SHOULD THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TAKE ACTION?
As I sit down to write today, I am filled with incredible wonder and admiration for the tenacity of the Iranian people and their unwavering commitment to secure the life they deserve for themselves and future generations within the Islamic Republic of Iran.
I am filled also with overwhelming sorrow that in this 21st century of humanity and its modern age, any group of people should have to incur such suffering and loss to secure their rights and their dignity as human beings.
Today's events in Iran appear to have become even more tragic. There is an unbelievable escalation in violence and savagery toward these protesters on the streets of Iran this day. I am filled with tremendous sadness at my apparent total inability to do anything of substance to be of aid to my fellow human beings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkScOfYaQKQ
Could it be that it is time for international intervention - for there are many flagrant violations of individual rights as well as heinous crimes being committed against the Iranian people.
Iran's current regime must remember that there exists international laws within the boundaries of which they have fully agreed to operate - they are in violation of these laws.
The unequivocal right to exercise one's freedom in political and civil matters are codified in the United Nations Convention for Civil and Political Rights.
(You may read this here: http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html)
The Islamic Republic of Iran has signed and ratified this document. The current regime is therefore accountable to practice the principles within - those principles that the Iranian people now attempt to apply as they gather together. In this regard, the Iranian government is failing miserably. It must be held accountable.
There exists also international laws which protect citizens against the mass brutality which we have witnessed today.
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
The International Criminal Court, to which the Islamic Republic of Iran has also signed on, in its "Elements of Crimes,"Article 7, "Crimes Against Humanity," states that ...
(Read document in its entirety here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_against_humanity)
... Article 7 Crimes are "among the most serious crimes to the international community as a whole;" They constitute a serious attack on human dignity.
These crimes contain the following elements: the acts have been inflicted upon one or more civilians, and they are "committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed at the civilian population, and the perpetrator knows that the conduct is part of or intended the conduct to be part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against the civilian population." These violations include such actions as (1)murder, (e) imprisonment or other sever deprivation of physical liberty, and/or (f) torture, whether physical or mental, or some combination of the same.
This seems to summarize what is occurring these past ten days in Iran.
TODAY'S MASSACRE IN BAHARESTAN SQUARE
Crimes against humanity have been committed against the people of Iran by order of the current controlling regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in retaliation of the exercise of citizen's political and civil rights as secured under the UN Convention for Civil and Political Rights, to which the Iranian government is a party.
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY HAVE BEEN PERPETRATED UNDER DIRECTION OF THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 7, SECTIONS 1(a), 1(e) AND 1(f) OF THE ICC 'ELEMENTS OF CRIMES' (in accordance with the ROME STATUTES).
The United Nations should step in and the ICC should issue arrest warrants for government officials and all responsible parties.
LET THE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES BE CHARGED AS ACCORDINGLY!
And let the Iranian people get on with their daily lives in peace, in liberty, and in dignity.
UPDATE JUN 25:
I have just come across this information as reported by Al Jezeera afew days ago: Payam Akhavan, former UN War Crimes Prosecutor atThe Hague and co-founder of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre, is working on a petition to send to the UN Security Council and The Hague to look into cases of crimes against humanity in Iran.
WATCH HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hvHja_yi8w
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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There is no "international community" capable of "intervening" in Iran. It's a nice idea, but, really, the only two powers with any capability to "intervene" are the Great Satan and (maybe) Russia. And, under OBambi, the Great Satan is out of the intervening business. So, if you really want "intervention" you're talking about the United States Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army. All of whom are relatively busy these days and hardly in a position to do much in Iran quickly. Maybe we could put the XVIIIth Airborne Corps on the ground in Iran, but unless we were damned sure the Iranians would mostly welcome us and their army not resist, it would be a disaster.
ReplyDeleteI was talking legal criminal action and not military action - I thought I spelled this out fairly clearly in my post.. citing internal law violations and all. there has been enough bloodshed yes? Try to think out of the box, friend.
ReplyDeleteKindness and light to you!