NLG, CCR, IADL, et al., Issue Open Letter Warning of Illegality of Any Offensive Military Action by US against Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 31, 2007 3:09 PM	CONTACT: Center for Constitutional Rights Jen Nessel Phone: 212-614-6449
CCR and Other Groups Issue Open Letter Warning of Illegality of Any Offensive Military Action by US against Iran
WASHINGTON - January 31 - Today European, international, and U.S. legal and human rights groups issued an open letter warning of the illegality of any offensive military action by the United States against Iran. Signatories include the Center for Constitutional Rights (U.S.), Droite Solidarite (France), European Association of Lawyers for Human Rights and Democracy, Italian Association of Democratic Lawyers, Haldane Society (United Kingdom), International Association of Democratic Lawyers, National Lawyers Guild (U.S.), and Progress Lawyers Network (Belgium). The text of the letter is below. Open Letter to All Members of Congress, the Bush Administration And the U.S. Armed Forces From Legal and Human Rights Groups There are increasing indications that the Bush administration intends to take military action against Iran. There are also indications that the administration would support military action by Israel against Iran. The undersigned organizations issue this Open Letter to All Members of Congress, the Administration and the U.S. Armed Forces to reiterate their affirmative duties to prevent military action and to refrain from ongoing threats to peace. Such military action would be illegal, and any member of the administration, the military or Congress supporting such action would be aiding and abetting this violation. Offensive military action against Iran would be illegal, as the United States is bound under the United Nations Charter to settle international disputes by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of any state or act in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations (Article 2 sections 3 and 4). While Article 51 of the charter recognizes the inherent right of individual or collective self defense, such a right exists only if an armed attack occurs and is allowed only until the Security Council can take measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. The UN Charter, as a treaty signed by the U.S., is part of the Supreme Law of the United States under Article VI §2 of the United States Constitution. If the President and Congress fail to abide by the law as provided in the Constitution they violate their sacred oaths of office. Any military action against Iran in the absence of a military strike by Iran would be a war of aggression outlawed under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. The sending of aircraft carriers combined with recent threatening statements constitutes a threat to wage an aggressive war, which is also prohibited by the Charter. Crimes against peace include: planning, preparation, initiation or waging a war of aggression in violation of international treaties, agreements, or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy to accomplish these acts. The United States and all countries of the world that have signed the UN Charter are required to abide by their obligations under it. It is in the interests of all countries of the world that the United Nations be a viable multilateral institution capable of carrying out the mission of its charter to preserve peace and promote development and human rights. Actions which violate that charter undermine it. Actions by the US which violate the charter prevent the UN from acting effectively; they also undermine the credibility of the US in the world community. The US cannot demand that other countries obey the terms of the UN Charter while it is violating those very provisions with impunity. The War Powers Act, which requires congressional approval of military action, must be read consistently with our obligations under the UN Charter not to engage in wars of aggression. We urge: 1. The President, Vice President, and all other members of the Bush administration who are in a decision-making role with regard to taking military action in Iran, to immediately renounce such efforts to engage in this war; 2. The members of the military to refuse any requests by the administration to draw up or execute plans for any invasion or other military action against Iran in light of the illegality of such actions; and 3. That Congress immediately pass a binding resolution reaffirming the United States’ legal obligations and informing the President and the administration that it will not concur in any proposed invasion of or military action against Iran, would refuse to approve funding for any such military action, and would consider actions taken in contravention of the resolution as impeachable offenses. The Center for Constitutional Rights Vincent Warren, Executive Director Bill Goodman, Legal Director Droite Solidarite Roland Weyl, President European Association of Lawyers for Human Rights and Democracy RA Thomas Schmid, Secretary General Professor Bill Bowring Italian Association of Democratic Lawyers Fabio Marcelli Haldane Society, United Kingdom Liz Davies International Association of Democratic Lawyers Jitendra Sharma, President Jeanne Mirer, Secretary General National Lawyers Guild Marjorie Cohn, President Progress Lawyers Network, Belgium Jan Fermon ###

 
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Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel by Shulamit Aloni

Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel

A new order issued by the GOC Central command bans the conveyance of
Palestinians in Israeli vehicles. Such a blatant violation of the right to
travel joins the long list of humans rights violations carried out by Israel in
the [Occupied] Territories.

By Shulamit Aloni

01/05/06 "Ynet " --- - Jewish self-righteousness is taken for granted among
ourselves to such an extent that we fail to see what’s right in front of our
eyes. It’s simply inconceivable that the ultimate victims, the Jews, can carry
out evil deeds. Nevertheless, the state of Israel practises its own, quite
violent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestinian population.

The US Jewish Establishment’s onslaught on former President Jimmy Carter is
based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all: through its army,
the government of Israel practises a brutal form of Apartheid in the territory
it occupies. Its army has turned every Palestinian village and town into a
fenced-in, or blocked-in, detention camp. All this is done in order to keep an
eye on the population’s movements and to make its life difficult. Israel even
imposes a total curfew whenever the settlers, who have illegally usurped the
Palestinians’ land, celebrate their holidays or conduct their parades.

If that were not enough, the generals commanding the region frequently issue
further orders, regulations, instructions and rules (let us not forget: they are
the lords of the land). By now they have requisitioned further lands for the
purpose of constructing “Jewish only” roads. Wonderful roads, wide roads,
well-paved roads, brightly lit at night – all that on stolen land. When a
Palestinian drives on such a road, his vehicle is confiscated and he is sent on
his way.

On one occasion I witnessed such an encounter between a driver and a soldier
who was taking down the details before confiscating the vehicle and sending its
owner away. “Why?” I asked the soldier. “It’s an order – this is a Jews-only
road”, he replied. I inquired as to where was the sign indicating this fact and
instructing [other] drivers not to use it. His answer was nothing short of
amazing. “It is his responsibility to know it, and besides, what do you want us
to do, put up a sign here and let some antisemitic reporter or journalist take a
photo so he that can show the world that Apartheid exists here?”

Indeed Apartheid does exist here. And our army is not “the most moral army in
the world” as we are told by its commanders. Sufficient to mention that every
town and every village has turned into a detention centre and that every entry
and every exit has been closed, cutting it off from arterial traffic. If it were
not enough that Palestinians are not allowed to travel on the roads paved ‘for
Jews only’, on their land, the current GOC found it necessary to land an
additional blow on the natives in their own land with an “ingenious proposal”.

Humanitarian activists cannot transport Palestinians either

Major-General Naveh, renowned for his superior patriotism, has issued a new
order. Coming into affect on 19 January, it prohibits the conveyance of
Palestinians without a permit. The order determines that Israelis are not
allowed to transport Palestinians in an Israeli vehicle (one registered in
Israel regardless of what kind of numberplate it carries) unless they have
received explicit permission to do so. The permit relates to both the driver and
the Palestinian passenger. Of course none of this applies to those whose labour
serves the settlers. They and their employers will naturally receive the
required permits so they can continue to serve the lords of the land, the
settlers.

Did man of peace President Carter truly err in concluding that Israel is
creating Apartheid? Did he exaggerate? Don’t the US Jewish community leaders
recognise the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial
Discrimination of 7 March 1966, to which Israel is a signatory? Are the US Jews
who launched the loud and abusive campaign against Carter for supposedly
maligning Israel’s character and its democratic and humanist nature unfamiliar
with the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime
of Apartheid of 30 November 1973? Apartheid is defined therein as an
international crime that among other things includes using different legal
instruments to rule over different racial groups, thus depriving people of their
human rights. Isn’t freedom of travel one of these rights?

In the past, the US Jewish community leaders were quite familiar with the
meaning of those conventions. For some reason, however, they are convinced that
Israel is allowed to contravene them. It’s OK to kill civilians, women and
children, old people and parents with their children, deliberately or otherwise
without accepting any responsibility. It’s permissible to rob people of their
lands, destroy their crops, and cage them up like animals in the zoo. From now
on, Israelis and International humanitarian organisations’ volunteers are
prohibited from assisting a woman in labour by taking her to the hospital.
[Israeli human rights group] Yesh Din volunteers cannot take a robbed and
beaten-up Palestinian to the police station to lodge a complaint. (Police
stations are located at the heart of the settlements.) Is there anyone who
believes that this is not Apartheid?

Jimmy Carter does not need me to defend his reputation that has been sullied by
Israelophile community officials. The trouble is that their love of Israel
distorts their judgment and blinds them from seeing what’s in front of them.
Israel is an occupying power that for 40 years has been oppressing an indigenous
people, which is entitled to a sovereign and independent existence while living
in peace with us. We should remember that we too used very violent terror
against foreign rule because we wanted our own state. And the list of victims of
terror is quite long and extensive.

We do limit ourselves to denying the [Palestinian] people human rights. We not
only rob of them of their freedom, land and water. We apply collective
punishment to millions of people and even, in revenge-driven frenzy, destroy the
electricity supply for one and half million civilians. Let them “sit in the
darkness” and “starve”.

Employees cannot be paid their wages because Israel is holding 500 million
shekels that belong to the Palestinians. And after all that we remain “pure as
the driven snow”. There are no moral blemishes on our actions. There is no
racial separation. There is no Apartheid. It’s an invention of the enemies of
Israel. Hooray for our brothers and sisters in the US! Your devotion is very
much appreciated. You have truly removed a nasty stain from us. Now there can be
an extra spring in our step as we confidently abuse the Palestinian population,
using the “most moral army in the world”.

Shulamit Aloni, the Israeli Prize laureate who once served as Minister of
Education under Yitzhak Rabin, is from Yediot Acharonot, Israel’s largest
circulating newspaper, which appeared in the Hebrew Ynet but not in the
English-language Ynetnews.

Tranlated by Sol Salbe, an Australian editor, whose comments are in square
brackets.

Hebrew original: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3346283,00.html Yediot
Acharonot, Israel’s largest circulating newspaper.

Armenian Genocide resolution

At long last, the United States may finally recognize the Armenian genocide.   The resolution follows the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans last year, for properly characterizing the Armenian Genocide as ‘genocide.’ The Administration subsequently nominated Richard Hoagland for the position of Armenian Ambassador - a move blocked by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) following widespread bipartisan concerns by Senate Foreign Relations Committee members about the Evans firing and statements by Hoagland denying the Armenian Genocide.

Please consider going to the Armenian National Committee of American, http://www.anca.org/, and urging your representative to support this resolution.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918 * Fax. (202) 775-5648 * Email.anca@anca.org

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release ~ 2007-01-30
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian ~ Tel: (202) 775-1918

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION INTRODUCED IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Reps. Adam Schiff, George Radanovich, Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg Hold Capitol Hill Press Conference to Launch Anti-Genocide Measure

WASHINGTON, DC – Speaking today at a Capitol Hill press conference, Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA) and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) joined together in announcing the support of more than 160 of their House colleagues for the introduction of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Joining with the four legislators as original cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106) are Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), both strong supporters of Armenian Genocide recognition as well as senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the influential panel which will first consider this legislation prior to a vote on the House floor.

The resolution is similar to legislation introduced in the previous session of Congress, which was overwhelmingly approved in the International Relations Committee (now called the Foreign Affairs Committee), only to be blocked from final passage by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL). With the change in House leadership, the lead sponsors noted during the press conference that this legislation now has the best chance for passage in recent memory.

During his opening remarks at the press conference, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-chair Frank Pallone underscored the importance of introducing and passing Armenian Genocide legislation: “We, as the House of Representatives, have an obligation to send a message to the world that we affirm the [Armenian] Genocide and to send a message to the Turkish government, which is ultimately behind all of the genocide denial on the part of the [U.S.] Administration.”

Citing the presence of Armenian Genocide survivors Yeretzgeen Sirarpi Khoyan and Mrs. Rose Baboyan, Rep Adam Schiff explained that "there aren’t many survivors left and while there are still survivors among us we have, I think, the highest ethical obligation to recognize the losses of their families, the losses of their entire community, and in many respects beyond that, the loss of almost an entire people."

Touching on the U.S. responsibility to end the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Rep. Schiff argued, "How can we demonstrate the kind of moral leadership we need to condemn the genocide in Darfur if we do not have the courage to recognize the murder of a million and half people in the first genocide of the last century?”

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) stressed that, "It is up to the House to bring this important resolution to vote." He went on to explain that, "38 U.S. states have recognized the Armenian Genocide" and that the time had come for the U.S. Congress to enact the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

Armenian Genocide Resolution lead sponsor in the 109th Congress, Rep. George Radanovich, argued: "I think it is not even in Turkey’s interest to successfully keep this [Genocide resolution passage] from happening because it is in their best interest as a growing country to recognize what happened in their country many, many years ago."

"We appreciate the leadership of the Armenian Genocide Resolution’s authors - Adam Schiff, George Radanovich, Frank Pallone, Joe Knollenberg, Brad Sherman, and Thaddeus McCotter - and are, of course, very encouraged by the broad, bipartisan support for their introduction of this anti-genocide legislation," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "The immoral firing of Ambassador Evans for recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the intense controversy over the Richard Hoagland nomination due to his denial of this crime, and - of course - the brutal assassination of Hrant Dink, all serve as a stark wake up call for Congress to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution."

"Armenian Americans across the country look forward, in the coming weeks, to working with all our Congressional friends in support of the early adoption of this legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives," added Hamparian.

The introduction of the resolution comes in the wake of the January 19th murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul, Turkey, for his lifelong commitment to Armenian Genocide recognition. The Turkish government had long persecuted Dink for his principled stand on the Genocide, prosecuting him under the repressive Article 301 penal statute for "insulting Turkishness." Dink, who was convicted but given a suspended sentence, had appealed the decision.

The resolution also follows the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans last year, for properly characterizing the Armenian Genocide as ‘genocide.’ The Administration subsequently nominated Richard Hoagland for the position of Armenian Ambassador - a move blocked by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) following widespread bipartisan concerns by Senate Foreign Relations Committee members about the Evans firing and statements by Hoagland denying the Armenian Genocide.

As Members of Congress prepared to introduce the Armenian Genocide resolution, thousands of Armenian American activists contacted their legislators through phone, mail and the ANCA WebFax system urging them to become early cosponsors of the legislation. ANCA regional offices and local chapters held community briefings, press conferences and events in support of the measure, leading to a groundswell of early support.

The Armenian Genocide legislation is expected to the referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A Senate version of the resolution is set to be introduced in the coming weeks.

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Army drops 2 charges against officer (1st Lt. Ehren Watada) / Defend The Press Coalition Declares Victory for Journalist

 

via Yahoo News!

 

1. Victory -US Army announced it has dropped its subpoena of Sarah Olson in the Ehren Watada court martial. 
   News From Bangladesh - Jan 29 9:58 PM
   VICTORY! Late tonight the US Army announced it has dropped its subpoena of Sarah Olson in the Ehren Watada court martial. The news broke in an article in the Honolulu Advertiser.
   Save

 

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20070130/pl_usnw/defend_the_press_coalition_declares_victory_for_journalist_sarah_olson

 

Defend The Press Coalition Declares Victory for Journalist Sarah Olson

Mon Jan 29, 11:07 PM ET

 

To: NATIONAL EDITORS

 

Contact: Scott Goodstein, of Defend the Press +1-202-256-8320, sgcatalyst@aol.com; or John Stauber, of Center for Media And Democracy +1-608-260-9713, john@prwatch.org

 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Statement from Sarah Olson and Defend The Press Coalition in reaction to announcement that Army is dropping subpoena against her in the US v Watada Court-Martial.

    Source: Honolulu Advertiser http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jan/29/br/br6319027548.html  

Quote From John Stauber of The Center For Media And Democracy:

 

"This appears a great victory for journalist Sarah Olson and our Defend the Press coalition," said John Stauber, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy of Madison, Wisconsin. "This is a testament to what one determined and courageous reporter, Sarah Olson, can accomplish in the face of government intimidation. These subpoenas were simply an effort to harass journalists who are reporting on the growing anti-war sentiment among rank and file soldiers. This is a blow for press freedom and for free speech."

 

Quote From Journalist Sarah Olson:

 

"This is obviously a great victory for the principles of a free press that are so essential to this nation. Personally, I am pleased that the Army no longer seeks my participation in their prosecution of Lieutenant Watada. Far more importantly, this should be seen as a victory for the rights of journalists in the U.S. to gather and disseminate news free from government intervention, and for the rights of individuals to express personal, political opinions to journalists without fear of retribution or censure. I am glad the growing number of dissenting voices within the military will retain their rights to speak with reporters. But I note with concern, that Lt. Watada still faces prosecution for exercising his First Amendment rights during public presentations. The preservation of these rights clearly requires vigilance.

 

Journalists are subpoenaed with an alarming frequency, and when they do not cooperate they are sometimes imprisoned. Videographer Josh Wolf has languished in federal prison for over 160 days, after refusing to give federal grand jury investigators his unpublished video out takes. It is clear that we must continue to demand that the separation between press and government be strong, and that the press be a platform for all perspectives, regardless of their popularity with the current administration."

 

Quote From Olsons Attorney David Greene, The First Amendment Project

 

"This is a tremendous victory for both Sarah and for every journalist who fears being dragged into the middle of a dispute between a source and the government."

 

Sarah Olson and Defend The Press will be holding a Press Conference at 2pm on Thursday Feb 1st 2007 at The National Press Club in Washington, DC.

 

The Defend The Press http://www.defendthepress.org/ coalition, founded by the Center for Media and Democracy, announced itself on January 24, 2007. Among its supporters are notable journalists, authors and free speech activists including Phil Donahue, producer and commentator; Sydney Schanberg, author; Linda K. Foley, president, The Newspaper Guild-CWA; Larry Gross, director, School of Communication, Annenberg School, USC; Tony Kushner, playwright; Robert McChesney, founder, Free Press; Geneva Overholser, professor, University of Missouri School of Journalism; Gloria Steinem, publisher, journalist; Jerry Zremski, journalist and president, National Press Club.

 

For a complete list of Coalition members visit: http://www.prwatch.org/defendthepress/coalition.html

 

For more information visit: http://www.defendthepress.org/ http://www.freepresswg.org/

 

SOURCE Defend The Press

 

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003547250_watada29m.html?syndication=rss

 

The Seattle Times

 

Army drops 2 charges against officer

 

By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times staff reporter

 

In a deal with defense attorneys, the Army has dropped two misconduct counts against a Fort Lewis officer who refused to serve in Iraq.

 

The agreement — confirmed Monday by an Army official — knocks two years from a maximum six-year prison sentence that 1st Lt. Ehren Watada initially faced at a court-martial scheduled to begin next Monday at Fort Lewis.

 

"The bottom line is that he now faces a maximum of four years in prison," said Joe Piek, a Fort Lewis spokesman.

 

The agreement also means the Army will not try to call journalists as witnesses in the trial, according to Piek.

 

Watada has claimed the war is illegal, and that he was duty-bound by his officer's oath not to obey the order to deploy. The case has drawn international attention.

 

Watada had faced up to two years in prison for his refusal to deploy with his brigade last June, and up to one year in prison for each of four statements in which he said the war was illegal, denounced the Bush administration for lying to the American public and accused the Army of war crimes.

 

Monday, the Army agreed to drop two of the misconduct charges in exchange for Watada's admission that he made all the statements included in the two remaining misconduct charges, relating to a June 7 news conference in Tacoma and an Aug. 12 speech before the Veterans for Peace convention in Seattle.

 

"Today, I speak with you about a radical idea," Watada said in his Aug. 12 speech. "That to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it ... "

 

Defense attorneys maintain that all of Watada's statements made in public appearances and to journalists are protected by the Constitution, according to Eric Seitz, a civilian attorney representing Watada.

 

The Army will seek to prove at the court-martial that the June and August statements amounted to misconduct.

 

The two charges that were dropped involved statements Watada had made to journalists.

 

In an effort to prove those statements in court, the Army had subpoenaed journalists and was prepared to compel them to testify or face up to six months in prison under contempt charges

 

The agreement removed those two counts from the charges, so the Army will no longer seek to compel journalists to testify, according to Piek.

 

One of those journalists, Sarah Olson, said Monday afternoon that she had yet to hear from the Army about that decision.

 

"I certainly would be greatly relieved that would be fantastic," said Olson, an independent journalist who published a Watada interview on Truthout.org.

 

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com

 

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company

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Child Soldiers Case Against DRC's Lubanga to be ICC's First Trial

 

Coalition for the International Criminal Court

www.iccnow.org

 

 

 

 

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                   Contact: Anaga Dalal,

29 January 2007                                                           (+)1.646.465.8517, dalal@iccnow.org    

 

 

 

ICC confirms war crimes charges against THOMAS LUBANGA

DRC Child Soldier Case Will Be Court’s First Trial

 

WHAT:  On Monday, 29 January at approximately 3 p.m. in The Hague, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed the charges against Mr. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, sending the case against him to trial.  During Monday’s hearing, presiding Judge Claude Jorda read a summary of the Chamber’s decision.  The Chamber found sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Lubanga is criminally responsible as a co-perpetrator for all three charges made against him for the period beginning September 2002, when the Force Patriotiques pour la Liberation du Congo (FPLC) was founded, and ending 13 August 2003. 

 

The Prosecutor of the ICC has charged Mr. Lubanga with three war crimes: 1) enlisting children under the age of fifteen; 2) conscripting children under the age of fifteen; and 3) using children under the age of fifteen to participate actively in hostilities.

 

WHO: Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is the alleged founder and leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and Commander-in-Chief of the UPC’s military wing, the (FPLC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Mr. Lubanga was arrested in March 2005, and subsequently imprisoned in the DRC capital, Kinshasa.  He was transferred to the ICC on 16 March 2006. 

 

COMMENT AND BACKGROUND: Experts from DRC human rights organizations and international NGOs are listed on the following pages for comment and background on this case.

 

 

 

 

 

Important notice: The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), an independent NGO movement, is dedicated to the establishment of the International Criminal Court as a fair, effective, and independent international organization. The Coalition as a whole, and its secretariat, does not endorse or promote specific investigations or prosecutions or take a position on situations before the ICC. However, individual CICC members may endorse referrals, provide legal and other support on investigations, or develop partnerships with local and other organizations in the course of their efforts.

 

 

 

Contact Info of NGO Experts on the Thomas Lubanga Case at the ICC

 

 

 

NGOs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

 

Alphabetical by last name

 

Bukeni W. Beck, Director and Founder of Jeunes pour le Developpement Integre-Kalundu/Projet Enfants Soldats (AJEDI-Ka/PES – Youth Development and Integration/Child Soldiers Project)

Uvira, South Kivu

Telephone: + 243 9940 11350; + 257 566 002

E-mail: bukenibeck@yahoo.fr

(English, French)

 

Christian Hemedi, Coordonnateur de la Coalition nationale pour la CPI (Head of the DRC National Coalition for the International Criminal Court)

Kinshasa

Telephone:  + 243 99 99 166 96; + 243 81 700 5452

E-mail: coalition_cpi@yahoo.co.uk

 

Mpinga Tshibasu Michel Innocent, Président de l’Observatoire national des droits de l’homme (President of the Bar Association and of the National Council on Human Rights)

Kinshasa

Telephone: + 243 99 831 37 40; + 243 99 99 80 857

E-mail: batmpinga@yahoo.fr and tshilundu90@yahoo.fr

 

Roger Muchuba, Secrétaire Exécutif de Héritiers de la Justice (Secretary of the Inheritors of Justice)

Bukavu

Telephone:  +243 99 86 76 6477

E-mail: rogermuchuba@yahoo.fr

 

Bisimwa Ntakobajira, Coordonnateur de l’Association de promotion et de défense des droits de l’homme (Head of the Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights)

Bukavu

Telephone: + 243 81 355 1835

E-mail: aedbukavu@yahoo.fr and matsobismwa@yahoo.fr

 

Anneke van Woudenberg, Senior Researcher on the DRC, Human Rights Watch

Kinshasa

Telephone: +243 81 085 2407

Email: woudena@hrw.org

(English, French)

 

Alpha Fall, Senior Associate, Centre International pour la Justice Transitionnelle (International Center for Transitional Justice)

Kinshasa

Telephone: +243 810 155 080 and + 243 812 746 859

Email: afall@ictj.org

(English, French)

 

International NGOs

 

Listed alphabetically by organization name

 

Matthew Heaphy, Deputy Convener, American NGO Coalition for the ICC

New York, New York:

Telephone: 212-907-1374

Email: mheaphy@unausa.org (English, French)

 

John Washburn, Convenor, American NGO Coalition for the ICC

New York, New York:

Office telephone: +1 212 907 1317

Mobile: +1 917 589 5988

Email: jwashburn@unausa.org

(English)

 

Christopher Hall, International Justice Project Senior Legal Adviser, Amnesty International

In London, England:
Office telephone.: +44 207 413 5733 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)
Telephone.: +44 207 241 1728 (Monday and Thursday)
E-mail: chall@amnesty.org

(English)

 

Dr. Karine Bonneau, Director of the International Justice Desk, Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L’Homme (FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights)

Paris, France:

Telephone: +33 1 43 55 25 18

Mobile telephone: +33 6 72 34 87 59

Email: kbonneau@fidh.org

(French, English, Spanish)

 

Richard Dicker, International Justice Program Director, Human Rights Watch

New York, New York:

Office telephone: +1 212 216 1248

Mobile number: +1 917 747 6731

Email: dickerr@hrw.org

(English, French)

 

Géraldine Mattioli, International Justice Advocate, Human Rights Watch

Currently in The Hague, the Netherlands

Telephone: +31.6.27.44.52.84 or +32.485.57.79.62

Email: mattiog@hrw.org

 (English, French)

 

Alison Smith, Legal Counsel, No Peace Without Justice

Brussels, Belgium

Telephone: +32 2 548 3912

Mobile phone: +32 486 986 235

Email: alison@sensible.it

 (English)

 

Dr. David Donat Cattin, International Law & Human Rights Program Legal Adviser, Parliamentarians for Global Action

In New York, New York:

Office telephone: + 1 212 687 7755, ext. 105

Email: donat@pgaction.org

(English, Italian)           

 

Mariana Goetz, ICC Outreach & Advocacy Adviser, REDRESS

London, England

Telephone : +44 20 7793 1777

Email: mariana@redress.org (English, French, Spanish)

 

 

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Immigration Raid Draws Protest From Labor Officials

 Immigration Raid Draws Protest From Labor Officials
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012607LA.shtml
An immigration raid at a huge North Carolina pork-packing plant provoked protests yesterday from union officials, who said Smithfield Foods had collaborated with authorities searching for illegal immigrants to discourage its workers from organizing.

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Recommended HLLN Link

 Recommended HLLN Link:

Meeting with UN's Edmond Mulet in Washington, DC on Jan. 31, 2007 | Lame Ti
Manchet accused of murder again, No UN raid on this pro-coup death squad (with
warrants out for their arrest) is expected. But, More Haitian civilians are
killed (at least 12 wounded) during another UN execution in Site Soley |
Everyone Lame Timanchet works as the new FRAPH paramilitary for the remobalized
Haitian army dressed by the Internationals as "police", See, list of Lame
Timanchet suspects, as provided to HLLN by Haitian human right activist, Esterne
Bruner, who Lame Timanchet also murdered
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/ezilidanto/2007-01/msg00009.html

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Israel May Have Violated Arms Pact, U.S. Officials Say

 Israel May Have Violated Arms Pact, U.S. Officials Say
By DAVID S. CLOUD and GREG MYRE
January 28, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/world/middleeast/28cluster.html?
hp&ex=1169960400&en=c7ea6c796f1513fc&ei=5094&partner=homepage

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 — The Bush administration will inform Congress on
Monday that Israel may have violated agreements with the United
States when it fired American-supplied cluster munitions into
southern Lebanon during its fight with Hezbollah last summer, the
State Department said Saturday.

The finding, though preliminary, has prompted a contentious debate
within the administration over whether the United States should
penalize Israel for its use of cluster munitions against towns and
villages where Hezbollah had placed its rocket launchers.

Cluster munitions are anti-personnel weapons that scatter tiny but
deadly bomblets over a wide area. The grenadelike munitions, tens of
thousands of which have been found in southern Lebanon, have caused
30 deaths and 180 injuries among civilians since the end of the war,
according to the United Nations Mine Action Service.

Midlevel officials at the Pentagon and the State Department have
argued that Israel violated American prohibitions on using cluster
munitions against populated areas, according to officials who
described the deliberations. But other officials in both departments
contend that Israel's use of the weapons was for self-defense and
aimed at stopping the Hezbollah rocket attacks that killed 159
Israeli citizens and at worst was only a technical violation.

Any sanctions against Israel would be an extraordinary move by the
Bush administration, a strong backer of Israel, and several officials
said they expected little further action, if any, on the matter.

But sanctions against Israel for misusing the weapons would not be
unprecedented. The Reagan administration imposed a six-year ban on
cluster-weapon sales to Israel in 1982, after a Congressional
investigation found that Israel had used the weapons in civilian
areas during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon. One option under
discussion is to bar additional sales of cluster munitions for some
period, an official said.

The State Department is required to notify Congress even of
preliminary findings of possible violations of the Arms Export
Control Act, the statute governing arms sales. It began an
investigation in August.

Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman, said that the
notification to Congress would occur Monday but that a final
determination about whether Israel violated the agreements on use of
cluster bombs was still being debated.

"It is important to remember the kind of war Hezbollah waged," he
said. "They used innocent civilians as a way to shield their
fighters."

Even if Israel is found to be in violation, the statute gives
President Bush discretion about whether to impose sanctions, unless
Congress decides to take legislative action. Israel makes its own
cluster munitions, so a cutoff of American supplies would have mainly
symbolic significance.

Israel gave the State Department a dozen-page report late last year
in which it acknowledged firing thousands of American cluster
munitions into southern Lebanon but denied violating agreements that
prohibit their use in civilian areas, the officials said. The cluster
munitions included artillery shells, rockets and bombs dropped from
aircraft, many of which had been sold to Israel years ago, one
official said.

Before firing at rocket sites in towns and villages, the Israeli
report said, the Israeli military dropped leaflets warning civilians
of the attacks. The report, which has not previously been disclosed,
also noted that many of the villages were deserted because civilians
had fled the fighting, the officials said.

David Siegel, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said
Israel "provided a detailed response to the administration's request
for information" on its use of cluster munitions "to halt Hezbollah's
unprovoked rockets attacks against our civilian populations centers."

He added, "Israel suffered heavy casualties in these attacks and
acted as any government would in exercise of its right to self-
defense."

John Hillen, who was assistant secretary of state in charge of the
bureau until he resigned this month, told Bloomberg News in December
that Israel had provided "great cooperation" in the
investigation. "From their perspective, use of the munitions was
clearly done within the agreements," he said.

Another administration official said the investigation had
caused "head-butting" involving the Bureau of Political-Military
Affairs and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State
Department, as well as Pentagon arms sales officials. Some
officials "are trying to find a way to not have to call this a
substantial violation," the official said.

In particular, the State Department has asked Israel for additional
information on reports that commanders and troops violated orders
that restricted how cluster bombs could be used, an official said. In
November, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, the chief of staff of the Israeli
military until his resignation on Jan. 17, ordered an investigation
into whether restrictions on use of the weapons were ignored by some
units.

That investigation is still under way, and military officials have
refused to divulge any details in public.

Israel's Channel 2 television reported in December that the
military's judge advocate general was gathering evidence for possible
criminal charges against military officers who might have ordered
cluster bombs fired into populated areas.

Israel has told the State Department that it originally tried
targeted strikes against Hezbollah rocket sites, but those proved
ineffective.

Heavy use of cluster bombs was tried instead, to kill or maim
Hezbollah fighters manning the launchers. Israeli commanders employed
cluster weapons because they suspected that they would flee after
firing their rockets. Even those attacks failed to stop the rockets
barrages.

The agreements that govern Israel's use of American cluster munitions
go back to the 1970s. But the details, which have been revised
several times, are classified.

However, officials said that the agreements specified that cluster
weapons could not be used in populated areas, in part because of the
risk to civilians after a conflict is over if the bomblets fail to
self-destruct, as they are designed to do.

The agreements said the munitions be used only against organized
armies and clearly defined military targets under conditions similar
to the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, when Israel arguably faced
threats to its survival, officials said.

Since the end of last summer's war, de-mining team have located 800
cluster-bomb strike areas, and they destroyed 95,000 bomblets, said
Christopher Clark, program manager for the United Nations Mine Action
Service in Lebanon.

"We found them pretty much everywhere — in villages, at road
junctions, in olive groves and on banana plantations," Mr. Clark
said.

The casualty rate has come down sharply, he said. Right after the
war, there were more than 40 casualties a week; now it is about 3 or
4 a week.

Donatella Rovera, a researcher with Amnesty International in London,
said older American cluster weapons used by Israel during the war did
not reliably self-destruct, compared with Israel's own cluster
munitions, which are newer and are said to have a much lower dud rate.

"We've asked them to release detailed maps on where the cluster bombs
were used," Ms. Rovera said of the Israeli military. "That the one
thing that could help speed up the cleanup process."

David S. Cloud reported from Washington, and Greg Myre from Jerusalem.

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Palestine News Network - Instead of easing restrictions on freedom of movement, Israeli forces beat 16 year girl

 

 

Palestine News Network

 

 

Instead of easing restrictions on freedom of movement,

Israeli forces beat 16 year girl

http://english.pnn.ps/

(Bethlehem) Najib Farag   
Wednesday, 03 January 2007

Sixteen year old Amarna Ibrahim lies in Bethlehem's Government Hussein, Beit Jala, Hospital. She has broken bones, is covered with bruises and is shaken-up. She and three other girls were passing through a section of the Wall in Abu Dis that many Palestinians use to arrive in the Palestinian towns of East Jerusalem. Often the Israeli army is on the other side, and sometimes the people are let through, and other times are sent back.

Often Palestinians have documentation of official appointments in Jerusalem with consulates or hospitals. Sometimes they have previously issued “permission” granted by Israeli forces to move freely. And sometimes this works and sometimes it does not.

What happened to the teenaged girls is typical. They passed through the Wall, the Israeli army was there, and soldiers questioned the girls. Keeping in mind that the Israeli Prime Minister pledged to “ease restrictions” on mobility and “remove several barriers,” this day should have been easier than usual.

But instead Israeli soldiers began beating this girl, hitting her with their fists, rifle butts, and kicking her in the face, hands and body. The girl's friends stood horrified, unable to stop the soldiers, unable to help. And then the soldiers left, just like that. Other Palestinians in the area called for an ambulance which arrived quickly and rushed her to Bethlehem's main hospital.

It happened at about 5:00 pm yesterday, Tuesday, while on the girls were on their way for Eid Al Adha holiday visits. The soldiers came from a checkpoint that is several meters from this area of the Wall.

Beit Jala Hospital sources report that the Deheisha Refugee Camp girl is still in the Emergency Room. Palestinian sources commenting on the incident say that the proof is right there: the Israelis had no intention of honoring their promise to ease restrictions against the freedom of movement. Apparently Ibrahim is not the only one who has been beaten at a checkpoint this Eid Al Adha, while hundreds of others have been prevented passage throughout the West Bank.

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