Saturday, May 18, 2013
Hitch's Thought For The Day: May 18, 2013
The problem with people is that it's peope we have problems with!
Syria: Rights group has 'evidence' of Syrian government torture
Warning - some viewers may find the accounts in this video disturbing.
Western Sahara: Human rights in the occupied Western Sahara
Human rights in the occupied Western Sahara
On 30 April, the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) – which has been tasked since 1991 with maintaining a ceasefire and monitoring Africa’s longest territorial dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawi Polisario Front – was yet again renewed. The UN body was initially set up to facilitate a referendum for self-determination promised to the Sahrawi people. However, the referendum, planned for 1992, has failed to materialise amid disputes over who among the Moroccan settlers would be entitled to vote.
This year, the question of the violation of human rights was at the core of discussions. The United States’ initial draft resolution attempted to include a proposition to install UN observers to monitor human rights violations and abuses in the occupied Western Sahara. However, in response to fierce resistance from the governments of Morocco and France at the UN Security Council (UNSC), Washington dropped its demand.
Instead, a compromise was found consisting of more semantics related to human rights which, according to a UN diplomat, is a step forward in this conflict. Yet, this compromise decision may also send the wrong signal to the Sahrawi population, especially the youth, who could become even more impatient and therefore radicalised.
Human rights organisations such as the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK), Amnesty international and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have on numerous occasions condemned Rabat’s violation of human rights in Western Sahara, as well as Washington and Paris’ support for Morocco. These organisations have cited several examples of grave human rights violations against the Sahrawi people, including summary execution, enforced disappearance, torture, and arbitrary arrest. For instance, the RFK prize laureate Aminatou Haidar reported that Mohamed Khalil Ayache, a young Sahrawi, was tortured for a week and then died after refusing to chant ‘long life to the king’ and ‘the Sahara is Moroccan’.
This February, the Rabat Military Court sentenced nine Sahrawi civilians to life in prison and 14 others to prison terms of between 20 and 30 years for plotting and carrying out violence against the police when they dismantled a protest tent camp in November 2010 that Sahrawis had set up in Gdeim Izik, Western Sahara. The military court based its verdict almost solely on the confessions attributed to the defendants by the police and refused to investigate the defendants’ claims that the police had extracted those confessions under torture.
It is extremely difficult for foreigners to enter Western Sahara. Moroccan authorities regularly refuse entry to scores of foreign journalists, political activists and human rights workers. This March, Morocco expelled four members of the European Parliament when they arrived in Casablanca on their way to Western Sahara to investigate human rights conditions, arguing they were pro-Western Sahara.
In recent years, human rights monitoring, investigating and reporting have become an integral part of UN peacekeeping operations around the world. However, unlike other UN peacekeeping forces, MINURSO does not have human rights observers as Rabat and Paris categorically refuse such an option. Even the future UN peacekeeping presence in Mali, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUMISMA), as envisioned by France, would encompass a strong human rights mandate. Because of the absence of human rights monitors, during riots and clashes like those that occurred in 2010 in Gdeim Izik, Western Sahara, MINURSO staff could not submit any reports on the human rights abuses they had witnessed. This leaves the door open to all kinds of abuses by Rabat.
The question of human rights abuses in Western Sahara has always been highly sensitive for Morocco and France and their latest reaction in New York is not surprising. For example, in 2008, a small group of deputies from the French Communist Party had tried to set up an ad hoc study group in France on human rights abuses in Western Sahara. However, following lobbying by the then Moroccan ambassador to France, Fathallah Sijilmassi, the group had to drop its project. During his recent visit on 3 and 4 April in Morocco, French President François Hollande reiterated his country’s close historical ties to Rabat, calling the latter a ‘country of stability and serenity’ and underlining a ‘rare, not to say exceptional, friendship between the two countries’. Regarding Western Sahara, Hollande renewed his country’s support for Morocco’s position. As Philippe Bolopion, the director of HRW at the UN rightly puts it, it is ‘business as usual’ between the two countries.
It is important to remember that Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara – the last colonised territory in Africa – is in direct violation of international law. In 1963 the UN included Western Sahara in a list of territories that sought self-determination. The notion of self-determination was already enshrined in the UN Charter and is supported by UN Resolution 1514, which stipulates that ‘all people have the right to self-determination’. This was further supported by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a ruling on 16 October 1975 when it declared that Western Sahara was not ‘land belonging to no-one’ (terra nullius) at the time of its colonisation by Spain. The ICJ judgement, therefore, declared that Morocco had no valid claim on Western Sahara based on any historic title, and that, even if it had, contemporary international law accorded priority to the Sahrawi right to self-determination.
In addition to Paris and Washington’s unconditional support – since its independence in 1956, Morocco has been a close geostrategic ally of both countries (see ISS Today, 26 January 2012) – the politics of illegal occupation and human rights violations conducted by Morocco since Spain’s withdrawal 38 years ago has also been made possible by Rabat’s extremely efficient political lobbying and bribes – as reported by the former US Ambassador Frank Ruddy. Yet, there may be some signs of nervousness in Rabat lately. For some time now Rabat has been playing the ‘regional security’ card, attempting to link the Malian crisis to the Western Sahara conflict in order to gather further support from the international community, arguing that they should support Morocco as a key regional player. The US’ attempt to include human rights observers in MINURSO puts more pressure on Rabat as Morocco’s human rights abuses in Western Sahara are increasingly coming under international scrutiny. Rabat is fully aware that it could lose international support as a result.
It is argued that since the conflict broke out in 1975, Morocco has lost 3.5 points in its national economic growth and that Moroccans’ standard of living could have been three to four times higher. At a time when the Moroccan Kingdom suffers from a budget deficit and insists on the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) being strengthened, which would boost the economy of the entire region, Rabat may have to take another look at its policy regarding Western Sahara.
Given the current political dynamics of the region, and bearing in mind the numerous reports of human rights violations in the occupied Western Sahara, Morocco’s current ruler, Mohamed VI, would do well to consider that even the harshest forms of repression are very difficult to sustain. As the Tunisian poet Abu Al-Qassam Al-Shabbi warned nearly a century ago, ‘when people decide to live, it is for destiny to respond, darkness has to dissipate, and chains to break’.
Abdelkader Abderrahmane, Senior Researcher, ISS Addis Ababa
France: Mystery of French submarine disasters can never be unveiled
Andrei Mikhailov
The death, or rather, sudden disappearance of Eridis submarine of the French fleet stirred heated debate in the world. The tragedy occurred early in the morning on March 4, 1970. Despite the fact that the site of the tragedy was found almost immediately, it took specialists almost two months to find the submarine itself. This is not the only mysterious detail about the disaster.
Generally, there is very little information about French submarine Eridis. In contrast, dozens of books have been written and several documentaries have been made about the death of Russia's Kursk submarine. A well-known documentary on the Kursk disaster was filmed by famous French journalist Jean-Michel Carre. The reason and basis for the film, as the author of the film admits, was the article published on the Pravda.Ru website three years after the death of the Kursk
During the International Film Festival of marine and adventure films "The Sea is Calling," which takes place in St. Petersburg, the author of this article had a chance to talk to the former commander of France's third nuclear submarine, Rear Admiral Jean-Marie Mate. The admiral did not reveal any special secrets about the Eridis other than those that can be found in the open press, albeit in limited quantities. Jean-Marie Mate pointed out that submariners, whatever their nationality might be, always remain heroes. Figuratively speaking, they have only one nationality that is directly connected with their profession that is equally difficult and dangerous in all navies of the world.
But still, why did the death of Eridis submarine receive so little attention in the press, books and movies? The disappearance and death of this submarine in the Mediterranean Sea used to be a worldwide sensation ... The secret of secrets. However, we managed to find some information on the subject. We had to resort to the help of translators from French and dig into into the archives of the Russian, or more precisely, Soviet Navy (the Russian military also investigated the disaster). Here's what we found out.
The Eridis submarine belonged to the Daphne class of diesel-electric submarines. There were eleven submarines of this type built for the French Navy, and all of them were named after mythical goddesses, nymphs and dryads. Submarines of this class were built for the navies as Spain, Portugal, South Africa and Pakistan. The full water displacement of the submarine made up a little more than a thousand tons. It was about 58 meters long and was outfitted with 12 torpedo tubes (which was a bit more than any Russian submarine of the class had).
According to historical information that can be found in Russian sources, the construction of submarine S-644 Eurydice began in July 1958 at Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales shipyard in Cherbourg. The sub was launched on June 19, 1960, and on September 26, 1964 the submarine was passed into service. Its service was common for French submarines: combat training of the crew, patrolling the southern coast of France and North Africa and escorting civilian vessels with important goods. The Eridis has never traveled outside the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Early in the morning of March 4, 1970, the Eridis left the base of Saint-Tropez. There were 57 people on board. At sea, the submarine, in cooperation with aviation, was supposed to exercise the search and conventional attack against a submarine of a potential enemy. For this purpose, the Eridis was in touch with the basic patrol plane Atlantic that took off from Nimes-Garon naval air base. The sea seemed to be calm at first. Interestingly, pilots saw the periscope breaker of the Eridis when the sub was about seven miles to the south-east off Cape Camara. Communication was normal. Suddenly, early in the morning, at 7.13 a.m. local time, messages from the Eridis ceased to arrive. The Atlantic aircraft lost the radar contact with the submarine ...
In his last radio message, the submarine commander said that he was taking the course in the area of the exercise and was preparing to submerge. Very quickly, almost immediately after the break of connection, naval aircraft and anti-submarine vessels began to look for the lost vessel. The French navy sent everything that was available into the sea: surface ships Surcouf, Dyuper, Picard, Vendée, Alert, Arago, Jean Charcot, six minesweepers, Daphne and Doris submarines, as well as airplanes and helicopters. The Italians and Americans also took part in the search: they sent four minesweepers and the Skylark rescue boat.
The approximate area of the death of Eridis was found quickly. The place, where patrol aircraft Atlantic saw the submarine during the last session, was found as well. A large spot of diesel fuel, pieces of plywood and a punch card with the name "Eridis" were found some time later. The remains of the submarine proved that the submarine had sunk. Experts began to investigate the disappearance of the submarine. They analyzed samples of the diesel fuel that was found on the water surface. The analysis showed that the fuel had a high content of sulfur, which was characteristic of the fuel of the lost submarine.
Four days after the start of the search, the administration of the French Navy announced the Eridis and 57 members of its crew perished. Officers on rescue ships removed their caps, and all ships of the French fleet blared their horns in memory of the victims.
Some time later, after analyzing the data of seismographs of coastal surveying laboratories, it was found that there was an explosion recorded on March 4th, at 7.28 a.m.. The place, where the tragedy occurred, was found quickly. However, it took specialists quite a while to find the submarine itself.
The relatives of the dead sailors demanded the submarine be found at all costs and the cause of its death be established. The French government asked the United States to assist in the search for Eridis. American rescue ship Mizar arrived in Toulon: the vessel successfully demonstrated her abilities during the search for the Thresher submarine. It was only on April 22, more than 1.5 months after the death of the submarine, when the Americans detected and identified several large fragments of Eridis scattered at depths from 600 to 1,100 meters ...
It was later found that a large fragment of the stern of the Eridis was resting in the center of a strange crater that was 30 meters in diameter. All metal fragments of the sub were strangely twisted and deformed. European newspapers started guessing. Design flaws? Crew error? The version about alien intervention was especially popular during that time. Some suggested that the Eridis collided with a merchant vessel. Indeed, Tunisian, Argentine and Greek cargo ships traveled across the area, where the accident occurred.
The results of the investigation have never been exposed to the general public. The death of the Eridis caused national shock in France. A few years before, three French submarines sank with their crews near Toulon, one after another. On December 6, 1946, U-2326 submarine tragically sank (France received the submarine after the defeat of Nazi Germany). On September 23, 1952, submarine Sibylle was lost (former British R.229 Sportsman). January 27, 1968 became the day when France lost Minerve sub (of the same type with Eridis).
The reasons of those disasters remain a mystery. Is there a Bermuda Triangle in the Mediterranean Sea?
In Toulon, at one of the main bases of the French Navy, a monument to the dead submariners was erected. The French still go there to honor the memory of the dead submariners.
Myanmar: Iran offers 3 proposals to stop Muslims crackdown in Myanmar
New York, May 18, IRNA - Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei offered Tehranˈs three proposals Friday evening to put a swift end to the crackdown of Muslims in Myanmar.
Addressing a meeting here on the current situation of Muslims in Myanmar here, Khazaei expressed deep concerns over the escalating violence and cases of human rights violation against Muslims in that country.
The meeting was attended by ambassadors and permanent representatives of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states to the United Nations.
As for the three proposals, Khazaei said Tehran has called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to use the international bodyˈs ultimate capacity to put an immediate end to the violence against Muslims in Myanmar, called for a meeting by the UN General Assembly on the issue and proposed dispatching of a fact-finding mission to investigate into the increasing cases of human rights violation in Myanmar.
The Iranian envoy also slammed lack of coordination and unity among Islamic countries in preparing a resolution against the barbaric acts which are underway against Muslims in Myanmar.
Noting that ethnic cleansing of Muslim minorities in Myanmar was not acceptable under any pretext, Khazaei called for an immediate and all-out act against the ongoing inhuman crimes in Myanmar.
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