Too bad the 100,000,000 milion supporters of the KONY2012 project were not also concerned about US military's criminal and immoral treatment of Child Soldiers held in Guantanamo or other prison camps in Iraq and Afghanistan. These child soldiers are treated as the enemy and as perpetrators but as "Child Soldiers" under International Law they are supposed to be treated as "victims".
Therefore it seems contradictory to have US troops going after Kony and his Child Soldiers since under American law there is no such animal as a "Child Soldier". If US forces or Ugandan forces capture "Child Soldiers" who are part of Kony's army theywill be treated as criminals, as perpetrators and not as "Victims"
USA Ignores "Child Soldier " designation in contravention of International Law
Omar Khadr a Canadian citizen was captured in Afghanistan when he was 15 he is now 25having spent ten years in prison at Guantanamo where he has been abused, beaten, tortured and denied his basic rights.
As a Child Soldier he is supposed to be treated not as just another prisoner but as a victim caught up in circumstances that as a child he had no control over. He is supposed to be rehabiltated including goining to schoolwith other Child Soldiers or tutors so he can be reintegrated into society.
Another Forgotten Child Soldier Omar Khadr
In the video Khadr shows interviewer his scars and bruising from being abused by guards and complains he is not receiving proper medical care and that they refuse at allow him contact with his family.
The guard enters the room and is upset that Khadr showed the Canadian interviewer evidence of his abuse.
Kony 2012 is support for a new oil War in Uganda - SHARE THIS VIDEO Ever...
Note the documentary by Journeyman pictures about KONY and his army was made in 2003 so there have been media exposure over KONY long before Invisible Children got into the act.
The International Criminal Court issued warrant for his arrest in 2005. Human rights groups such Amnessty International, Doctors without borders, the Red Cross, human Rights Watch and organizations highlighting the use of Child Soldiers have been aware of this for years.
Unfortunately much of the mainstream media was not interested in this issue for various reasons. The story is depressing so not a topic average viewers want to hear about . Another problem is that the Ugandan government at that time was in some ways almost as bad as Kony in their treatment of Ugandan civilians in the war torn areas.
Another issue is the USA's ambivalence about the UN designation of Child Soldiers. For instance the US has given various government or rebel groups they support waivers on the use of child soldiers.
Since the terrorist attack of 9/11 the US government under George W. Bush and under president Obama have been dismissive of the "child soldier" designation when it comes to rounding up and incarcerating terrorists suspects(detainees)who are under age and are designated Child Soldiers the US has in contravention of International Law treated all detainees the same including those who are designated ass "child Soldiers". When Child Soldiers are captured the military and government are supposed to treat them not as criminals but rather as victims.
The children designated as "Child Soldiers" are supposed to receive psychological treatment and to be prepaared for re-integration back into their society. Yet the USA keeps child soldiers such as the Canadian citizen Omar Khadr at Gitmo after bein captured in Afghanistan. He has been abused, beaten, tortured and denied his basic rights by the US government and military. But his is just one example of America's treatment of "Child Soldiers "and its disrespect for International Law.
So if Invisible Children want to help child soldiers maybe if they were sincere and serious they would intervene on the behal of "Child Soldiers" incarcerated by the White House and by America's allies .
And for all of their hype about the abuses of civilians by Joseph Kony they are either unaware or don't care about the 1,000,000 or more mostly civilians killed by America's armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan ,Pakistan, Libya, Yemen or by their allies such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Israel and so forth.
Of course Invisible Children presumably beleieve when US forces or her allies kill, mutilate, torture civilians including children that's Ok because God is on America's side.
The Children's War - Uganda December 2003
Uploaded by journeymanpictures on Apr 15, 2008
Dec 2003
Northern Uganda is being terrorised by violent attacks from the Lord's Resistance Army -- an army comprised of abducted children.
And of course Canada is complicit in his treatment by not demanding his release .
Op-Ed: O' Khadr, some of us still remember you By Tamara Tarchichi at Digital Journal.com, March 5,2012
Omar Khadr, convicted as a child and trialed as a murderer, is he forgotten today to the people of his home and native land?
Dispatched into the ghastly cells of Guantanamo Bay since the age of 15, Khadr was captured back in 2002 by American forces following a battle in the fields of Afghanistan. The allegations are not foreign to many Canadians, and when asked, his name almost always rings a bell. But how much are Canadians doing today to grant Khadr the fair trial he is entitled to under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom? And what makes him substantially different than any other Canadian born and raised in Canada?
These questions are some of the very few that many ask on a frequent basis and the same reoccurring questions asked over and over again to Canadian politicians. How much pressure are Canadians placing on Canadian politics to bring Khadr home? The answer is, quite a bit. Perhaps I should be clear; the people are striving day and night to bring Khadr back while the government seats itself protracting the rule of “equal protection” while participating in its own account of discrimination based on race, ethnicity and religion. While the media's focal point is plainly derived on the negative outlook of this case, many Canadians in fact are pulling their efforts in order to gain Khadr repatriation and save him from the isolated hub he has currently moved in. This might be bitter news to the cynical crowd but a great relief to the rest of us. It seems that a lot of people can agree on the contention that Omar Khadr firstly, was wrongfully trialed as a child soldier, and secondly, must have been judged under the Canadian jurisdiction 13 years ago. Between NGO’s, lawyers, politicians, Human Rights and Law professors, activists, and regular sympathizers, it was a palpable observation.
Amnesty International is a distinguished Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that firmly stands for neglected justice and human rights and has voiced its release opinion regarding Omar Khadr’s case, stating that no one under 18-years-of age should have been “transferred to Guantanamo, let alone one who was a child at the time of his alleged crime, should be subject to a military commission trial”, according to a recent initiated Amnesty petition. While I was able to sit and discuss Khadr with Amnesty’s International Secretary General in Canada, Alex Neve, the answers I received were a bit hopeful, a bit doubtful, with a whole lot of government blame.
“Is the world a safer place because we have locked up a young man whose dominant father propelled him into a world of extremism when he was nine years of age?” asks Alex Neve, also lawyer and professor teaching human rights at Osgood Hall Law School.
“A young man who ultimately found himself in the middle of a war, as a 15‐year old, during which he says he threw a grenade that killed a US soldier? A young man in whom many see real potential for rehabilitation? It does not seem likely.”
It is indeed not likely at all for Canadians, especially diplomatic Canadians who pride justice and freedom as the nation’s strength of character to prolong the development of Khadr’s case back to Canada. Whether you agree or disagree, Canada ranks in the top ten for the most peaceful nations in the world according to the Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations for its “support of Peacekeeping Missions, low levels of violence and political stability”. And because the connotation is not something I made up, ambiguous desecration of Canadian politics is still up for debate. It is not democratic for a government to ignore torture, neglect repatriation, and refuse basic human rights. Law Professor at Osgood Hall Law School, Allan Hutchinson, has also recently voiced his opinion regarding the shady activity of the Canadian government.
“I'm not surprised that the government would give short shrift to the decision,” said Allan Hutchinson, a law professor at York University's Osgood Hall Law School in an interview for the Globe and Mail. “But, for a government to simply ignore the court and the Constitution strikes me as very problematic. They haven't even given a justification for why they are breaching the Constitution. They are not even giving the appearance of having taken this seriously.”
So who is taking Khadr seriously? Is it the older generation concerned with security protocols and a fair substantiation of “terrorism” and “radical Islamist”? Or is it the younger generation studying world issues and human rights and who preach equality and voice humanity? That is certainly what a young group of students did at the Adult Education Centre South (AECS) in Mississauga, Ontario by starting an online blog addressing Canadian and world issues. Their recent blog titled “Bring Omar Khadr back to Canada” gives a brief bio about Khadr and expresses an important message to all.
“What truly makes this case so ground breaking were the human rights and the UN rights of a child which were without a doubt violated―and Canada just stood around and watched it all take place,” said students of AECS. “One can even go as far as to accuse Canada of being complicit in human rights violations.”
Students at the AECS went on to address terrorism and highlight Americans as spokespersons of the “terror” campaign while they too disperse their equal share of illegal human rights violations, especially at Guantanamo Bay.
“The American government should have extradited Omar back to Canada once he was captured but since the Americans are the leading force behind the fight on terrorism; they took it upon themselves to detain Omar Khadr in Guantanamo Bay and are subsequently putting him on trial.”
Even blogs are dedicated to Omar Khadr in the thousands, some fighting for and some against, and while I can’t wrap my head around the idea of anyone advocating for the illegal torture and mistreatment of another being, yet alone a Canadian Citizen who is openly entitled to a free, equal, and just trial under the Canadian constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. Organize for Omar-Canada might be a small-scale group compromised of only 15 members, their effort in exertion to systematize a strategy to bring khadr back is perhaps powerful than any large-scale group created on Facebook. Although it is always necessary for people to join groups such as these and help spread the cause, this Organize team is one of the few that works relentlessly to ensure Khadr’s return home. Publications, contact information, and even petitions are created and exchanged between members. How do I know this? Well, I joined.
So instead of dwelling over health care wait-times or OC Transpo conspiracies, we Canadians must not forget what distinguishes us as world leaders of peace. This peace is stemmed from essential components of social justice, equality, and security. And since all three are entrenched into our Canadian doctrine, a fair declaration of human rights must not be a struggle, it must be our goal.
We are Canadians, not barbarians.
and so it goes,
GORD.
No comments:
Post a Comment