War Criminals Spared As ICC Prosecutor Plays Blind
[Black Star News Editorial]
Is the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo who has announced that he seeks arrest warrants against three Libyan officials a compromised agent of U.S. foreign policy?
Has Ocampo corrupted the lofty ideals of the court when it was created in furtherance of Western, especially U.S., foreign policy? Does he deserve to resign from his post?
Well why not let the evidence of his actions --or lack thereof-- answer these questions.
In 1997, Uganda and Rwanda invaded what was then Zaire to occupy parts of the resource-rich country and to assist Lauren Kabila's rebels in ousting U.S.-backed dictator Mobuttu.
When Kabila, installed as president, wanted to exercise autonomy, Uganda and Rwanda invaded again in 1998 and this time occupied territory and supported insurgent administrations in their respective domains.
The occupation was characterized by massive crimes of war and crimes against humanity: Congolese were massacred; there was mass rape of both men and women --in Uganda Yoweri Museveni's army had earlier been accused of mass rapes of men in militarily contested areas by soldiers known to be HIV-positive-- Congolese were burned alive in their homes; and, there was massive looting of Congo's mineral and natural wealth.
Eventually, Congo referred the alleged crimes to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). After a trial the court found Uganda liable for the crimes outlined and awarded Congo $10 billion in compensation.
Joseph Kabila, who had succeeded his father, referred the crimes to the ICC for criminal investigation. Most observers believed that using the same set of facts reviewed by the ICJ, the ICC would arrive at the same conclusion: and that arrest warrants would eventually be sought by Ocampo for Uganda's military leadership, including commander in chief Gen. Yoweri K. Museveni.
In fact, Gen. Museveni himself knew the dangers he faced. According to an article published on June 8, 2006 in The Wall Street Journal, Gen. Museveni contacted then U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and urged him to block the investigation. Annan, according to the article, said he had no such powers.
Ocampo, as far as is known, has not sought warrants against Uganda's top military leadership.
He basked in media light in a joint press conference with Gen. Museveni to announce the indictment of the leaders of the vicious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who do deserve to be brought to justice. Possibly anticipating that the ICC would eventually indict Gen. Museveni, Ocampo's colleagues at the court had objected to his appearance side by side with the Ugandan president.
The natural question is, given the closeness of Ocampo to Museveni, has the ICC prosecutor stymied the investigation The Wall Street Journal reported on?
The crimes committed in the Congo --an estimated seven million people have perished as a result of the Uganda and Rwanda occupations which spawned perpetual conflict there-- make the LRA's pale by comparison.
The United Nations "mapping report" has also documented these and earlier crimes committed in the Congo by Uganda's and Rwanda's forces.
Also in the Congo, Rwanda's viceroy was the pathological mass murderer of Congolese, "general" Laurent Nkunda -- his forces killed so many Congolese that even his sponsor Rwanda's Paul Kagame became concerned and eventually disarmed him and placed him under "house" arrest.
Ocampo has not sought the indictment and arrest of Nkunda who remains protected by Rwanda in relative luxury.
Ocampo did aggressively and successfully seek the indictment of the Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
Ocampo's "indictments" are clearly selective. They spare alleged criminals such as leaders supported by the United States, and only target alleged criminals that are in conflict with the United States.
There will be no justice for the victims of alleged criminals such as Museveni, Kagame and Nkunda under Ocampo's watch.
The news last week that Ocampo will target Libya's leaders therefore fits the pattern even as leaders in nearby Syria mow down people in a popular uprising. Ocampo won't act unless the U.S. designates leaders of Syria as "bad guys."
We pose the questions again:
Has Ocampo profaned the ICC's initial lofty ideals to protect ordinary people around the world against crimes of war and crimes against humanity committed with impunity? Is the ICC now merely an instrument of and enforcer of Western foreign policy? Should Ocampo resign?
The reader can draw her or his own conclusion.
"Speaking Truth To Empower."
http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7336/2011-05-07.html
The dictator Kagame at UN
Dictators like Kagame who have changed their national constitutions to remain indefinitely on power should not be involved in UN high level and global activities including chairing UN meetings
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Thousands of Hutu murdered by Kagame inside Rwanda, e.g. Kibeho massacres
Kagame killed 200,000 Hutus from all regions of the country, the elderly and children who were left by their relatives, the disabled were burned alive. Other thousands of people were killed in several camps of displaced persons including Kibeho camp. All these war crimes remain unpunished.The British news reporters were accompanying Kagame’s fighters on day-by-day basis and witnessed these massacres, but they never reported on this.
25,000 Hutu bodies floated down River Akagera into Lake Victoria in Uganda.
The British irrational, extremist, partisan,biased, one-sided media and politicians have disregarded Kagame war crimes e.g. the Kibeho camp massacres, massacres of innocents Hutu refugees in DR. Congo. The British media have been supporting Kagame since he invaded Rwanda by organising the propaganda against the French over the Rwandan genocide, suppressing the truth about the genocide and promoting the impunity of Kagame and his cronies in the African Great Lakes Region. For the British, Rwanda does not need democracy, Rwanda is the African Israel; and Kagame and his guerilla fighters are heroes.The extremist British news reporters including Fergal Keane, Chris Simpson, Chris McGreal, Mark Doyle, etc. continue to hate the Hutus communities and to polarise the Rwandan society.
Kagame political ambitions triggered the genocide.
Kagame’s guerrilla war was aimed at accessing to power at any cost. He rejected all attempts and advice that could stop his military adventures including the cease-fire, political negotiations and cohabitation, and UN peacekeeping interventions. He ignored all warnings that could have helped him to manage the war without tragic consequences. Either you supported Kagame’ s wars and you are now his friend, or you were against his wars and you are his enemy. Therefore, Kagame as the Rwandan strong man now, you have to apologise to him for having been against his war and condemned his war crimes, or accept to be labelled as having been involved in the genocide. All key Kagame’s fighters who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity are the ones who hold key positions in Rwandan army and government for the last 15 years. They continue to be supported and advised by the British including Tony Blair, Andrew Mitchell MP, and the British army senior officials.
Aid that kills: The British Budget Support financed Museveni and Kagame’s wars in Rwanda and DRC.
Genocide propaganda and fabrications are used by the so-called British scholars, news reporters and investigative journalists to promote their CVs and to get income out of the genocide through the selling of their books, providing testimonies against the French, access to consultancy contracts from the UN and Kagame, and participation in conferences and lectures in Rwanda, UK and internationally about genocide. Genocide propaganda has become a lucrative business for Kagame and the British. Anyone who condemned or did not support Kagame’s war is now in jail in Rwanda under the gacaca courts system suuported by British tax payer's money, or his/she is on arrest warrant if he/she managed to flee the Kagame’s regime. Others have fled the country and are still fleeing now. Many others Rwandans are being persecuted in their own country. Kagame is waiting indefinitely for the apologies from other players who warn him or who wanted to help to ensure that political negotiations take place between Kagame and the former government he was fighting against. Britain continues to supply foreign aid to Kagame and his cronies with media reports highlighting economic successes of Rwanda. Such reports are flawed and are aimed at misleading the British public to justify the use of British taxpayers’ money. Kagame and his cronies continue to milk British taxpayers’ money under the British budget support. This started from 1986 through the British budget support to Uganda until now.
Dictator Kagame: No remorse for his unwise actions and ambitions that led to the Rwandan genocide.
No apologies yet to the Rwandan people. The assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana by Kagame was the only gateway for Kagame to access power in Rwanda. The British media, politicians, and the so-called British scholars took the role of obstructing the search for the truth and justice; and of denying this assassination on behalf of General Kagame. General Paul Kagame has been obliging the whole world to apologise for his mistakes and war crimes. The UK’s way to apologise has been pumping massive aid into Rwanda's crony government and parliement; and supporting Kagame though media campaigns.
Fanatical, partisan, suspicious, childish and fawning relations between UK and Kagame
Kagame receives the British massive aid through the budget support, British excessive consultancy, sector wide programmes, the Tutsi-dominated parliament, British and Tutsi-owned NGOs; for political, economic and English language expansion to Rwanda. The British aid to Rwanda is not for all Rwandans. It is for Kagame himself and his Tutsi cronies.
Paul Kagame' actvities as former rebel
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