The Bahrain F1 – Driver’s views leaves much to be desired

Credits: Mazen Mahdi/EPA

Reading the Guardian article “F1 hunkers down for Bahrain Grand Prix as tensions rise in Manama” I was just astounded by some of the views of the drivers. They leave much be desired… Not sure which is worse but here are some of the worthy contenders:

Sebastian Vettel (on the unrest): “It is not a big problem and I am happy once we start testing tomorrow because then we can start worrying about the stuff that really matters like tyre temperatures, cars …“.

Yep, you read that right, “stuff that really matters…“.

Lewis Hamilton on the other hand was somehow blissfully unaware of any incidents which occurred; this admission came hours after the Force India team got caught up in the unrest.

Finally, Jensen Button who when asked about the unrest simply refused to talk about anything other than racing:

“The outside issues, I’m not going to talk about.“

If Vettel’s shameful insensitivity and Hamiton’s blissful ignorance can ever be excused, Jensen silence simply cannot.

Silence. is. complicity.

LSE Palestine Society stages an Israeli mock checkpoint on campus, gets attacked with water bombs | The Electronic Intifada

Please read the following blog post by my Palestinian course mate and blogger, who was involved in yesterday’s simulation checkpoint protest at the LSE.

Unfortunately, a minority disgracefully attacked these peaceful protesters with water bombs.

LSE Palestine Society stages an Israeli mock checkpoint on campus, gets attacked with water bombs | The Electronic Intifada.

UN Security Council: Once again a place for inaction.

The UN Security Council has once again proved it is a weak body at the mercy of state interests to sufficiently address contemporary crises.

Crafted in the aftermath of the Second World War, power in concentrated in the hands of the dominant major powers who to this day naturally protect their interests and allies.

Be it the US protecting Israel against resolutions addressing illegal settlements, or on this occasion Russia & China protecting the Syrian regime against a regional plan to end the violence, it is clear the Council is in need of urgent and meaningful reform to:

a) adequately reflect contemporary power balances in the composition of the Council;

b) prevent states using the veto to protect narrow interests/friends/allies – e.g. by limiting use to where there is an overwhelming consensus or significant regional support;  

Thus, ensuring that the UNSC actually serves and protects the world’s population and is not (as it is currently) sidelined or rendered impotent when even the (valueless?) lowest common denominator cannot be found.

Sri Lanka counts civilian war dead to counter war crimes claim

After steadfastly maintaining there were “zero civilian casualties” in the final offensive of the civil war, the Sri Lankan government in August finally conceded that ‘some’ civilian deaths occurred and that they were ‘unavoidable’. It has now decided to count its war-dead, to help counter claims of war crimes.

Read more about this story at the Guardian

A few questions…

1)  Why was the official line of “zero civilian casulaties” maintained for so long, despite mounting credible evidence (including from the UN) to the contrary? What were the motives behind maintaining this line?

and most importantly…

2) How credible will the government’s current count of war dead be, given that its sole purpose is to counter accusations of war crimes?

Finally, how insulting to the civilian dead that the impetus behind this count is not for the benefit of their relatives – for closure or acknowledgement, but for a government requiring some statistics to counter claims of serious wrongdoing.

Behind each statistic is a story of a person or family who suffered greatly in those grim final days in the cruelly named “No-Fire Zone”.

Libya’s descent into the gutter?

Feeling quite disturbed and conflicted by the images of Gaddafi’s final moments…

A foreword, please do not misconstrue this post as being sympathetic to Colonel Gaddafi – or a defense of his brutal regime.

It is not.

It is a collection of musings reflecting my discomfort and disappointment at the fact that Gaddafi didn’t stand trial for his crimes.

Back in February I posted on this blog about the beginnings of the Libyan revolution; and in March in hope that the UNSC resolution was not “too little to late” in response to Gaddafi’s brutal response to protests.

Although back then (as I still feel and hope for today) that the democratic hopes of the Libyan people will eventually be realized, I feel extremely uncomfortable about the circumstances of the former dictator’s capture and death. Whilst investigations will inevitably follow, the footage released thus far paints a far from ideal picture.

It is perhaps ironic that the brutality and disrespect shown to Gaddafi in his capture and subsequent death is somewhat resonant to the very barbaric practices of the former dictator himself. It must be asked how can the victorious NTC be more civilized than the former regime if they stoop to such gutters in their treatment of prisoners.

Once again let me stress I am not sympathizing with Gaddafi’s vile policies and violations of human rights.

Ideally, the disgraced former leader would have been treated with a basic level of respect as required by international law, arrested and brought to justice in front of the nation for the crimes his regime committed.

Undoubtedly many secrets of the regime’s brutality have now died with him; as have many victims’ right to justice and accountability.

The omission of reference to discomfort and respect for basic laws by Western leaders in response to these events is disconcerting. – Indeed it leads one to wonder if they are in fact secretly relieved that the former dictator will not take the stand as it will spare some politicians the embarrassment of having Gaddafi detail their collusion over the years.

One can only hope that the new Libya will be governed using the ‘Rule of Law’ and not the ‘Rule of the Gun’.

Freedom is far from free…

After all of the speeches and deals have been made at the UN in New York, politicians and diplomats will return home to lead free and prosperous lives.

The Palestinians however are less fortunate. Punished by the actions of a violent minority, they are suffocated by Israeli government restrictions on their daily lives including the Barrier, checkpoints, permits, demolition orders and increasing settler violence conducted in a culture of impunity.

The Palestinian’s representatives have long and rightly been encouraged to choose non-violence over violence, negotiations over confrontation; and since the Oslo Accords, the PLO have largely followed this path; all the while watching the Occupied lands (on which a future state would stand) shrink due to ever-expanding (illegal) Israeli settlements.

After years of seemingly fruitless negotiations with successive Israeli governments and now faced with largely hawkish counterparts who are often openly hostile to peace, they have judged that the best way forward is to return to the world body which granted Israel it’s statehood in 1948, to right a historic wrong inflicted over 60 years ago.

How ironic then that the US, which has long trumpeted it’s ‘beacon of freedom’ status for the oppressed of the world – most recently to the Arab Spring protestors, has indicated it’s intention to veto the Palestinian’s rightful claim to self determination; instead once again defending a state which oppresses based on race and religion.

The contradiction is clear for all to see: the Libyans, Tunisians, and Egyptians were cheered, encouraged and aided in their quest for freedom; the Palestinian’s blocked.

Freedom is unfortunately far from free. It comes at a varying price; and for the Palestinians, that price could not be afforded by a US President seeking re-election.

Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields – a Channel 4 documentary

Credits: Channel 4

On Friday 3 June, the UK’s Channel 4 News aired the documentary “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Today, Tuesday 14th June, it will be shown on Channel 4 at 11:05pm.

It will also be available to stream from “4oD”, after transmission.

Credits: Channel 4

This forensic investigation contains footage taken in the final weeks of the civil war in 2009 showing the “extra-judicial massacre of prisoners by government forces, the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian hospitals and the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appear to have been sexually assaulted”.

The documentary also investigated atrocities carried out by the LTTE rebels, including using civilians as human shields.

Christof Heyns, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions considers this footage to be credible and provide evidence of “serious international crimes”.

With the UN estimating that 40,000 civilians may have died in the final stages of the conflict, and the Sri Lankan Government’s own toothless “Lessons Learned & Reconciliation Commission” being widely acknowledged by international NGO’s and legal experts as falling far short of international standards, it is time for citizens to pressure their governments to in turn put pressure on Ban Ki Moon into authorizing a full, international and independent investigation into the allegations.

Without the acknowledgement of the truth about what happened in the final stages of the civil war, accountability for past crimes will not take place. Much needed reconciliation between the communities in Sri Lanka will be hollow and unstable – plagued by mistrust of the government and concern for the repetition of such atrocities.

For Sri Lanka to become the prosperous peaceful society it strives, where all citizens are valued and respected, freedom of speech is protected, and societal development can occur, a foundation built on truth and acknowledgement of past acts is essential.

UNSC passes Libya resolution

After weeks of indecision, and much Libyan blood unnecessarily spilt, the UN Security Council has finally responded to the pleas for a no-fly zone, from a besieged Libyan opposition fearful of a brutal Gaddafi revenge.

It’s “11th hour” resolution, as the last opposition stronghold of Benghazi appeared to increasingly exposed as Gaddafi’s forces advanced, authorises “all necessary measures” to prevent attacks on Libyan civilians by the Gaddafi regime.
The protection emphasis in this resolution is striking and one can only hope that this marks the start of an international community ready to take action to protect civilians from brutal governments.

Hopefully in Libya’s case, it is not “too little too late”, as the opposition has appeared increasingly weak in the past few days, both in terms of territory, casualty figures and importantly morale – as it looked like the world may turn its back on struggle, like it has done to many others in the past.
The US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice stated during the Security Council debate:

“The future of Libya should be decided by the people of Libya. The United States stands with the Libyan people in their quest for their universal human rights.”

Whilst Libyan’s in Benghazi cautiously celebrate, spare a thought for those in Bahrain.

Bahraini’s in Manama and beyond will tonight be questioning: Why their quest for human rights, democracy and equality has been so cruelly crushed? Why the world has practically abandoned them? Finally, how their quest for human rights is any different to the equally brave citizens of Libya?

Bahrain imposes martial law

Whilst the international community’s attention is concentrated on the unfolding crises in Japan and Libya, the ruling family of Bahrain seem to have all but given up on meaningful dialogue with the democracy-seeking protesters; instead falling back on the well-tested “Tiananmen model” of responding to protests – unleashing disproportionate (and often lethal) force.

It tried this method nearly a month ago with a dawn raid on sleeping protesters at the Pearl Roundabout. It backfired spectacularly, not only resulting in horrific injuries, fatalities and international condemnation; but more importantly in cementing the resolve of protesters to continue their struggle for equal rights and a more democratic political system.

A somewhat weakened Bahraini Royal Family entered talks with the opposition, appearing initially to yield to some of their more moderate demands. However, as the weeks have dragged on, and with global attention concentrated elsewhere, the Bahraini Royals have seized the opportunity to crush the protests – unashamedly employing military assistance of its numerous (autocratic) friends in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).

Martial law has been declared for three months, giving military forces a virtual ‘carte-blanche’ to crush the ongoing unrest. Doctors have spoken of “hundreds of casualties”, serious injuries including those who have gunshot wounds to the eyes and head.

It is therefore difficult to envisage how the ruling elite plan to build trust and enact meaningful reforms which meet the aspirations of the Bahraini people, whilst simultaneously violently suppressing their (human) right to protest.

Illinois abolishes the death penalty

Illinois has become the 16th state in the USA to abolish the death penalty.

“If the system can’t be guaranteed, 100% error-free, then we shouldn’t have the system,” (Governor Quinn,2011)

Governor Pat Quinn’s courageous decision means that Illinois will become the fourth US state in just two years to turn its back on capital punishment.

Articles 3 and 5 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everybody has “the right to life”; and the right “not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment”.

Capital Punishment is a clear violation of both.

Despite warnings of electoral mountains ahead, Governor Quinn has shown leadership, a respect for human rights, and long term vision. – If only we saw these qualities more frequently in other leaders!

Let’s hope more US states follow Illinois example in turning their back on a practice which helps puts America in the unsavoury company of China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.