does it? There is a strong argument that drone attacks radicalize young people… Can we realistically expect those who see their communities devastated at weddings and funerals, attacked from the skies, not to react.

There is a culture of human rights abuses in the US, it is inherent in major institutions. Former US soldiers often describe to me how they were taught to dehumanise “the enemy” during basic military training and learnt how to march to racist chants. Some tell of their shame at their actions during service. No surprise then that the suicide rate of US soldiers is higher than those killed in combat… 18 veteran suicides a day was the last figure I read. Any wonder that we hear of beatings in Bagram and atrocities against civilians in Afghanistan carried out by soldiers “just following orders”… They are the orders of the US military and government who lead by example… a Nobel prize winning President who checks down a “kill list” and chooses who is next to die! In the case of Abu Bakr al-Qayed, the name on a list was his brother!

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”.

TUNISIA: PROTEST NOT OVER! THE HUNGER STRIKE OF RAMZI BETTAIEB

Ramzi Bettaieb lies on a couch. He is being checked out physically and is now into day six of a hunger strike, tired but determined. To some of us Ramzi is better known as “Winston Smith” the name he adopted during the civil unrest in Tunisia which began at the end of 2010. He is our journalist friend  from the region who blogged the revolution, captured the images and sent human rights campaigners daily updates on the uprising.

Ramzi is no stranger to suffering. The former political prisoner knows the feeling of an isolation cell and was unable to attend the funeral of his father in 2006 due to his condition. The ill treatment he experienced far from silencing him has acted as a motivator in his fight for justice for those struggling under an oppressive regime. The name of website NAWAAT became familiar to many in association with the revolution and later received awards http://nawaat.org/portail/

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who became President of Tunisia in 1987 and was responsible for crimes against his own people was ousted over a year ago on 14^th January 2011. So why go on hunger strike now… aren’t things improving?

The reality is, many issues are far from resolved. There is a cynicism in Ramzi’s words as he conveys the following, “history repeats itself, the repressive system has not disappeared with Ben Ali, far from it, it continues more beautiful and the worst is that I see a willingness on the part of the power to conceal the truth to Tunisians.” He stresses that citizens that have suffered for decades have a right to know the truth and doesn’t feel this is happening.

Ramzi’s hunger strike began after he attempted to film legal proceedings set up to investigate the deaths of the martyrs, those killed during the uprising. His camera was seized by the military, hardly a sign of openness and free speech. Families of the martyrs had hoped that there would be a fair process and have demanded that military trials be replaced with an independent judiciary. There is a fear that the truth will once again be hidden, that there may be non -compliance of procedures and a clampdown on reporting. Ramzi feels the state has a responsibility, a duty to those who lost their lives and to their families to identify how and why each person was killed, without concealment of evidence.

The international media also have a duty to Ramzi and others like him who risked their lives to feed a press eager for information (once mainstream media finally cottoned on to the fact that a revolution was occurring). They were initially slow on the uptake regarding the Tunisian revolution as pointed out by Ramzi who realized that traditional media observes a “classic” position, one of “wait and prudence.” It is for the most part the independent media that are covering his hunger strike now. He states, “the campaign of solidarity with many of my fellow citizens, to support me in my hunger strike, reminded me of another: the bloggers and activists on the Net, which, since December 17, 2010 have continued to denounce, to fight and advocate for better in Tunisia, especially freedom of expression. The people that they wanted to divide by emphasizing differences have united around my case and I am proud.”

Today I looked back at the numerous emails exchanged between Ramzi and I and forwarded to journalist contacts in the UK. I focus on one in particular sent at 14.01 on 14th January 2011. It was sent to Lucy Crystal at BBC Newsnight. Her details were given to me by Susan Watts, a Newsnight reporter that I had worked with on a previous story. I had marked the email “urgent” the contents only made possible because of Ramzi Bettaieb.

I requested that Newsnight report on Tunisia explaining that “students are using Facebook to publicise the revolution”. I attached a recent article I had written for our website Asia Despatch http://www.asiadespatch.com/2011/01/tunisia-civil-unrest-played-out-in-cyberspace/ (again with the help of Ramzi) saying that after I wrote this article on the demonstrations and human rights abuses there, I began to receive more film footage out of Tunisia showing dead and dying students.

I pointed Lucy in the direction of material received from a “Winston Smith” via Facebook and stated the following:-

“Yesterday I received graphic film footage direct from Tunisia which showed dead and dying young men in hospital with medical and nursing staff desperately trying to revive them and treat gunshot wounds which were clearly visible to the stomach, head, arms, legs and neck. One man lay on a table with his brain almost out of his skull, in another film a youth lay on a table with a large pool of blood covering the emergency room floor. Another young man ashen and groaning lay waiting for treatment, gaping leg wound exposing bone. Teenagers gathered in hospital corridors with injured teenagers propped against walls sitting on the floor crying.

I was also sent film of demonstrations around the country one showed a group of lawyers being surrounded. In other footage I could see thousands of people holding the national flag and singing the national anthem of Tunisia humat al hima (defenders of the homeland), in other footage youths were being beaten with sticks, others lifted up shirts to show that they had been allegedly tortured, gunfire could be heard and cars were set alight.

I am concerned that my Facebook site is being blocked for covering the Jasmine revolution and I fear for my contacts over there. There is a big demonstration today I was due to receive film footage but can no longer access my internet account. I hope the international media will give Tunisia more coverage as the demonstrations have been going on for a month now and the main news channels in the UK and US have been slow to pick up on the seriousness of the situation”

Fortunately people listened and a programme on Tunisia went out that night on Newsnight…

So I call on all reporters in 2012 to continue their job, let the world know that the Tunisian revolution is not finished yet. There are ongoing demonstrations, economic tensions and concerns over civil liberties. Ramzi Bettaieb hasn’t stopped fighting for justice and is still very much on the job… and while reporters deliberate on whether to cover his story, a hunger striker grows weak from waiting.

Carol Grayson is an independent UK researcher/writer/campaigner on global health/human rights awarded ESRC Michael Young Prize 2009 and executive producer of Oscar nominated documentary Incident in New Baghdad http://www.incidentinnewbaghdad.com/

WHERE IS NAVEED BUTT?

Where is Naveed Butt? According to Hizb ut Tahrir (Party of Liberation) website, their official spokesperson was seized off the street in Pakistan shortly before Jummah prayers on Friday 11th May and bundled into a car. Disturbingly he was taken in front of his children, the site alleges that Pakistani agencies may be involved.

Hizb ut Tahrir (HuT) is “an international Sunni pan-Islamic political organisation”. They are commonly associated with promoting the goal of an Islamic state (caliphate) under Islamic (sharia) law with a caliph, head of state elected by Muslims. Often seen as controversial, HuT claims to be non-violent though attempts have been made to link the organisation with terrorist groups. HuT is estimated to have around 1 million members in 40 countries and is covered by a ban in some states.

This article however is not intended to discuss the pros and cons of Hizb ut Tahrir, nor is it meant to either condemn or support. The purpose of my writing this piece is to uphold the true meaning of human rights as a long term activist which is that human rights cannot be selective. If we truly support freedom of speech, freedom from mental and physical cruelty, legal representation, freedom from torture, then human rights must be applied to all. If we become judge and jury as to who is “worthy” of human rights, we then violate the very principles that we claim to uphold.

In recognised international standards of human rights, if someone is detained, they must know why they are being held and either be released without charge or if evidence of an alleged crime is found then given access to a lawyer. The detainee’s family must be informed of their detention and informed of their rights of access to their family member. A person must be held without being physically or mentally abused, have access to any required medical treatment and have the right to a fair trial whether a detainee in Guantanamo or an individual held by the authorities in Pakistan and elsewhere.

The wife of Naveed Butt has written an open letter to key figures in Pakistan, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Chief of Staff Pakistan Army and former Director General of the Inter Services Security Agency (ISI), Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani and President Asif Ali Zadari voicing her concerns. This can be found on the HuT website. She recalls that after witnessing the abduction “my children became very frightened and they came home crying. My one son is ten years, another son is nine and my daughter is only six, whereas my smallest is at home, a son of two years.”

One can only imagine the distress of these young children confused and in shock as they watched their father and protector taken from them then left unsupervised in the middle of the street.

Naveed Butt is one of a long line of “enforced disappearances” in Pakistan which include academics, doctors, political activists, students and journalists.

On 12^th May, hundreds of persons from HuT turned out to protest outside a London hotel where Pakistani Prime Minsister Gilani was thought to be staying. On 14th May 2012, Islamabad High Court ordered that Naveed Butt must be produced on 18th May 2012 in court, after his abduction allegedly by government agencies on 11th May, and must not be handed over to foreign agencies. There were also concerns over other activists having been seized while distributing leaflets about Naveed Butt’s enforced disappearance.  

Despite the order from a lawyer there is still no sign of Naveed Butt.

Amnesty International has highlighted previous enforced disappearances and this statement appears on its website:-

A judicial Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances has failed to resolve the crisis or to hold the security forces and intelligence agencies to account in cases implicating them. The Prime Minister of Pakistan who controls the security agencies needs to urgently step in to address this human rights situation.

Amnesty urges supporters to sign a petition supporting the following:-

I call upon the Prime Minister of Pakistan to end the practice of enforced disappearance and hold those responsible to account.  In particular, I urge you to:
– Ensure the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has the power and resources to investigate cases of alleged disappearance.
– Ensure all individuals subjected to enforced disappearance are released or brought promptly before regular civilian courts and charged with a recognizable criminal offence.
– Ensure that those responsible for ordering or carrying out the enforced disappearances are brought to justice.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/end-enforced-disappearances-in-Pakistan

Human Rights Watch (Pakistan) described the country as having a disastrous year with regard to human rights in 2011 and details the many problems faced by those residing there http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-pakistan

On 22^nd May, Zeeshan Haider reported that “Islamist politicians and clerics have launched an “apolitical” bloc aimed at stemming the growing tide of sectarian violence in the country. It is hoped that this will address Sunni, Shia divisions though critics say that it has little chance of success http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/south-asia/pakistan-islamists-launch-reconciliation-commission-to-stem-sectarian-violence

Some readers will be doubt be asking themselves why should I be concerned with the disappearance of someone to whom I have no connection, a stranger from a different culture in a foreign country. The answer to that is firstly I am responding on a human basis, respect for the life of another. Secondly a year ago, my colleague Pakistani investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad was kidnapped and tortured to death in Pakistan. To date, no-one has been held to account for his murder. I was reminded again this week of why I admired him so much when a contact sent me an old article that Saleem had actually written on Naveed Butt in 2005 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GF24Df02.html Saleem was as always independent, fair and factual, did not shy away from difficult questions and reported all sides of a debate. I have always argued that reporting on an issue does not necessarily equate to supporting that issue but that it often helps the reader to be aware of the bigger picture, hear all sides and come to their own conclusions… be informative not prescriptive.

I note that the majority of mainstream press have been surprisingly silent on this issue…

On the HuT site Muslims argue that:-

Consider that RasulAllah SAW forbade the harming of Muslims in any way, including the torture, for any reason, no matter how great the crime.

بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنْ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يحقر أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ، كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ دَمُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَ عِرْضُهُ

“It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another Muslim is inviolable: his blood, his honour, and his property.” (Muslim)

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُعَذِّبُ الَّذِينَ يُعَذِّبُونَ النَّاسَ فِي الدُّنْيَا

As a human rights activist, I also recall the words of Pastor Niemoller who lived through the horrors of the 2^nd World War…

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

So again I ask the question… and call upon all those who uphold human rights to stand up and ask the question,

WHERE IS NAVEED BUTT?

Carol Grayson is an independent UK researcher/writer/campaigner on global health/human rights awarded ESRC Michael Young Prize 2009 and executive producer of Oscar nominated documentary Incident in New Baghdad http://www.incidentinnewbaghdad.com/

Dear members of the press and information section (World Health Organisation),

As someone that has written award winning research in the area of blood safety http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/newsevents/news/news/index.php?nid=628 I was shocked and disgusted to read the account on the link provided of a Palestinian donating blood in the US at a Red Cross Facility and having to deny his heritage of being Palestinian. I shall now check out the situation in the UK where I live. See this quote… “The American Red Cross was hosting a blood drive at my university today so a friend and I stopped by. I would find out an hour later that my identity as a Palestinian was unverifiable”http://smpalestine.com/2012/02/08/american-red-cross-erases-palestine-from-database/

For a Palestinian to have to deny their identity to donate and be placed under the category “Israel” is extremely insensitive and surely against their human rights and may well put some Palestinians off donating blood altogether. At a time where shortages can exist and blood drives are publized to increase the number of donors we must value every donor regardless of nationality.

America’s categorization policy does not refect inclusivity and diversity and frankly if I was in was in that person’s shoes I would be taking a case for discrimination regarding the categorization of nationality.

I request that the WHO look at this issue as a matter of urgency and issue guidelines for recognition of Palestinian nationals as this problem may be occuring elsewhere. I believe you should act now to avoid Palestinians boycotting blood drives!

I look forward to the response of the WHO

Thank-you

Yours sincerely

Carol Anne Grayson (Researcher/writer/activist in global health/human rights)

INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD:

(OPEN LETTER TO FORMER US SOLDIERS AND CRITICS OF ETHAN MCCORD)

On Oscar night I am steering clear of the glitz and glamour and won’t be attending any ceremony or parties, instead I am taking time to respond to the guys and girls that served in the US military and those who are now so critical of former US soldier (now peace activist) Ethan Mccord featured in our Oscar nominated documentary, Incident in New Baghdad http://www.incidentinnewbaghdad.com/

You criticise Ethan for speaking out against war but you must have been very naive yourselves. It appears that most of you bought the lie that there were weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, a lie used to justify invasion or why would you go to Iraq? I wonder if you had disagreed with  this information would you have ever considered declining to go. When in Iraq, ask yourselves, did you follow all orders given even if you considered them to be immoral? Was your training such that you would have done anything asked of you? What had the people of Iraq ever done to you?

Some of you I know went on to witness and perhaps even participate in acts of “collateral murder” as serving soldiers, shown in video footage released by WikiLeaks whistleblower site http://wikileaks.org/  Our documentary highlights the experience of Ethan Mccord featured in this video as he comes across a street scene of devastation. An Apache helicopter has attacked civilians killing those in the line of fire including two Reuters reporters and injured a young boy and girl. The film is directed by James Spione who is seen here discussing the content  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm1sNY5qcCw

Seeing such incidents alongside witnessing the deaths of your brothers and sisters in arms must have been harrowing and hard to live with day after day. Therefore it’s not really surprising that the suicide rate among soldiers is currently higher than casualties inflicted during combat, a very disturbing statistic and one which the US government would probably rush to reject http://maxkeiser.com/2011/12/23/war-woe-suicide-kills-more-us-soldiers-than-combat-and-the-military-keeps-the-death-benefit-on-the-insurance/…

Your time therefore was wasted and it is little wonder so many military personnel are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/565407 You were perhaps injured yourselves and witnessed friends maimed or killed and all for nothing. I genuinely feel sorry for you… that you have been deceived by your own country. Any anger towards those that sent you to Iraq would be justified  http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4882.htm Civilians, (unlike yourselves)  did not have the choice to decline participation in war. By their very location residents of Iraq became the victims of terror (unless they left everything behind and fled to neighbouring countries) terror brought about by states initiating conflict and often violating human rights.

It’s the same “do your duty” propaganda regarding operating drones over Afghanistan /Pakistan (AfPak region).  Often these unmanned aerial weapons with their lethal discharge are hitting ordinary civilians annihilating men, women and children in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). One death is one death too many. The photos (which I view regularly) are very disturbing… and victims and their families have a right to litigate in response to “target” killings which are so often clearly well “off target”. Please read this article from a lawyer representing drone victims… http://www.stateofpakistan.org/pakistans-civilian-victims-of-drone-strikes-deserve-justice-guardian Those individuals that are the intended targets of the US and its allies are only “suspected” militants, not proven. For every drone strike that inflicts casualties, more locals become radicalised in fury at seeing their communities blown apart… and those living in the Tribal Areas protest in desperation http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hp7MbMUot6b1gA5tMeCaEiX5gTtA?docId=CNG.bc8dd049c4a554269cddf6805e56394b.3c1 This is not helped of course by the Pakistani government playing both sides, criticising the attacks but taking little action to prevent “death by drone”. The collaboration is all helped by the flow of aid money but with that comes a price, servitude to the United States and loss of dignity.

Do soldiers in the US military even know or care what many ordinary Pakistanis want? The people of AfPak region are participating in dharna after dharna (peaceful demonstrations) because they live in fear of being targeted by drone strikes just going about their daily business. Is it any wonder they want to block the NATO supply line and put an end to conflict. They do not want US aid. Hear the words of Pakistani politician Imran Khan who has led anti-drone demonstrations http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13554572 Let’s face it, foreign aid and drones go hand in hand. The US don’t give freely, they expect cooperation in return for money and that may include the Pakistani government turning a blind eye to drones operating over its territory. Often the aid given does not go to the people of the region anyway but allegedly to corrupt politicians to line their pockets… corruption is another issue that Mr Khan often highlights.

Far from preventing terrorism, drone strikes by the US and its allies are now increasing militancy and this is contributing to the armies of Afghanistan and Pakistan becoming infiltrated…a lot more than is being reported in the press. Look at the Mehran Navy Base attack… allegedly aided by insurgents based within the armed services… and a story for which my journalist colleague Saleem Shahzad was tortured to death last May… http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/09/19/110919fa_fact_filkins Saleem was due to write “part two” on this subject, investigating how Taliban and Al Qaeda sympathisers  are recruited into the army when he was kidnapped, beaten and his body dumped in a canal. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

To return to conflict in Iraq, I openly support WikiLeaks that produced the “collateral murder” video with the help of their former spokesperson Birgitta Jonsdottir and featured in our documentary. I refer you to the words of Kristinn Hrafnsson (WikiLeaks) that he wrote to me recently:-

I am glad that you supported the film and I am happy that it has got the award in Tribeca and this nomination now. The matter is dear to my heart as I travelled to Baghdad prior to the release of the Collateral Murder video and met there with and interviewed many of those who lost their loved ones in that attack. Among them where the widow of Mathasher Tomal, the driver of the mini-van and her two children, Said and Doha, who still bear scars from that day – not to mention the trauma of losing their father whose only crime was to stoop his car to help the wounded Reuters employee, Saeed Smagh. Meeting the people there on the ground, going to the spot where it al happened, and especially feeling the grief of the children is an experience that will never leave m even though I am rather thick skinned journalist. The children are about the same age as my own.

I have talked to Ethan McCord a number of times and he has my utmost respect. Hearing him say that seeing the video was like an awakening made it all worthwhile. If it accomplished only that it would be enough.

I wish you all the best of luck and please give my best to James Spione. Congratulations on the nomination to you both. It is so good we have again the attention on that horrible incident. That will probably be the only justice the two children, and other grieving relatives, will ever get. The truth.

WikiLeaks have released many cables exposing human rights abuses because citizens have a right to know the truth so that as voters they can make “informed” choices about issues that affect their lives. I can’t comment regarding the allegations against Private Bradley Manning or whether or not he released documents to WikiLeaks. However a person that is driven by morality and conscience to expose crimes against humanity, including alleged war crimes should be honoured not charged with treason and to my mind deserves the recent nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize  http://joyb.blogspot.com/2012/02/bradley-manning-nobel-peace-prize.html The past award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama who has increased the use of drone warfare since he came into office was an exercise in hypocrisy and still has me choking on my cornflakes each morning as I read of yet more incidents of remote controlled death resulting from the extremely grim “reapers”…  (the name given to a type of drone).

You have to remember guys and girls of the US military that at times some of us may have access to a lot more information than you poor soldiers on the ground… as writers we talk to all sides… Your leaders often leave you in the dark, fighting street by street, alley by alley while they pose behind the safety of a desk.

Remember also that for all your governments are verbally and physically attacking “terrorists”… they almost always end up negotiating with them too. So you fight the insurgents for years then your politicians get round the table with these same people when it suits them. They talk when they know they have no option and must retreat, when families at home are sick of waiting for bodybags and staring at coffins. Think about these not so “secret” proposed talks with Taliban for example. More propaganda! Which peace talks, with whom and in what location, it’s all conflicting news. If you want to have some idea of what is really going on in conflict zones check out the independent press also (remember mainstream media in some parts of the world may be pressurised to take the party line) and please focus on that old saying… “the first casualty of war is truth”.

You can’t win, the best you can hope for is a swift withdrawal of soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan to minimize casualties… I was reminded today by a friend of the words of poet and author Rudyard Kipling referring to Afghanistan, that “graveyard of empires”:-

But rebels may find ways to fight back
When you are wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
And go to your God like a soldier.

Finally to those of you that throw up death threats in relation to our film Incident in New Baghdad or other articles deemed controversial, well some us have lived with death threats in one form or another for many years now… Two of my own family were “collateral damage” killed by the state, the combined efforts of Britain and the US prioritising profit over safety http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/bloody-awful/Content?oid=863387 So you are wasting your time, its water off a duck’s back…  We can die inside anyway if we don’t speak the truth.

Many former soldiers must know deep down inside that you are just as much at risk of dying yourselves. Sadly, you are psychologically disintegrating, in meltdown, “cracking up” and keep taking your own lives on return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Does your government care…the answer is NO! Your health needs are often left unmet, you find yourselves out of work, in debt, on the streets, marriages falling apart under the pressure of trying to return to civilian life. So tell me please…what was it all for?

Carol Anne Grayson, Executive Producer of Incident in New Baghdad

February 9th 2012

I won’t mince words…two of my family were killed by the State.  My husband Peter and his brother Stephen were ordinary guys who just happened to be born with a medical condition where the blood does not clot, known as haemophilia. For years they relied on a British National Health Service treatment called factor concentrates, pooled plasma donations taken from many individuals, which they injected into their veins to prevent bleeding. What patients didn’t know at the time was that this product was imported from prisons in the US, blood bought by American pharmaceutical companies that paid inmates for their blood.

The safety violations concerning these products are too numerous to mention. However as well as taking blood from prisoners that were known drug users and a very high hepatitis risk, American doctors used prisoners in experimentation programmes. These included actually injecting and infecting them with viruses to study the effects of a disease, in return inmates were given reduced prison sentences. This experimentation was dangerous, highly unethical and similar to that carried out in Auschwitz concentration camp http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/aumed.html The company Bayer that commissioned such experiments in Auschwitz later supplied contaminated prison blood to haemophilia patients. These blood products were passed as “safe treatment” for many a young haemophiliac child by authorities in both the US and the UK.  I gave witness evidence on this to the Archer Public Inquiry in the UK http://www.archercbbp.com/

When my husband became ill, poisoned with HIV, hepatitis B and C and exposed to variant CJD I began to research the politics of the global blood trade where profit was prioritised over safety in what became known in parliament as the “worst medical treatment disaster in the history of the NHS”. I then discovered both the worst and best of human nature.

I watched governments lie, withhold key safety information and shred documents (including those of a health minister) in order to avoid liability. I saw pharmaceutical companies making vast profits while refusing to properly compensate blood victims. I was forced to confront corrupt lawyers (supposedly working on our behalf) that were struck off for stealing legal aid money to finance their own lavish lifestyle. I even learned of a government official who embezzled the trust fund set up for tainted blood victims and widows by creating false profiles of haemophiliacs to line his own pockets.

Then there was the problem of blood links to Bill Clinton as his campaign finance manager Leonard Dunn held the lucrative contracts for Arkansas State Penitentiary plasma programme http://prorev.com/blood.htm It was also alleged that profits from the programme helped Clinton on his way to the White House. This is not a good history for a man who travels the world and claims to be fighting the global war on AIDS when the prison plasma programme actually helped to spread it.

The behaviour I witnessed trying to fight for the truth went just about as low as you could go. The saving grace was the whistle blower… men and women who understood that a terrible injustice had occurred wiping out thousands of haemophiliacs across the world and for some it was too much, they had to speak out. Just one problem, they risked their jobs, their careers and in some cases feared for their lives.

In order to protect themselves they began leaking information to haemophilia campaigners including my husband and I who then pressurized the media to look at their documents alongside our own independent research (which came to the same findings) and helped us to fight for truth and justice. This resulted in thousands of media articles, documentaries, research papers, international litigation against governments and pharmaceutical companies and finally a privately funded public inquiry. It was this long history of contact with whistle blowers that drew my attention to whistle blowers in other areas of human rights.

BRADLEY MANNING

The name Bradley Manning originally came to my attention through a friend, Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir, a human rights campaigner and sponsor of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative that has long championed freedom of speech http://cryptome.org/0003/jonsdottir-wl.htm Birgitta has also acted as a spokesperson for WikiLeaks founded by Australian journalist and political/internet activist Julian Assange  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11047811 She helped to co-produce the now infamous Collateral Murder  video (Iraq) which showed an Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad firing on and killing civilians and badly injuring two small children.

Bradley Manning, a United States Army soldier was arrested in 2010 in Iraq on suspicion of having passed restricted material to the whistle blower website WikiLeaks. He was later charged with transferring classified data onto his personal computer, and communicating national defense information to an unauthorized source and could face a court martial with the possibility of life imprisonment if found guilty.

It is not my place to judge innocence of guilt but I do know that conscience can compel an individual to take great personal risk to educate and assist others if they experience something which they define as morally wrong. I am aware from dealing directly with whistle blowers within corporations or government institutions that it takes great courage to question and act against those that have the power to break you. If we could always rely on just and honest politicians and organisations and there was a valued system of meaningful communication there would be no need for leaked

“insider “information. Often though, not only do we not trust those who represent us, our lived experience tells us they are capable of behaving in the most immoral and corrupt ways.

In a democracy citizens supposedly have the right of free speech, the right to challenge. The US government and military may define Bradley Manning as a security risk, alleging treason but surely inept governments creating conflict after conflict, violating human rights and targeting innocent civilians whether by Apache helicopter or through endless drone strikes is a security risk to us all and increases the possibility of further terrorist attacks in retaliation. So why should we not use documented evidence of increased security risks by governments to hold them to account for their actions. They must be accountable to the ordinary citizens they claim to serve.

Therefore I have no hesitation in supporting the argument laid out by Birgitta Jonsdottir in her letter of February 1^st 2012 on behalf of the entire parliamentary group of The Movement of the Icelandic Parliament nominating Private Bradley Manning for a Nobel Peace Prize. The letter below states the reasoning that Birgitta and her colleagues sent to the committee explaining why they felt compelled to nominate Private Bradley Manning for this important recognition of an individual effort to have an impact for peace in our world.

LETTER TO THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE COMMITTEE

“We have the great honor of nominating Private First Class Bradley Manning for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Manning is a soldier in the United States army who stands accused of releasing hundreds of thousands of documents to the whistle blower website WikiLeaks. The leaked documents pointed to a long history of corruption, war crimes, and imperialism by the United States government in international dealings. These revelations have fuelled democratic uprising around the world, including a democratic revolution in Tunisia. According to journalists, his alleged actions helped motivate the democratic Arab Spring movements, shed light on secret corporate influence on our foreign policies, and most recently contributed to the Obama Administration agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops from the occupation in Iraq.

Bradley Manning has been incarcerated for well over a year by the U.S. government without a trial. He spent over ten months of that time period in solitary confinement, conditions which experts worldwide have criticized as torturous. Juan Mendez, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Torture and Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, has repeatedly requested and been denied a private meeting with Manning to assess his conditions.

The documents made public by WikiLeaks should never have been kept from public scrutiny. The revelations – including video documentation of an incident in which American soldiers gunned down Reuters journalists in Iraq – have helped to fuel a worldwide discussion about America’s overseas engagements, civilian casualties of war, imperialistic manipulations, and rules of engagement. Citizens worldwide owe a great debt to the WikiLeaks whistle blower for shedding light on these issues, and so I urge the Committee to award this prestigious prize to accused whistle blower Bradley Manning.

Sincerely,

Birgitta Jónsdóttir

Margrét Tryggvadóttir

Þór Saari
Members of the Icelandic Parliament for the Movement”

Soon after I came into contact with Birgitta I was also in touch with Ethan Mccord, the young soldier that had appeared in the Collateral Murder video seen helping the victims of the Apache helicopter attack. I was impressed with his honesty and bravery in portraying the reality of war in Iraq, the fact that he had since become a peace activist and had written a public letter of reconciliation and responsibility to the Iraqi people. .. http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5966/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2724

It was not long after, that I also came across James Spione a New York film director who had initiated the idea of a film called “Incident in New Baghdad” exploring Ethan’s experience in Iraq, the subject of collateral damage/murder  and the difficulties faced by a soldier dealing day to day with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  http://www.incidentinnewbaghdad.com/ The fact that this film would probably not have come about if it had not been for the existence of a whistle blower site emphasises the importance of supporting Wikileaks which provides information for ordinary citizens to make “informed “choices on matters of social and political importance. Having such information to hand empowers citizens, they can choose to support or contest the actions of those in a position of responsibility whether it be governments or international corporations.

From 2010 I decided to support “Incident in New Baghdad” in whatever way I could. Back then it appeared simply a small independent documentary film but with a big vision …to educate on war. There was no hint of film festivals or Oscar nominations, just a growing and trusting relationship between two men as director, James and subject, Ethan came together. One way I could assist initially was to use my British media connections that had supported my own “bad blood” campaign to highlight their story and provide a platform for discussion such as the piece which aired on 28th October 2010 on BBC Newsnight  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9136984.stm and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMAFI3bYJs0

A year later a further opportunity arose as James put out an appeal for funders. By a stroke of luck this call for financial support coincided with my having received a small ex-gratia payment from the British government after many exhausting years of campaigning. It seemed natural to take a portion of this “blood money” to help finance the film to be screened in LA which is a requirement in order for a documentary to be eligible for Oscar Qualifier nomination…  A group of us banded together with our donations and I became Executive Producer. I was both supporting a project I believed in and honouring Peter my late whistle blower husband by donating in his memory (which he would have preferred to me buying a park bench memorial site I am sure)!

There was also a dark satisfaction knowingly that the British government had inadvertently helped fund a film that was anti-war and made possible through WikiLeaks, a whistle blower site. Peter would have laughed heartily at that. I just thought of all the lies the British government had told sick and dying haemophiliacs over the years and how I could have really used the help of an established whistle blower site to expose this deceit during those many difficult years.

I wish James and Ethan the best of luck at the Oscars and I am happy that we have got this far and grateful to all our supporters. I will leave the final words to Kristinn Hraffnson of WikiLeaks as it takes us back to focus on the victims of US aggression. The “targets” seen through the eyes of a helicopter sight suddenly become real, they have names, occupations, loves and aspirations just like the rest of us… but their lives destroyed in seconds.

LETTER FROM WIKILEAKS

“Dear Carol

I am glad that you supported the film and I am happy that it has got the award in Tribeca and this nomination now. The matter is dear to my heart as I travelled to Baghdad prior to the release of the Collateral Murder video and met there with and interviewed many of those who lost their loved ones in that attack. Among them where the widow of Mathasher Tomal, the driver of the mini-van and her two children, Said and Doha, who still bear scars from that day – not to mention the trauma of losing their father whose only crime was to stop his car to help the wounded Reuters employee, Saeed Smagh. Meeting the people there on the ground, going to the spot where it all happened, and especially feeling the grief of the children is an experience that will never leave me even though I am rather thick skinned journalist. The children are about the same age as my own.

I have talked to Ethan McCoord a number of times and he has my utmost respect. Hearing him say that seeing the video was like an awakening made it all worth while. If it accomplished only that it would be enough.

I wish you all the best of luck and please give my best to James Spione. Congratulation on the nomination to you both. It is so good we have again the attention on that horrible incident. That will probably be the only justice the two children, and other grieving relatives, will ever get. The truth.

best wishes

Kristinn Hrafnsson

WikiLeaks”

Carol Grayson worked as Director Coordination Asia Despatch and is a UK independent activist/researcher/campaigner on global health/human rights awarded ESRC Michael Young Prize 2009

CAPTURED: RATKO MLADIC “BUTCHER OF BOSNIA” MUST PAY FOR WARCRIMES

Ratko Mladic, the Serbian General wanted for war crimes including the killing of over 8,000 men and boys around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian conflict was finally captured  yesterday after 16 years on the run. United Nations General, Ban Ki -moon described the arrest by Serbian commando units as “a historic day for international justice”. The conflict in Bosnia- Herzegovina began in 1992 following the breakup of Yugoslavia. This led to increased tensions between Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniaks in a territorial conflict which led down a brutal and terrifying path of ethnic cleansing, systematic mass rape and genocide. Mladic was appointed Lt Gen in 1992 by Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic who along with Slobodan Milosovic, former Yugoslav President were indicted for crimes against humanity.

Mladic has now made an appearance before a Serbian war crimes court in Belgrade and will be extradicted to stand trial in an international court in the Hague. His arrest had been seen as a pre-condition for Serbia joining the European Union. Milos Saljic, the appointed lawer for Mladic claims that his client does not recognise the court and that he is physically and mentally not fit enough to undergo the investigation.

Mladic had for years been able to evade capture despite being spotted several times in public places with his family. According to the Telegraph, “a recent poll conducted for the Serbian government’s National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal found that 78% of Serbians would not report Mladic to the authorities if they knew where he was hiding.” Even a 10 million euro reward offered by Serbian President, Boris Tadic was not
enough to induce civilians to give up Mladic who was discovered hiding out at a relative’s home under a false identity. On hearing of his capture, President Tadic stated that, “we have lifted the stain from Serbia and Serbs wherever they live”. However, sporadic protests broke out amongst Mladic supporters at the news of his arrest and they joined together to sing Serbian nationalist songs.

Known as the “Butcher of Bosnia” Mladic attracted a loyal following amongst his serving officers despite his egotistical behaviour, short temper and violent mood swings. The former leader sometimes referred to himself as “God” and was alleged to have kept goats named after Western leaders he despised. In the Spring of 1992, residents of the city of Sarajevo found themselves under siege by Serbian forces under his authority. Surrounded on all sides inhabitants were forced to construct a tunnel to maintain outside contact with friendly forces and connect with the UN controlled airport and Bosnian controlled territory. An estimated 10,000 people including many children were killed in Sarajevo as their homes came under severe bombardment from shells in an assault which lasted 44 months.

One of the early massacres of the war took place at a gymnasium in the village of Bratunac, just outside the town of Srebrenica in June 1992, where an estimated 350 Bosnian Muslim men were tortured and murdered by Serb paramilitaries and special police. Three years later, in June 1995, Mladic ordered his men to take over Srebrenica itself driving out over 40,000 people. Dutch UN peacekeepers were used as hostages as 8,000 men and boys of
fighting age were separated from the female members of their family in a terrible act of ethnic cleansing. Women and children gathered for safety at the UN base of Potocari, while 1,700 men fled to hills in an effort to escape to Bosnian held territory. In an act that brought much international condemnation, Dutch peacekeepers handed over 242 elderly men to the Serbs, none are believed to have survived. In total around, 8,000 men and boys were slaughtered and disposed of in mass graves.

VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE

Hasan Nuhanovic was acting as a translator for the Dutch peacekeepers when Bosnian Muslims sought refuge at the UN base of Potocari, to escape Serbian forces working under the orders of General Mladic. His mother and brother were unable to remain in the camp and not wanting to be separated from his family, Hasan’s father joined them. The irony was that Srebrenica had been dedicated a “safe area” along with several other places but not enough forces were committed to protecting civilians.

In extracts from Letter from Srebrenica (Vesograd Genocide Memories), Hasan describes finding the remains of his family years later:-

Murder of Mother

In the fall they got in touch with me about my mother. They found her or what was left of her in a creek, in the village of Jarovlje, two kilometres from Vlasenica. My home town.
The Serbs who live there threw garbage on her for fourteen years. She wasn’t alone. They killed another six in the same place. Burned. I hope they were burned after they died.

Murder of Father

They identified my father four years ago eleven years after his execution. They found a little more than half his bones, they say. His skull was smashed from behind. The doctor could not tell me if that happened after he died. They found him in a secondary mass grave, Cancari. Kamenica near Zvornik. There are thirteen mass graves there.

Murder of Brother

Today I identified my brother by his tennis shoes:-

In the spring of ‘95 I bought my brother new tennis shoes, Adidas from some foreigner. He brought them from Belgrade on his way back from Srebrenica from vacation. My brother hadn’t been wearing them for more than a month or two when all that happened. And I bought him Levi 501s, he was wearing those. I know exactly what T shirt he was wearing and what overshirt…

Hasan describes being given a bag of what had survived from his brother’s remain… including the shoes…

I looked for that well-known slogan on the Levis, that would also confirm my brother’s identity. I took the remains of my brother’s jeans into my hands after fifteen years. Metal buttons. Part of the inside of the pockets. Everything that was made of cotton had fallen apart. Only the synthetic material was left.

Some other tag hangs untouched, just a little dirty, stuck in those threads, in the strands, the fragments.

I read it looking for the Levis trademark. It says, “Made in Portugal”.

All day I see that “Made in Portugal” before my eyes. And for my whole life I think I will see that. I am going to hate everything that was “Made in Portugal” just like I hated Heineken beer that the Dutch UN soldiers had guzzled in Potocari, on the base, less than an hour after they drove all the Muslims off it – handing them over, right into the Serbs’ hands. Or maybe I will love everything that has “Made in Portugal” written on it, everything that will remind me, until the end of my life, of my murdered brother…

http://genocideinvisegrad.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/made-in-potrugal-hasan-nuhanovic/

RAPE

Women and young girls caught up on the Bosnian conflict did not escape the brutality either with the Serbian military under Mladic using a policy of “systematic rape” as a weapon of war to dehumanise Muslim females. The following facts collated by Majorie Miller, (Times Staff writer, 2001) stated that, “one woman identified as witness number 75 said she was raped for 3 hours by 15 men. Two teenage girls said they were held for months by one of the defendants as personal sex slaves before each was sold for 500 German marks (about 330 dollars then) to soldiers from the Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro.” According to one UN report, an estimated 20,000 women, most of them Bosniaks were alleged to have been raped by Bosnian Serbs in the first year alone. Legal
test cases were eventually brought against three Bosnian Serbs with a UN tribunal establishing sexual enslavement as a crime against humanity. Boraslav Herak, a 22 year old, former textile worker, was the first case to be put on trial charged with 32 murders and 16 rapes, including the murder of 12 of his 16 rape victims. Herak claimed to have been ordered to participate in mass rape by his commander because he claimed, “it was good for morale”. http://www.newint.org/features/1993/06/05/rape/

Documentary filmmaker Aki Nawas has captured some of the suffering and search for answers in “A Painful Peace” (2010) interviewing survivors and rape victims and investigating how they view their Muslim identity two decades later… One of the questions Aki sought to explore was the failure of the west to adequately deal with injustices against Muslim communities  http://www.1stwitness.co.uk/index.phpoption=com_content&view=article&id=1:aki-nawaz-bosnia-documentary&catid=1:latest-news
This feeling was echoed last night by representatives of the Mothers of Srebrenica who when interviewed about the arrest of Ratko Mladic were not optimistic that justice would ever be served…

LINKS

Life And Reputation Of Ratko Mladic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13567349

Judge: Serbs Used Rape As Instrument Of Terror Against Bosniak Women and Girls

http://bosniagenocide.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/judge-serbs-used-rape-as-instrument-of-terror-against-bosniak-women-and-girls/

So Many Unanswered Questions For The Mothers Of Srebrenica

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7099094.ece

Carol Grayson is Director Co-ordination Asia Despatch and a UK researcher /campaigner on global health/human rights awarded ESRC Michael Young Prize 2009

PORTUGAL PROTESTS FOLLOWING YET ANOTHER BAIL OUT PLAN

Earlier this month, as scandal engulfed Dominique Strauss – Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund accused of alleged sexual assaultagainst a hotel housekeeper at a New York City hotel, an assault of a different kind was in operation. Colleagues of Strauss – Kahn at the IMF were pushing forward with yet another rescue package (3 year plan) in the form of a loan to Portugal. EU ministers issued a joint statement declaring “ministers concur (with the European Commission and European Central Bank) that providing a loan to Portugal is warranted to safeguard financial stability in the euro area and EU as a whole.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/gilts/8517580/European-finance-ministers-shrug-off-Dominique-Strauss-Kahn-scandal-to-strike-Portugal-deal.html
The Telegraph also reported that, “Europe will provide Portugal a 52 billion euro loan at a rate of about 5.5%, while the IMF will offer 26 billion euro at 3.25 %.”

I corresponded with Portuguese campaigners to find out what approach they were taking to highlight their concerns to government but first of all I followed up on a week of Spanish civil unrest.

A few days ago Asia Despatch reported on anti-cuts demonstrations from the Spanish camp at Puerta Del Sol square in the centre of Madrid where tens of thousands camped out prior to the elections to show their displeasure at government greed and corruption, high unemployment and the need for political, social and economic reform http://www.asiadespatch.com/2011/05/interview-thousands-on-pre-election-march-in-spain/  The demonstrations which defied a legal ban are ongoing and cover 20 cities. This is seen as a public awakening and taking responsibility through peaceful protest and is likely to continue for some time to come.

I caught up with Teresa Gardes, the PhD student I interviewed last week for her view on the Spanish election results. She spoke of feeling “empowered” and had this to say, “The PP (Peoples Party) has a clear win, and the Socialists have clearly been handed a reprimand by the people. The United Left (IU) has gained momentum and are optimistic. Some people have become disenchanted but these results were expected. Democracy Real Ya (Real Democracy Now) who have fronted the move for reform) needs time to build on this past week. Revolution doesn’t happen in a week. It takes time.”She also added that,
“Spanish news is not highlighting that IU (Izquierda Unida) was voted by half a million people more than in the last elections.”

Website Etb.com reported Prime Minister, Jose Luis Zapatero as saying that the result on Sunday was “due punishment of his government for the state of the economy”. The outcome of the elections was summarised as “the worst performance on record by the socialist party in local and regional elections, the numbers reflecting the loss were stunning: the conservative Popular Party won at the municipal level by about 2 million votes compared to 150-thousand in its win in 2007, and in 13 regional governments that were up for grabs, Zapatero’s party lost in virtually all of them” http://www.eitb.com/news/life/detail/664508/spanish-angry-ones-see-little-hope-change-election-result/

So what is happening in neighbouring Portugal where many people are also in a state of discontent? I spoke with Ana Margarida Fernandes Esteves a post doctoral fellow at Tulane University originally from Torres Vedras a city 50km north of the capital, Lisbon. She informed me that the protests were centred around Rossio Square in Lisbon where a camp similar to that in Puerta Del Sol in Madrid had been established. This is not the first
time that the Portuguese have marched against cuts and lack of employment opportunities. They took to the streets in March descending on the Avenida De Liberade from the Marques de Pombal Square to the Rossio. At that time International Viewpoint Online wrote that (according to protest organiser, Paula Gil), “participation of the ‘breadline generation’ far exceeded the numbers originally expected, with about 300,000 people taking part across the country. She also emphasised that “this was the first step in a
participatory democracy in Portugal.” Citizens continue to suffer due to austerity measures, high unemployment levels and little faith in politicians that have failed to avert a burdening debt crisis. I was informed by my contact Ana Margarida Fernandes Esteves that a Popular Assembly has now been established and the following Manifesto was agreed on 22^nd May, 2011 and approved for distribution:-

FIRST MANIFESTO OF THE ROSSIO SQUARE CAMP

The protesters, assembled in the Rossio Square, conscious that what is set in March is an act of resistance, hereby agree to state the following:

We, citizens, women and men, workers, migrants, students, unemployed and retired people, united by our indignation in front of a situation that we refuse to accept as inevitable, have taken our streets. We thus join those that around the world today fight for their rights against the constant oppression of the ruling economical-financial system.

From Reykjavik to Cairo, from Wisconsin to Madrid, a popular wave sweeps the world. This wave is silenced and twisted with disinformation by the media, the same media that doesn’t question the permanent injustices in every country, only proclaiming the inevitability of austerity, the end of rights, the funeral of democracy.

Real democracy will never exist as long as the world is managed by a financial dictatorship. The ransom signed behind our backs with the IMF and the EU has abducted democracy and our lives. The countries in which the IMF intervenes see a brutal drop in the average life expectancy. The IMF kills! We can only reject it. We refuse to have our wages, our pensions and social supports cut, while simultaneously the culprits for this crisis are spared and recapitalized. Why do we have to choose between unemployment and precarious labour? Why do they want to take away our public services, stealing from us, through privatizations, of what we paid for all our lives? Our answer is no. We
defend the withdrawal of the troika (IMF, EU, BC) plan. Following the example of many countries around the world, such as Iceland, we will not accept to bury our future for a debt that isn’t ours.

We refuse to accept the theft of our future. We intend to assume control of our lives and intervene effectively in each and every process of political, social and economical life. We are doing it, today, in the popular assemblies gathered all around. We appeal to all the people to join, in the streets, in the squares, in each corner, under the shade of every statue so that, united, we may change once and for all the rules of this crooked game.

This is just the beginning. The streets are ours.

Lisbon, 22nd of May 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tYW8Gd0HHc&feature=player_embedded

(Thanks to Jerome E Roos, writer, activist and political commentator for translation, http://roarmag.org/ )

LINKS

TIME … Protests: Has The Revolution Come To Spain

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2073524,00.html

Precarious Generation On The March (Portugal)

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article2017

Carol Grayson is Director Co-ordination Asia Despatch and a UK researcher /campaigner on global health/human rights awarded ESRC Michael Young Prize 2009