Update on Karadzic - ICC Trial

Update on Karadzic since July 2008: The Failure of Justice

Karadzic was brought before the International Criminal Court and began a tirade of defenses and excuses to delay the process. He claimed a conspiracy was unfolding against him and refused to plead either guilty or not so the court decided to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. To all 11 charges.

On October 13, 2008 BBC stated in a report that Karadzic's not guilty plea granting immunity to his charges was to be denied. His defense needed to "prepare" and he was granted a continuance of his trial to the 26th of October.

The trial stopped 15 minutes after it began when Karadzic simply boycott the start of the trial by not appearing. He apparently was representing himself at this time. My question to the court, why the heck was he allowed to "not appear" when he should have been in hand-cuffs led directly from a jail cell to the jail court. Either way, the judge decided to suspend the hearing until the prosecution could begin its opening statement later that week.

On November 5, 2009, the court provided an attorney, or rather required it and again moved his his trial to be held on March 1st, 2010.

On November 26, 2009, Karadžić filed a Motion stating the legal validity and legitimacy of the tribunal was essentially falsified and the prosecution responded by stating they had already proved validity and jurisdiction in this matter. The Judge agreed wiht the prosecution and denied Karadzic's motion.

At this time, the failure of the ICC is that this has been allowed to continue wihtout resolution. There have been numerous additional delays including a motion to replace the judge due to unfair biases against the defendant. Clearly, we still have work to do in prosecution of crimes against humanity, genocide and violations of the Geneva Convention.


PRIOR News Update: As of July 2008.

Karadzic, the Serbian leader accused of organizing crimes against humanity and genocide most notably against the 8,000 men and boys who lives were exterminated in the Balkans. -- This is the proof that justice can prevail, giving hope and ending impunity.

" Radovan Karadzic personified impunity for more than a
decade, but his efforts to run the clock on justice have failed.
This arrest offers hope to the victims of the horrific crimes
that occurred there. "

Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch’s International Justice Program
(Source: HRW.org)

It's Been A While - But I'm Back to Posting!

Thank you to everyone who keeps reading my posts. I spent a great deal of time researching human rights and abuses during my college years and I believe it to be a worthwhile subject to continue researching in post-graduate work.

As a result, I will continue to post new issues in the 2010 world, new abuses, as well as provide you with updates on past abuses that have not yet abated.

We can grow lazy... but we must never forget. And so I return to research after a two year break of working and traveling.

Thanks Again,
Sara.. the foolish ambassador

International Committee of the Red Cross

I've started volunteering at the American Red Cross as a stepping stone to begin further human rights work in the Sub-Saharan and Horn of Africa regions. The American Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross are organizations that have one very substantial cause that is VITAL towards ending violence and genocide.

Impartiality.

Impartiality means that when the red cross, crescent or diamond is on a flag, hope is given to everyone no matter what side of the conflict they support or were forced to participate for.

I'll be giving regular updates as to the work I will be providing for the American Red Cross (Mt. Baker Chapter) and open up the opportunity for other people to work with me either online or in the local Whatcom County community.

My Research:

At first, I'll be helping to reorganize the Mt. Baker Disaster Preparedness Plan for all of Whatcom and Skagit counties. 90% of the work that is done by this relief organization is preparation in nature which leads to prevention of conflict. Ultimately, we hope to stop conflict before it rises to the level of genocide, but for those unfortuate situations where conflict (or natural disasters) do emerge, the ARC is there and ready to act.

Secondly, I'll begin working on research and development for response and prevention of malaria. The program is called, "Bite the Bite" and I would like to set up a community outreach and information program allowing Whatcom and Skagit counties to be better prepared for the effects of malaria and how to treat, respond and prevent outbreaks.

Wish me luck!

ICC Prosecutor requests arrest warrant for Sudan's President al-Bashir

Darfur: ICC Moves Against Sudan’s Leader
Charges Against al-Bashir a Major Step to Ending Impunity

- from Hrw.org website. Click link for more information.

" Charging President al-Bashir for the hideous crimes in Darfur shows that no one is above the law. It is the prosecutor’s job to follow the evidence wherever it leads, regardless of official position. "
Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch’s International Justice Program

One of the most monumental steps in bringing justice to the nation of Darfur is by the International Criminal Court finalizing their evidence and asking for a warrant for the people responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. When ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo requested that an arrest warrant be issued for the Sudanese President al-Bashier, hope can again flourish among the rebel groups fighting for their homes, families and land.

Read more about this directly from the HRW website (hrw.org) and also from the International Criminal Court website (http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/406.html)

DRC - The Democratic Republic of Congo

Darfur is one of many conflicts. There are others. Others like the forgotten conflicts occurring in The Democratic Republic of Congo. Rape is being use as a weapon of war to isolate women from their families, destroy community cohesiveness and show that the men of these villages can not protect their wives, daughters and families from danger. Rape is being used on women and girls documented as young as only 15 (fifteen) MONTHS old as well as the elderly as old as 85.

If your grandmother was being raped by a child soldier who has learned to fight his own kind, what response would you have? Besides outrage, hate and fear, mounting a defense to this kind of weapon of war has to be fought with action. We must force our leaders to see that action and consistent implementation of a justice system is a huge step forward in the right direction.

Write a letter to your governor, your representative, the human rights council in your state or the federal government branch associated with the United Nations. Search online for Non-Governmental Organizations like the Human Rights Watch to see current news and reports in these affected regions.

Gadu Kistana, Ethiopia

My newest Sponsor child! Askalu of Ethiopia.

Her name is Askalu from the Gadu Kistana community of Ethiopia. She is a beautiful girl that I am sponsoring through Save the Children. Hopefully, when I go to Egypt in February 2009, I will be able to take a side trip to Ethiopia and see her and her family.

Tomorrow's Challenge for Bloggers & Human Rights

Step 2 for Darfur - Enforcement.

Draft ----

This one isn’t turning out the way I want it to.. I’ll figure it out somehow though.. I want to tie it back up with proving that enforcement of orders is absolutely essential, but not only in a foreign commanders setting, I’d like to tie it to enforcement of our ability to provide aid and relief to the countries as well, thus putting more emphasis on what OUR senators need to be responsible for…



Senator Maria Cantwell
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202.224.3441

There is a genocide occurring in Darfur and it is beyond the scope of the United States Congress to ignore that the mass atrocities in Darfur do, in fact, constitute genocide. I am grateful that you have dedicated a section of your foreign affairs webpage to reflect that there is a dire situation and that you have support the need for additional funds to be used towards the potential NATO action as well as a joint UN-AU mission in Darfur. I am also grateful that you believe the United States should lead the way in international actions that would result in stabling the region for the Darfurians, Chadians and other refugees and internally displaced persons.
The reason I write to you today is to request that you hold true to these comments and start taking the lead as you say the United States should. You do not need to develop your own strategy as a single senator from Washington, but rather take the advice from the organizations who are on the ground day after day and have been witness to the atrocities that need to be stopped. The Human Rights Watch is an organization that provides solid and reliable information on the situation and more importantly a feasible way to being the process of eliminating the violence. The genocide in Darfur, as you so said yourself, has claimed more than 300,000 lives and has spanned over three years. When you say that the United States should lead the way in international action, did you mean to wait for the ethnic cleaning in Sudan to decrease the population by a million unarmed, innocent civilians before taking action?

2. Enforce orders prohibiting targeting of civilians and civilian property and indiscriminate attacks.



1440 10th Street Unit 207
Bellingham,WA 98225
360.920.9680
www.EndingGenocide.co.cc

Events Listing

The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur By Daoud Hari
A tribesman, nicknamed David, takes journalists and other travelers through the most harrowing areas of Darfur to document and witness the genocide. David is a translator and wanted his story to be told to the world to bring the ordinary person that much closer to the truth of what is happening to his home country of Sudan. It is first hand accounts like these that give us the momentum and courage to continue fighting for what we believe in, to make this genocide, the first and last, of the 21st century.
$23.00 Published by Random House, Inc.

http://www.desertintofire.com/
A New Film by Mark Brecke regarding Darfur. A man whose business card says "War Photographer and Weddings"
Of course, he doesn't actually photograph weddings, he works for a few months and gets on a plane back to the war.
"Like everyone else does..." says Brecke...



http://www.DarfurDarfur.org/main/
Darfur/Darfur - Find out if the Photographs and Stories of Photojournalists Brian Steidle and Ryan Spencer Reed are coming to a city near you.
24 cities in 24 months beginning September 2006.

Darfur. Help is in our hands, not anyone elses.

I just watched the clip from Hotel Rwanda where Don Cheadle (playing Paul Rusesabagina) says, "you must shame them into sending help."

"Reach through the phone and make it sound as though you are holding their hand, and if they let go of your hand... you will die."

His words were powerful regardless if the movie was based on a true story or not, but becuase it is based on a true story, one that is happening again in another part of the world, we must act. We must send help.

Educate yourself. It's the least you can do.

Step One. Week One.

10 Steps for Darfur

Ten Steps for Darfur: As Outlined by the Human Rights Watch

Below are the ten steps that will be the core values to which I write my letters from. I encourage everyone to write letters regarding these recommendations and show your support for the resolve that could come as a result of implementing these recommendations.



1. Publish and disseminate orders prohibiting the targeting of civilians and civilian property and indiscriminate attacks.

2. Enforce orders prohibiting targeting of civilians and civilian property and indiscriminate attacks.

3. Vet all appointments to public office on human rights grounds, and remove Ahmed Haroun, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court, from all posts.

4. Publicize and enforce a policy of zero tolerance for violence against women.

5. Provide an up-to-date list of detainees and where they are held, and ensure that UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have confidential access to all detainees.

6. Cease any use in Darfur of military airplanes, helicopters, or vehicles painted white or otherwise mimicking UN or humanitarian organizations.

7. Issue a blanket waiver of legal immunities for war crimes and serious violations of human rights.

8. Fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court, and surrender two suspects now subject to arrest warrants.

9. Fully cooperate with the African Union mission and deployment of the new UN-AU force, including issuance of expedited visas and clearance for vehicles and equipment.

10. Issue a standing invitation to all UN human rights mechanisms and give these mechanisms full and unimpeded access.

New Letter Series: 10 Letters, 10 Weeks.

Human Rights Watch proposed 10 steps that would help alleviate the Genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

This was proposed in December 2007 and was developed on part becuase the Human Rights Council (HRC) was going to review the final report that was being produced by the Group of Experts (GOE) specifically reviewing the situation in Darfur.

I will write ten letters in ten weeks regarding each of the ten steps to different officials in the United States Legislature in order to promote those key elements in hopes that new amendments and pieces of legislation will be drafted to pressure the Executive branch into taking more direct action against the genocide.

This is also in correlation with STANDNow.org The Student Anti-Genocide Coalition. Their spring 2008 goal is to target the Executive branch in order to help the citizens of Sudan.

Read more about their work here with their four main goals:

Seal the Deal: Sudan, The Executive Legacy

http://www.standnow.org/campaigns/seal/about

1. Stick to your Promises
2. Enforce UNAMID
3. Apply an All-Sudan Solution
4. Lobby China

The Translator - Hari Daoud, a Sudanese translator and guide for Journalists.

Book Description taken from Google.com Book Descriptions.

Buy the Book here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067448?ie=UTF8&tag=boohav03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400067448





I am the translator who has taken journalists into dangerous Darfur. It is my intention now to take you there in this book, if you have the courage to come with me.The young life of Daoud Hari–his friends call him David–has been one of bravery and mesmerizing adventure. He is a living witness to the brutal genocide under way in Darfur.The Translator is a suspenseful, harrowing, and deeply moving memoir of how one person has made a difference in the world–an on-the-ground account of one of the biggest stories of our time. Using his high school knowledge of languages as his weapon–while others around him were taking up arms–Daoud Hari has helped inform the world about Darfur.Hari, a Zaghawa tribesman, grew up in a village in the Darfur region of Sudan. As a child he saw colorful weddings, raced his camels across the desert, and played games in the moonlight after his work was done. In 2003, this traditional life was shattered when helicopter gunships appeared over Darfur’s villages, followed by Sudanese-government-backed militia groups attacking on horseback, raping and murdering citizens and burning villages. Ancient hatreds and greed for natural resources had collided, and the conflagration spread.Though Hari’s village was attacked and destroyedhis family decimated and dispersed, he himself escaped. Roaming the battlefield deserts on camels, he and a group of his friends helped survivors find food, water, and the way to safety. When international aid groups and reporters arrived, Hari offered his services as a translator and guide. In doing so, he risked his life again and again, for the government of Sudan had outlawed journalists in the region, and death was the punishment for those who aided the “foreign spies.” And then, inevitably, his luck ran out and he was captured. . . . The Translator tells the remarkable story of a man who came face-to-face with genocide– time and again risking his own life to fight injustice and save his people.

Reminders.

Last night, I was working on editing this website for the presentation on Tuesday. I was singing along with my favorite band on iTunes, looking at pictures from Brian Steidle and Ryan Spencer Reed's websites. When I realized it was nearly midnight, I closed my laptop, which shut off the music and that's when it began.

First it was just a stiffled yelling, the couple in the apartment above mine were having a domestic dispute. But then the yelling turned into screams, only lasting a few seconds at a time, I can still hear her voice in my head screaming and yelling for someone, help me.. help me... you're hurting me...

It happened in a matter of minutes. From the first scream I heard to the time I called 911 requesting immediate attention to the incident.

I stayed long enough to let three policemen in the secured building and picked up my cat and went to my parents house around 12:30am. I thought I would sleep better knowing I wasn't in the same building as someone who was probably being cited and would soon be let go to continue doing the same behaviors.. I had no faith in our system. Our jails are full, and only the most heinous crimes are being punished.

---

The next morning, I went back to my apartment to change before going to work, heard footsteps above me and assumed the couple above me was still there. I went to work at my attorney's office and checked my emails, read the police daily log to check new cases and the jail roster as I usually do for my daily routine.

I see my block address, the time I called and a man's name who was arrested for a felony assault charge. Working for an attorney, I immediately recognize the severity of this charge and look further into the matter. Through contacts at the county courthouse, I find out that the man I put in jail has a hearing int he afternoon. I wouldn't find out until after my Anthro 490 class.

Completely distracted throughout the entire class, I called my contact as soon as I was outside the door. I am informed that the man is being held on $25,000 cash bail and that had I waiting a few minutes longer before calling 911, the woman probably would have been beaten, strangled and stabbed to death. He is now being charged with Attempted Homicide. Should the case go to trial which is more than likely, I will probably be called as a witness.

Overcome at the news, I tear up, thinking about how I waited 5 or 10 minutes for the police to arrive, it had felt like an eternity. I was shaking so badly during the 911 call and the feeling hasn't completely dissipated. How can I study the genocide in Darfur all day long without that reaction, and yet - be so shaken by one man beating one woman.

I only did what I was supposed to do, called the police. Helped one woman. And then it hits me, what is the child in Darfur supposed to do when she sees the same thing happen to her sister, mother, brother or father. There is no police to call, there is no authority she can trust.

It reminds me why I "keep on keeping on" as we say in class. To give everyone the chance at the freedom and the security that protects those freedoms. Every couple of years, an incident like this happens to me, and it sets me back on the right path, reminds me what it more important.

---

Every once in a while, an incident occurs that makes you sit back and realize that life is precious. And the system we have in place to protect our peace and prosecute those who offend us does still work. It may be corrupt and full of arrogance and deceit, but it is still better than nothing and we must protect that and remember why it is here in the first place. Life is precious. And it must be protected.