[A better heading: "Amnesty International v. the International
War Crimes Tribunal" (But, hey, isn't Clinton above the law?).
Besides, this is old news...at least it is here on CTRL. --MS]
>From Independent News, UK
Nato 'deliberately attacked civilians in Serbia'
By Robert Fisk 7 June 2000
Only five days after Nato was "exonerated" by the International
War Crimes Tribunal for its killing of civilians in Yugoslavia
last year, Amnesty International today publishes a blistering
attack on the Alliance, accusing it of committing serious
violations of the rules of war, unlawful killings and � in the
case of the bombing of Serbia's television headquarters � a war
crime.
The 65-page Amnesty report details a number of mass killings of
civilians in Nato raids and states that "civilian deaths could
have been significantly reduced if Nato forces had fully adhered
to the rules of war".
Legalistic in nature but damning in content � the document
reminds readers that Amnesty repeatedly condemned Serb atrocities
against Kosovo Albanians � the report highlights inconsistencies
and obfuscation by Nato's official spokesmen.
Although Nato told Amnesty that pilots operated under "strict
Rules of Engagement", it refused to disclose details of the
"rules" or the principles underlying them. The report says:
"They did not answer specific questions Amnesty International
raised about specific incidents ..."
Amnesty records that Nato aircraft flew 10,484 strike missions
over Serbia and that Serbian statistics of civilian deaths in
Nato raids range from 400-600 up to 1,500. It specifically
condemns Nato for an attack on a bridge at Varvarin on 30 May
last year, which killed at least 11 civilians. "Nato forces
failed to suspend their attack after it was evident that they had
struck civilians," Amnesty says.
When it attacked convoys of Albanian refugees near Djakovica on
14 April and in Korisa on 13 May, "Nato failed to take necessary
precautions to minimise civilian casualties".
The report says Nato repeatedly gave priority to pilots' safety
at the cost of civilian lives. In several investigations of
civilian deaths, Amnesty quotes from reports in The Independent,
including an investigation into the bombing of a hospital at
Surdulica on 31 May. The Independent disclosed in November that
Serb soldiers were sheltering on the ground floor of the hospital
when it was bombed but that all the casualties were civilian
refugees living on the upper floors.
Amnesty says: "If Nato intentionally bombed the hospital complex
because it believed it was housing soldiers, it may well have
violated the laws of war. According to Article 50(3) of Protocol
1, [of the Geneva Conventions] 'the presence within the civilian
population of individuals who do not come within the definition
of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian
character'.
"The hospital complex was clearly a civilian object with a large
civilian population, the presence of soldiers would not have
deprived the civilians or the hospital compound of their
protected status." Some of Amnesty's harshest criticism is
directed at the 23 April bombing of Serb television headquarters.
"General Wesley Clark has stated, 'We knew when we struck that
there would be alternate means of getting the Serb Television.
There's no single switch to turn off everything but we thought it
was a good move to strike it, and the political leadership agreed
with us.' "In other words, Nato deliberately attacked a civilian
object, killing 16 civilians, for the purpose of disrupting Serb
television broadcasts in the middle of the night for
approximately three hours. It is hard to see how this can be
consistent with the rule of proportionality."
On 17 May last year, Nato's secretary general, Javier Solana,
wrote to Amnesty in response to its "grave concern" over the TV
bombing, stating that RTS (Serb Radio and Television) facilities
"are being used as radio relay stations and transmitters to
support the activities of the ... military and special police
forces, and therefore they represent legitimate military
targets".
But at a meeting with Nato officials in Brussels early this year
Amnesty was informed that Mr Solana's reference "was to other
attacks on RTS infrastructure and not this particular attack on
RTS headquarters."
The US Defense Department, Amnesty recalls, justified the
television station bombing because it was "a facility used for
propaganda purposes" and Amnesty itself says that Tony Blair
"appeared to be hinting [in a subsequent BBC documentary] that
one of the reasons that the station was targeted was because its
video footage of the human toll of Nato mistakes ... was being
re-broadcast by Western media outlets and was thereby undermining
support for the war within the alliance".
Of the Nato destruction of the train at Gurdulica bridge on 12
April, Amnesty says: "Nato's explanation of the bombing �
particularly General Clark's account of the pilot's rationale for
continuing the attack after he had hit the train � suggests that
the [American] pilot had understood that the mission was to
destroy the bridge regardless of the cost in terms of civilian
casualties ..."
Nato had not, Amnesty adds, "taken sufficient precautionary
measures to ensure there was no civilian traffic in the vicinity
of the bridge before launching the first attack". Amnesty quotes
the Nato spokesman James Shea as admitting that the video of the
train shown to the press at the time was speeded up (to three
times its original speed) because Nato analysts routinely
reviewed tapes at speed.
Mr Shea, Amnesty says, "said that the [Nato] press office was at
fault for clearing the tape for public screening without slowing
it down to the original speed".
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths,
misdirections
and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and
minor
effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said,
CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
<A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
